AtDtDA23: Long Way from 'em San Juans

[Dave Monroe]

   "'Long way from 'em San Juans,' Kit mumbled...." (AtD, Pt. III, p.664)


"''em San Juans'"

Telluride
89; The Town of Telluride is a Home Rule Municipality that is the
county seat of San Miguel County in the southwestern portion of the
State of Colorado in the United States. The town is a former silver
mining camp on the San Miguel River in the western San Juan
Mountains....

http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=T


Newport, Rhode Island

http://www.gonewport.com/

Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island,
United States, about 30 miles (48 km) south of Providence. Known as a
New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is
the home of Naval Station Newport, housing the United States Naval War
College, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, and a major United States
Navy training center. The city is the seat of Newport County. Newport
is also renown for being the "Summer White House" during the
administration of President John F. Kennedy....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport,_Rhode_Island


Glenwood Springs

http://www.ci.glenwood-springs.co.us/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenwood_Springs,_Colorado

Colorado town, then as now site of a famous inn and hot springs,
hydrotherapy center and spa, located on the main line of the Denver &
Rio Grand Western Railroad. Until the early 1980s, a popular excursion
was an overnight trip from Denver along the upper Colorado River
through Glenwood Canyon to the venerable hotel/baths on the D&RG's
venerable rolling stock, the last privately operated passenger train
in the U.S. The route is now operated by Amtrak, but the canyon has
been ruined by the completion of I-70 through it. Pynchon's sinister
railroad of the 1800s has been superseded, has become in its turn a
nostalgic retreat from a newer modernity. For Kit, in his eastward
trip from home, Glenwood Springs would have been the last large stop
before Denver.

http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_644-677#Page_665


"tunnel Italian"

The pidgin Reef learned in the tunnels

http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_644-677#Page_665


"the St.-Gotthard tunnel"

Cf. p. 659

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotthard_Rail_Tunnel
http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0711&msg=123281

Heh, heh, he said ...


"fading into merciless light, tending to eternity"

Light, eternity ...


"the hotels had to print up their own postal stamps"

During the second half of the 19th century, before Swiss railways were
extended to some of the remote mountain districts, the proprietors of
several hotels organized private postal services for the convenience
of their guests. These services would transfer the senders' mail from
the hotel to the nearest post office for a fee of between 5 and 10
rappen. With the subsequent extension of federal postal service to
remote villages, these hotel posts were discontinued.

http://www.swiss-stamps.org/Fonduedir/Hotel%20Stamps%20&%20Cachets.htm
http://www.swiss-stamps.org/Fonduedir/default.htm

In the 19th century, Swiss hotels were often built in remote mountain
districts to provide secluded and restful vacations.

Some were so remote that they were not serviced by the Swiss postal
system, so the hotels provided private postal services for the
convenience of the guests.

The hotels issued stamps to pay for carriage of the mail from the
hotel to the nearest Swiss post office....

http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/locals_20031103/refreshercourse.asp

E.g. ...

http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/locals_20031103/rc10_1103_big.jpg


"giggling nitwits, quite a number of them British actually"

Switzerland was the first country in the world to develop a tourism
industry on a large scale. This occurred during the mid-19th century;
the tourists were mostly from the British upper classes and were
seeking clear mountain air and taking "the cure" which was to be found
at many natural baths.

http://www.swiss-stamps.org/Fonduedir/Hotel%20Stamps%20&%20Cachets.htm
http://www.swiss-stamps.org/Fonduedir/default.htm


Bellinzona

http://www.bellinzona.ch/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellinzona


"motor-dilligence"

Main Entry: di·li·gence
Pronunciation: \ˈdi-lə-ˌzhäⁿs, ˈdi-lə-jən(t)s\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, literally, haste, from Middle French, persevering
application
Date: 1742
: stagecoach

http://m-w.com/dictionary

Motor taxi, as opposed to horse-drawn. [p. 632]

http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_615-643#Page_632


Lago Maggiore

http://www.illagomaggiore.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Maggiore


alpenhorn

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphorn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFaO0ALa0Hc