Jan. 6, 2025 - THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES
Well hi there….we stopped in to celebrate the 40th anniversary of this establishment. I wa...

Well hi there….we stopped in to celebrate the 40th anniversary of this establishment. I was a young middle school teacher when it opened. Yes, it is a "coffee shop" right around the corner from where the school was!

Oh, any trip to the Netherlands must display the obligatory windmill photograph. This one is in L...

Oh, any trip to the Netherlands must display the obligatory windmill photograph. This one is in Leiden.

Outside of O’Casey’s bar, a fine Irish establishment in The Hague

Outside of O’Casey’s bar, a fine Irish establishment in The Hague

The Escher House, Den Haag

The Escher House, Den Haag

A cold and rainy night in Den Hague

A cold and rainy night in Den Hague

At most public places there’s always a little bit of history on display

At most public places there’s always a little bit of history on display

well….just because 

well….just because 

….and miles to go before I sleep….

….and miles to go before I sleep….

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES

January 6th, 2025

Good mornings folks,

    The first part of my pilgrimage is now in the books. My voyage to the Netherlands was complete with many long conversations with my history mentor Howard LaBrie. He and his lovely wife, Annemies hosted me for a full week in the town of Leiden. We ate good food and shared some spirited dialogue which helped frame my perspective on where the world is now. 

     Today I had hoped to awaken on the island of Sicilia, in the town of Trapani, by myself. I have missed the comfort of my home and my family and of course my loving wife Julie and I’ve been in touch with them over the course of the past week. I just need to push myself to do something out of the ordinary….something that I would never attempt in the past. I think it’s fitting for somebody who is 77 years old to try to do as much as they can for no particular reason. But then of course, came the news. The flight to Palermo was canceled. I was left there baggage in hand, sitting on a scooter and not knowing what I was going to do next. I calmed myself down. I talked to a few people and I made friends with three young Sicilian guys, one who is studying for a PhD in English language! They looked out for me and they took a cab with me to the hotel where the airport put us up. We had been standing outside, in the rain, waiting for the shuttle for about an hour and a half and then I just told him let’s take a cab and they all agreed but of course I paid.

     So the lesson is, that it is the bumps in the road that allow you to feel the road and be involved with inner yourself. So now I celebrate the bumps instead of bemoaning them…it adds to the adventure

     I will post some pictures when I get to Trapani sometime today.

Sincerely,

John Bernunzio 

For those who may be interested all of the past, John corners are available for your perusal in the following link:

https://bernunzio.com/johns-corner-archive/

 With peace,

John Bernunzio

On the walk…

On the walk…

"Guitars and Beans" is a music store and coffee shop in the town of Leiden… it is inspirin...

"Guitars and Beans" is a music store and coffee shop in the town of Leiden… it is inspiring! I had a nice conversation with the owner who said that it was all about the camaraderie… guitars and coffee shops really had some things in common.

Not the most inviting of places

Not the most inviting of places

Oh yeah, and there was the Indonesian Rijsttafel,  lest I forget

Oh yeah, and there was the Indonesian Rijsttafel,  lest I forget

worthy of a painting…

worthy of a painting…

So they put us up in a Best Western hotel and I thought I’d sit at the bar and have a Dutch beer ...

So they put us up in a Best Western hotel and I thought I’d sit at the bar and have a Dutch beer and then an Italian beer to show off my sophistication. The bartender informed me that the Italian beer, Moretti was made in the same place as Heineken…so much for my international flare!
However, I did not order the auto Always Pizza!