Saturday, 1 March 2025

Moody: the works

A list of links to all my non-tech writings:

Essays

Glanglish - all with audio versions

Travel writings

Novels
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Introduction to Moody's Black Notebook Travels

I have two great regrets in my life.  One is eating a chicken sandwich in Varanasi, shortly before flying to Kathmandu.  This gave me the worst food poisoning I have ever experienced, nearly killed me, and meant that I missed a unique opportunity to visit Lhasa before it was turned into a Chinese Disneyland.  The other regret involves three Inter-rail trips that I made in 1979, 1980 and 1981.  They were extraordinarily rich in sights and experiences.  Stupidly, though, I did not keep a travel diary at that time, so all I have are vague, if important, memories of what I saw, thought and felt.

At least I was able to learn from these two huge blunders.  Afterwards, I no longer ate chicken sandwiches in exotic lands, and I kept travel diaries for all my major trips.  The latter took the form of black notebooks, bought from Ryman's, in two formats: one small enough to fit in a pocket, and another, slightly larger, that I kept in the travel bag I used for longer journeys. 

I now have dozens of these notebooks sitting behind me, filled with my illegible scrawl.  I have been meaning to turn them into digital texts for some years, and to bring them into the 21st century, but have never got around to it until now.  I am not transcribing them in any set order, but will place links to them below, as they go online, ordered chronologically.  There is no overall plan, no overall significance.  They are just what they are: quick thoughts jotted down in black notebooks, captured moments of a specific time and place.

1986 India I: Delhi, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri
1986 India II: Kashmir
1986 India III: Jaipur, Udaipur
1987 Italy
1994 Venice - new post 
2021 Gibraltar - with photos
2022 Stavanger - with photos
2022 Bratislava - with photos
2023 Bilbao - with photos
2023 Shetland - with photos
2024 Ravenna - with photos
2024 Georgia - with photos
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1994 Venice

14.1.94

By train, about three hours, £20 for two – what a luxus.  To the Scandinavia Hotel (#5).  Walked to Frari (bought flowers) too, took black and white photos of it – the first of many I trust for phase 847 of Walks with Lorenzetti.  Sitting opposite the Canova: seems like someone has just gone in – or is about to come out. Very cold, grey, empty: perfect.  A door to another dimension.  Bloody camera a trial – only allowed me one flash in here…

6.15 pm. The bells of Santa Maria Formosa – two of them – outside our window.  [Idea: photo the street signs – and their characteristic stencils – use tracing software to capture the font – call it “Formosa” and use in Walks with Lorenzetti…]

Supper in Trattoria Gigi, “Vecio Fritolin” San Lio 5410 – not bad.  Nice atmosphere.

15.1.94

Pix of Santa Maria Formosa (La Nuova Venezia).  To Correr – Longhi – opening quote from Goldoni.  1750 – Goldoni – sonnet for nozze Grimani – elegia dell’arte Longhi.  [Gazzetto Veneto – 1760].  Bautta – fine word…  Sette Sacramenti – for Querini at Santa Maria Formosa.

To Caffè Quadri (fondato 1638).  Brilliant sunshine pouring in through the windows.  Then a long day spent looking for shots – I did Walks with Lorenzetti in Piazza San Marco, the out to Zattere for Pensione Calcina.  Took gondola for the first time – 500L. – traghetto back across Grand Canal, ate in Ciak 2 – nice locale.  Walked back to station for a map and shot of San Simeone Piccolo.  I went in San Geremia – weird outside like Piranesi – also inside.  Then took #1 back to Rialto – realising that there is no point trying to capture the beauty that unfolded before us: my pix are specific constructs, not desperate and doomed captures.

16.1.94

To the Forestiera Valdese (8 places for “boys”, 8 for “girls”).  Then along past San Lorenzo (being restored?) to San Giorgio dei Greci – where a service is being sun to an empty church.  A huge iconostasis rears up.

Along to the Arsenale – what a strange place in a strange city – so open and empty.  Few people around.  To San Martino – inside, carved stalls from 18th century.  Then to Bragora – first time I’ve been here (?) – San Giovanni in Bragora nothing special inside.

Photos in Piazza San Marco – the pigeons for “Picture Postcard”. [yesterday, taking pix of Pensione Calcina a contact lens fell out.  I caught it, but what a palaver.]

Along to the Accademia Bridge, then to Cugnai – closed.  To San Pantalon – what a ceiling.  Organ noodlings in the background.  Then to Crepizza behind it – fine South American slush in the background.  

Then past Goldoni’s home – pix – and to Tintoretto exhibition near Rialto – rather disappointing – few pix, nothing special, little explanation.  Then to hotel, surprisingly near from Rialto.  Now in cafe by Teatro Goldoni, all’angolo by canal – where we’ve been many a time.  Have just drunk what I take to be real Goldoni chocolate: black, thick, excellent.  And to think of its journey from the Aztecs… (Bought Benátky guide – a snip at L.7,000)  In Santa Maria Formosa for mass… Really lovely simple church.  Recorded organ music plays as the bells call madly.

17.1.94

A last walk this morning (the smorning).  Down Calle del Paradiso for the first time – and what a paradise: a bookshop with an ancient Egyptian grammar – and Lorenzetti (the red one).  Closed, though, Monday morning….

But after searching in vain for the plaque on the wall where Mozart stayed, we return – and find it open.  Bought Egyptian and dialettale.  Lorenzetti next time….? (L.50,000).

More destinations:

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