Europe - Venice, Italy
Europe - Venice, Italy |
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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.
 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).
All these memories went through my mind while we were sailing 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 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.
 St.Mark square in Venice seen from the harbour |
Tuesday, July 19
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.
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 reassured the guard that Nick belonged to the tent but we were all in a state of chock.
 Our Camp in Camping Europa on the Lido |
 Canal in Venice |  Other Canal and bridge of sighing |
Wednesday, July 20
Venice (Nick birthday - double dinner)
 Doing some Golfing at the Lido |
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