Dual
RIP Karl 1991-2014
Reposted from my Facebook; you don't get original material.
San Marino is an interesting place. For an ostensibly peaceful society, they certainly do have a potent concentration of shops selling swords, crossbows, and CO2 guns. Their Mussolini, Hitler, and perhaps worst of all (sorry, Dion) Michael Jackson brands of wine are rather disquieting, perhaps all the more so due to the republic's supposedly proud history of resisting tyranny. Finally, I believe their claim to 1708 years of sovereignty is rather suspect, if not because of the various occupations, then because of the facts that San Marino was specifically enumerated in the Donation of Pepin (ie, the foundation of the Papal State), and they don't seem to trace their history to any specific government prior to the mid thirteenth century. Regardless, fascinating. I'll have to return in fairer weather, as the mountaintop locale (and subsequent winds) coupled with a freezing temperated and my lack of a jacket (why did I leave all three in Roma?) made my stay untenable beyond a few hours. Back in Roma for the evening, planning on an expedition to Venezia tomorrow. Bueno sera.
San Marino is an interesting place. For an ostensibly peaceful society, they certainly do have a potent concentration of shops selling swords, crossbows, and CO2 guns. Their Mussolini, Hitler, and perhaps worst of all (sorry, Dion) Michael Jackson brands of wine are rather disquieting, perhaps all the more so due to the republic's supposedly proud history of resisting tyranny. Finally, I believe their claim to 1708 years of sovereignty is rather suspect, if not because of the various occupations, then because of the facts that San Marino was specifically enumerated in the Donation of Pepin (ie, the foundation of the Papal State), and they don't seem to trace their history to any specific government prior to the mid thirteenth century. Regardless, fascinating. I'll have to return in fairer weather, as the mountaintop locale (and subsequent winds) coupled with a freezing temperated and my lack of a jacket (why did I leave all three in Roma?) made my stay untenable beyond a few hours. Back in Roma for the evening, planning on an expedition to Venezia tomorrow. Bueno sera.
