 The Rialto bridge across Rio Grande |
Monday, July 18
Enough of Rome but where to go, Greece was too soon - our apartment in Rhodes was not ready until August 1'st. We decided to go to the train station and see where we could go the same morning. We dismantled our tent and off we went. This was only our fourth day on our tour and we had both seen Milan and Rome, 26 days to go - it was time for some crazy travelling.
At the Central Train-Station Kenneth and Nick spotted that a train was headed for Venice and it was to leave within half an hour. Well, why not - with our train pass we could go anywhere so why not North. Quickly we bought some water and sandwiches. On the train we filled out our trainpass with Venezia as destination and waited for the conductor to sell us seat-reservations. Even though we had a free-pass, we had to pay something when going on these express-trains.
Besides the three of us, a man also entered our compartment. But we didn't see much of him, he only used his seat to park his luggage - a large package wrapped up in paper. Most of the way to Venice I wondered if it was a bomb and when it was going off. But there are no terrorists in Italy and the man returned prior to his exit at Bologna to get his package.
On the last section to Venice there are a lot of tunnels and the train is not lit up so it get pitch black inside when passing. Two blokes entered and we got a littlle syspicious - are we going to get mugged now we asked ourselves. Kennneth got out his small tear-gas can, just in case - of course nothing happened. We must learn to relax, everyone is nice and friendly.
The Rialto bridge across Rio Grande |
When we arrived at Venice I was on familiar ground but it had been a few years since my last visit. It was back in '82, the summer of the Soccer World Cup where Italy won. I was 15 years of age back then and the hole family was staying on a camping site on the Lido outside Venice. All the summer the Italians behaved like crazy when then progressed in the Soccer-Cup and it all reached its peak when they won the final against Germany. We had our tent next to a elderly German couple and they feared for their lives if Germany was to win the tournament. But Italy won and the policed made road-blocks on the Lido-highway, to control the masses. The Italians drove back and forth between these road-blocks with their horns blowing and huge Italian flags out the windows. A spectacular sight.
It was also here I had my first experience behind the wheel in a moving vehicle. In the nearest town, Lido de Jesolo, there was a genuine racing track, that had been used for the GoCart championship the year before. Here you can try it out for ten minutes at a reasonable price. I had never tried to even drive a car so this racing was exiting. The GoCart we drove could go 40Mph and that is fast if you had never tried to drive anything but a bike before, and you are only a few inches above the track that add to the speed-illusion.
As an un-experienced driver I quickly fell to the back of the field but at the third curve I had gotten my GoCart such a velocity that I was afraid it would tip, I decided that I better quit the curve and continue driving out of the track and go across the field. With this approach I missed curve four to seven, but I was back on the track and found myself in the lead of the field. Whush, Whush, Whish I was overtaken by the other drivers and I found myself in the position at the back of the field again. And next lap the story repeated, Suddenly I was in the lead and before you can say Michael Schumacher I was at the back.
Then my GoCart broke down, no one had told me how to drive so all the time I was going full throttle, even when I used the breakes and five laps into the race I had to make a pit-stop. I quickly got a new GoCart with the brief but valuable instructions in broken English: "Gas, No Breakes. Breakes, No Gas". I still drive by these simple rules today (no speeding ticket yet).
 St.Mark square in Venice seen from the harbour |
All these memories went through my mind while we were sailing on the local waterway-bus, the Vaparetto, past St.Mark square in the afternoon. I had persuaded the others that we should go to the Camping site I knew so well, Camping Europa. It is located on the lido Sotomarina on the peninsula Cavallino and you can get there by by follow the Main road 309 along the Gulf of Venezia. Exit at Chioggia and you can't miss it. But we came from the sea-side, much easier and after a half hour sail and another half hour by buss we were there, Camping Europa.
 Our Camp in Camping Europa on the Lido |
The place was packed but if we could find a spot we could stay. Our tent fit anywhere so we set it up near the fence next to the main road with much traffic. Just opposite a travelling fun fair was going full throttle. We went over there to get some dinner and test our skills in the bumper-cars before getting some sleep.
Tuesday, July 19
Trave rundt i byen / sukkenes bro / Rialto
Up early to get the boat back to St.Mark square. Breakfast bought at the local camping-supermarked consisting of the usual bottled chocolate-milk, buns with jam and cheese. We would spend the full day in the city, express exploring like in Rome and relax at the beach all Wednesday. When we could do the capital in two days, one must be enough for Venice. Walk the city / Train station to check train-times for Bari/Brindisi. smalle gyder, hwer kv.m udnyttet / passager md dejlig skygge og smalle gader. Pladser med br›nde (gl.tid) til at opsamle regnvand. Fremtiden for Venedig usikker (synker i havet).
 Canal in Venice |  Other Canal and bridge of sighing |
During the night I suddenly woke, a scream rang across the camp. It was Nick that had been 'discovered' by one of the camp-guards. That night it had been moist and hot. Nick found that the tent wasn't the best place to stay so he had gone outside to sleep.
At 2AM the guard passed our tent and saw a man sleeping on the ground and thought that he was an illegal camper and had flashed his light right at Nicks face. We quickly found our camp-passes and reassured the guard that we were proper campers and Nick belonged to the tent. But we were all in a state of chock.
Wednesday, July 20
Venice (Nick birthday - double dinner) / Familie sted / bade / relax
In the morning Nick and I wanted to try ourself in the sport of wind-surfing. We rented a board for an hour and took turns in trying to get the balance, not that huge success for my part. At the end of the hour I managed to sail in a straight line, but backwards. Nick had more success with the wind-surfing-thing. But the end result was a couple of severe suntanned shoulders on the both of us. But fun it was, I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
 Doing some Golfing at the Lido |