Italy in August

It's difficult to achieve anything in Italy in August. Like buying a bed, for example. Unless you regard endlessly flitting from one furniture shop to another in a futile effort to find one that is open as a achievement. No, on balance, it's best not to bother. Even if you do find one that is not physically shuttered, it will be but a show-room and a caretaker. The elderly individual will brush off any attempts to so much as place an order, telling you to come back in September. Your sleeping on the floor 'til then my friend.

This goes beyond frustrating. Your western-consumerist mind will tell you that it HAS to be possible to give people money in exchange for goods and services. But alas, no. Your Euros (or dollars, old Lira, Ringgits, whatever) are no good to you in Italy in August. So you might as well kick back, make your own coffee and bask in the certain knowledge that sleeping on terracotta tiles is your fate for the rest of August.

And so it is in Sydney in January. At least if you're trying to view residential property. This city is utterly bereft, entirely devoid of real estate agents for the whole month. Seriously, there's not one to be found. I phoned up one place and actually got an answer, only to be told that all the agents were away until after Australia Day (January 26th).

My Euros are no good here.

So I might as well kick back, pour my own beer and relax in the certain knowledge that an absence of estate agents makes this city even more desirable in January.