# Forum More Stuff At the end of the day  Which way is up??

## Haveago1

I am usually pretty good with maps and directions when navigating round roads and cities - just look at the map, pick out a few landmarks and away we go..... 
The Field Marshal and I are travelling and the first day in Rome I got the map out, located where we were and where we had to go, charged off down the road and got totally perplexed......wrong direction entirely. 
Sucked it up and made some excuse, turned around and started off in the opther direction....'should be just down here on the right'.....was just down there, but was on the left....WTF!!?? 
This happened a few times and the only way I could make sense of it was to turn the map upside down...it did not feel right but it gave the correct direction (just could not read the street names - which were in Italian anyway). 
The Field Marshal normally avoids maps as her navigation skill are a source of conflict - in this case however she was always spot on. Knew exactly where we were and where we were going and how to get back to spots after a few hours or even days - reckons its just like finding your way around a big shopping centre. 
So I have been lead around Rome, Florence, Pisa, Venice, Santorini and am now on Mykanos without any real idea of where I am going by a person who does not know which way is North - very disconserting.  
I think that MAY be the problem, however, and am hoping for a reassurance from fellow Forumites. As we are in the Northern Hemisphere the sun follows a more southerly arc during the day than when at home where the sun is more northerly. This is not a problem for the FM and so she has never worried about where North is when navigating. 
I just cannot get over 50 years of the sun being more or less northerly out of my navigating perspective and so end up a/up and heading south towards the sun thinking this is North - is this an actual reason, am I overthinking this or just losing it and becoming an old fart? 
Having a great time by the way....cheers

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## Black Cat

Haveago, be heartened by the knowledge that you are not the only Aussie who gets lost in the northern hemisphere. I finally concluded, like you, that this is due to the sun moving around the south of the sky rather than the north as we are accustomed to here. I found it really threw me off every time as you 'feel' as if you are travelling north when you are going south. East and West thus also become reversed as if north is south then west is east. 
Conscious recognition of this can help to resolve the problem, but your subconcious is programmed to a southern hemisphere directional reference. It's very confusing I know.

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## Armers

Getting lost in a town like Mykanos is awesome! I loved greece... as a matter of fact... getting lost in any of the towns you mentioned is kinda cool. Means you get off the beaten track (the tourist track) and see the citys like they were.  
When i traveled i found that the first day was map usage, that way i knew how to get home / pub / food, once i knew that then it was on for young and old wandering around aimlessly checking out the locals! 
I pray to all the gods that you're going to some of the other islands while you're there? Good to see you've done santorini, i hope you watched the sunset with the FM on evening, there is an awesome lookout down the southern point of the island looking over the ocean.  
Ahhh what i would give to go back o'seas! 
Anyway have a good time! 
Cheers
Armers

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## watson

The first lesson you get in the Army Map reading Course is "Always Orientate Your Map". It seems to negate the effect that the sun is on a different course through the sky.
The other joke adage that you can use if you're adventurous is "The Radiator Cap Always Points North".....that way you'll really get to see different places.
Hope you're having a great time.

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## an3_bolt

Like watson said - orientate the map. 
OR 
Use it as an excuse to get an Iphone 3GS with the compass and download some maps...... :2thumbsup:

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## Black Cat

Interesting. women frequently turn the map around so it is pointing in the same direction as the one in which they are travelling. Frequently this leads to much hilarity on the part of the male person who always has north upwards. I will remember this for future reference!

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