Mount Etna Erupts.

[Tidewater]

Ruh-roh, Raggie.
Italy's Mount Etna is erupting again. Stunning photos show the volcano sending ash into the sky and turning into a 'lava fountain.'
You see, there was this one eruption a while back ...

 

[2003TIDE]

Saw a video of tourist(hikers) running down the mountain during the eruption. Personally after watching the documentary of the tourists killed while visiting the volcano in New Zealand I’d stick to hiking dormant ones, but I guess they didn’t watch that. I’ll see if I can find the video on YouTube and post.

 

[2003TIDE]

Tourists scramble as Mt Etna erupts behind them

After erupting on Monday (local time), Sicily's stratovolcano, Mt Etna, sent tourists running for safety with ash plumes hitting 6,400m.#volcano #mtetna #italy

youtube.com

 

[Tidewater]

The one that scares me (and should scare Italians) is Campi Flegrei, at the northern end of Napoli.
It is a caldera supervolcano.

The ground over a caldera heaves and sinks as pressure builds up and dissipates in the caldera.
At Pozzuoli, in or near the caldera, are some Roman columns.

The discoloration occurred some time in the last 2,000 years, when the ground sank so far these columns were underwater. The top of the discoloration marks the former height of the water. These columns are now above the water line (but across the street from the harbor at Pozzuoli) so the ground has risen again to its level from Roman times.

Anyway, when Campi Flegrei erupts, it is likely to kill millions.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

The one that scares me (and should scare Italians) is Campi Flegrei, at the northern end of Napoli.
It is a caldera supervolcano.

The ground over a caldera heaves and sinks as pressure builds up and dissipates in the caldera.
At Pozzuoli, in or near the caldera, are some Roman columns.
View attachment 51045
The discoloration occurred some time in the last 2,000 years, when the ground sank so far these columns were underwater. The top of the discoloration marks the former height of the water. These columns are now above the water line (but across the street from the harbor at Pozzuoli) so the ground has risen again to its level from Roman times.

Anyway, when Campi Flegrei erupts, it is likely to kill millions.

I guess you just have to live in denial, like coastal Californians. Recently, following our local tornadoes, in which we were lucky enough to have the funnel skip right over us, my SIL advised my wife that we should retire out there (Ventura), where we wouldn't have to worry about tornadoes. Since she's lived there (twice now), she's had earthquake damage, living near a fault line, been evacuated for wildfire and had to have whole-house smoke remediation. She's probably too close to the beach and flat to worry about the mudslides...

 

[Tidewater]

I guess you just have to live in denial, like coastal Californians. Recently, following our local tornadoes, in which we were lucky enough to have the funnel skip right over us, my SIL advised my wife that we should retire out there (Ventura), where we wouldn't have to worry about tornadoes. Since she's lived there (twice now), she's had earthquake damage, living near a fault line, been evacuated for wildfire and had to have whole-house smoke remediation. She's probably too close to the beach and flat to worry about the mudslides...

The Italian government had undertaken substantial efforts to monitor seismic and volcanic activity around Napoli,, but God forbid they should raise the alarm and order an evacuation. Having driven in Napoli on a good day, I can imagine the traffic jam to get 1 million people out of town.
Oi.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

The Italian government had undertaken substantial efforts to monitor seismic and volcanic activity around Napoli,, but God forbid they should raise the alarm and order an evacuation. Having driven in Napoli on a good day, I can imagine the traffic jam to get 1 million people out of town.
Oi.

I never got that far south in Italy, but, from what I've seen further north, it only takes three Italian drivers to create a traffic jam...

 

[Tidewater]

I never got that far south in Italy, but, from what I've seen further north, it only takes three Italian drivers to create a traffic jam...

I went ot the Naples airport to pick up a friend at the southeast corer of the airport there is a four-way intersection. There is supposed to be a traffic light, but, being Napoli, it was broken (or had been stolen). It took me 45 minutes to turn left at that intersection. Traffic from every direction pulled into the intersection blocking the exit of the other person so it was a standstill. They just sat there looking at each other.
It frustrated me a tad.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

I went ot the Naples airport to pick up a friend at the southeast corer of the airport there is a four-way intersection. There is supposed to be a traffic light, but, being Napoli, it was broken (or had been stolen). It took me 45 minutes to turn left at that intersection. Traffic from every direction pulled into the intersection blocking the exit of the other person so it was a standstill. They just sat there looking at each other.
It frustrated me a tad.

