The landlord of our
quiet backwater lodging in Venice explained how to get to St. Mark’s: turning right, left, right, left,
right, left, right, left. We
laughed, remembering the maze of aqueous dead-ends and long blind alleyways that makes each quest there such a challenge. But sure enough, it worked. We didn’t get lost once, following that
simple logarithm (or algorithm).
And while changing
trains to get across the countryside, I realized that travelling is an
equation. Milan plus Bergamo
plus Brescia plus Desenzano del Garda equals Verona. Busseto plus Parma plus Bologna plus Padova equals
Treviso. When the train
doesn’t come you add zero and stay where you are.
It’s fun to see
math lessons playing out in real life; to understand the relevance of what you
learned those many years ago in school. (Like when I spent time at the St. Bernard Pass and found myself years and years after Latin classes puzzling out the inscriptions on Roman milestones or votive offerings.)
image: Dartmouth Apologia
.jpg)
i don't do arithmetic.
ReplyDeletenot even in venice. alas. i would still be lost.
In fact half the fun is being lost. You find things you didn't realize you were looking for...and don't mind not finding what you set out looking for.
ReplyDeleteI used to live in Venice, once. It took me one month, at the beginning, to be able to go from one place to another without ever looking in the map. Now I know Venice like a book, although I've been away for ages. Next time I go, I'll try my best to get lost again.
ReplyDelete