I've related this before, but, years ago, Liz and I were skiing Crested Butte, CO, long before it was developed as it is today. Anyway, the ski pickup area was a long room attached to the airport terminal. There was a long, sloped SS ramp, separated from the cold outside by a heavy, hanging rubberized curtain, split vertically to allow the handlers to shove the skis in as they unloaded them from the planes. A group of us Americans happened to land just before a group of Italian skiers. We Yanks formed an orderly queue, each person stepping forward as he/she recognized the proper ski container. Then arrived the Italians. They pushed in front of our line and started retrieving their skis, which had become mixed with the Americans. It didn't end there. As they became agitated, some started climbing up the ramp, finally pushing through the curtain to grab their skis early. The Americans' attitude was interesting. Rather than competing, we uniformly stepped back and, bemusedly watched the chaos.

Fast forward a number of years and Liz and I were in Vail, in the ticket office for the Lionshead gondola for a summer hike at altitude. The line was around 7-8, something like that. At the head of the line was an Italian woman, arguing with the clerk (another national past time). Suddenly, an Italian male entered from the outside and rushed to the ticket window. IDK what triggered me, maybe Crested Butte, maybe countless cattle funnel "ski lines" in Europe, but I walked to the head of the line, grabbed his arm and said "This is America. We wait our turn in line here." He replied, in a weak voice, "I just wanted to talk to my wife." I stammered "Oh, OK," and reassumed my place in line...

 

[Its On A Slab]

I went ot the Naples airport to pick up a friend at the southeast corer of the airport there is a four-way intersection. There is supposed to be a traffic light, but, being Napoli, it was broken (or had been stolen). It took me 45 minutes to turn left at that intersection. Traffic from every direction pulled into the intersection blocking the exit of the other person so it was a standstill. They just sat there looking at each other.
It frustrated me a tad.

We were in Istanbul for a long layover last year in May.

I had heard that traffic there was horrible, but we did have a 20 hr layover, and wanted to see some of the city. Hagia Sophia, etc.

At the airport, we caught a cab. The cabbie spoke almost no English, but he did understand where we wanted to go. Of course, we got stuck in traffic. After about an hour, he pulled thru the emergency lane, got on another highway. At this point, I thought things were going to get interesting.

He pulled up to a construction site to the side of the busy freeway. "Hagia Sophia - 15 minute walk" he said. Dumped us out on the highway and left.

My wife was the only one who had data for her phone. She plugged in the address, and it was a good hour's walk to the Hagia Sophia. I guess the guy was just tired of sitting in traffic.

By dumb luck, we found a tram a few blocks away, and after discusing with some Turks who spoke English, located the tram that would take us there. But not before the door almost shutting before I could follow my wife into the tram. It was so packed that there wasn't room....so I did my best high school Tight End shoulder block into the tram and moved enough people aside to get in.

Since I didn't have data on my phone, I would have been poop out-of-luck if the tram left me. Lost in Istanbul!

 

[Tidewater]

We were in Istanbul for a long layover last year in May.

I had heard that traffic there was horrible, but we did have a 20 hr layover, and wanted to see some of the city. Hagia Sophia, etc.

At the airport, we caught a cab. The cabbie spoke almost no English, but he did understand where we wanted to go. Of course, we got stuck in traffic. After about an hour, he pulled thru the emergency lane, got on another highway. At this point, I thought things were going to get interesting.

He pulled up to a construction site to the side of the busy freeway. "Hagia Sophia - 15 minute walk" he said. Dumped us out on the highway and left.

My wife was the only one who had data for her phone. She plugged in the address, and it was a good hour's walk to the Hagia Sophia. I guess the guy was just tired of sitting in traffic.

By dumb luck, we found a tram a few blocks away, and after discusing with some Turks who spoke English, located the tram that would take us there. But not before the door almost shutting before I could follow my wife into the tram. It was so packed that there wasn't room....so I did my best high school Tight End shoulder block into the tram and moved enough people aside to get in.

Since I didn't have data on my phone, I would have been poop out-of-luck if the tram left me. Lost in Istanbul!

Interesting. Europeans cities were not laid out for automobile traffic.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Lost in Istanbul!

Midnight Express Theme - The Chase