Day 15 - Tuesday 18 September
Innsbruck to Villach
Ready to leave at 7.40 but had to wait until 8pm for reception to open to settle the bill. On the road under another blue sky with only the ever present vapour trails of jets writing long white clouds to make up for no real ones.
Ever since we descended into Geneva, we have travelled along valleys towered over by mountains either side. Today was the same. Only one wrong turn onto a freeway today .. I think I am getting better. One payment of a toll of about E11 as our route took us into southern Germany and back down into Austria through many more tunnels. Entering a tunnel on a two lane freeway at 120kph is exhilarating to say the least. When we were not on freeways doing almost 130, we were on the main road that constantly changed speed limit from 100 down to 30 and all speeds in between. Most of the time, doing 100 was between towns which were, more often than not, only a few kilometers or a few hundred metres apart. There was also an assortment of roadworks that slowed us down. After a few rest stops along the way we reached our hostel in Villach about 2pm. After checking in, we found the hostel itself has a rock climbing room! The hostel is also right next to indoor tennis courts and next to that is a huge gymnasium building. We also met another Australian couple who had cycled through the Czech Republic, up and down mountains with very brown skin for Aussies. Taking into consideration all these sporting influences, we opted for some 'kultya' and walked the 20 minutes into Villach and found the old town. This was much like the one in Lucerne but not as big and not quite as appealing. We did like Lucerne's, though.
We walked back along the river Drava to the hostel, showered for dinner. The room was very roomy with its own bathroom .. a delight after the sleeping barrels at Netters which did not.
Evening meal was in the cafe at the tennis centre. The only choices were toast or a meal the waitress had difficulty naming, or describing. Another guest at the bar said it was good so on his recommendation, we tried it. Surprisingly good, best described as pastie sized ravioli (big) filled with potato, cheese and spices, quantity two, served with salad. This was, apparently, a dish unique to this Austrian Provence of Corinthia. We felt privileged. Salad, by the way, in Switzerland and Austria is just an assortment of green stuff, mostly lettuce with a dressing. Not a tomato to be found.
Day 16 - Wednesday 19 September
Villach to Rovinj
Breakfast was served from 7.00am and we were there ready for it. We both had a big breakfast then while we let our breakfast settle, Linda spoke to her sister and Bel on WhatsApp. Bel gets really excited to see us on her iPad.
I plotted a course via Udine in Italy to Rovinj in Croatia. After a couple of rest stops and a few toll gates and descending out of the mountains to the flat land of North East Italy, we crossed into Slovenia without noticing where the border was. The Croatian border was a bit more obvious, with a passport check from a serious looking official. We reached Rovinj to be met with a long line of stationary traffic in front of us. It started to move after 5 minutes and eventually we passed the scene of a car accident blocking one of 2 lanes.
We checked in about 2pm, bought 3 hours of wifi and found our self contained cabin very comfortable. We were advised that for the air conditioner to work, all the doors and windows had to be closed. There must be sensors on them! Cool! Linda was pleased that she had cooking facilities again.
We stocked up on supplies at the very reasonably priced market and went for a walk to explore the vast camp site and beach front. Not far away was some outdoor gym equipment we struggled to employ to loosen up our joints after the drive. The sky is still blue, the temperature is still warm and the sea water looks inviting. I swam across one of the small bays, stopping to embarass myself by slipping off one the large inflatables on the way and meeting Linda at a pier on the other side. After walking all along the beach front (5km) and reclining on lounges where the view appealed, Linda rustled up some tasty vittles .. fish and veges, yum.
Day 17 - Thursday 20 September
Woke at 6.40 and realised the sun was not yet up. Dragged Linda out into the cool, still morning air under another cloudless sky and took lots of sunrise photos while there were only a few other people around.
After shower and breakfast we did a round of exercises on the outdoor gym equipment, walked along the beach front, swimming at a few places and lounged in the shade out of the hot sun. We waited till 11pm for the water slide to open then spent an hour on and off the slide, trying all the combinations we could think of except sliding back up. I am still working on that one. This is one way Linda does not mind getting wet. The shoreline outside showers are a good, if not necessary, way to remove the salt water from the skin. If the salt water is left to dry, a noticeable layer of salt stays on the skin. Lunch back at the cabin. Getting used to navigating around this vast place but I have to use land marks. If I use the sun to work out where North is, I usually get it wrong, even though I know the sun moves across the southern sky from left to right and is basically south at noon. My brain has trouble switching from the sun moving from right to left in the northern sky. Old timers disease, I suppose.
Much reclining on lounge chairs under shade in our front yard this afternoon because the sun was strong, my skin does not like strong sun and Linda does not like her skin to get dark.
5pm A walk down to the beach front for a swim before dinner.
Over dinner on our balcony, we watched a bigger than average sized caravan being manoeuvred into position without a car attached! The guy had a remote control and the van was moving itself, back forward and rotating. I want one of them.
Day 18 - Friday 21 September
Family with crying kids moved in next door last night. Noisy intermittently for a few hours. Not too bad this morning.
Saw another remote controlled caravan being manouvred this morning, smaller than average sized this time.
Options for today are joining in the volleyball contest at 10:30am or going into Rovinj for the morning .. my choice or Linda's.
Waited at reception for the 9.40am bus into Rovinj when we should have been waiting at the main gate. We realised this at 9:38am and dashed to the right place and just caught it. From the town bus stop, we strolled along the beach front and through the windy streets of the old town, again taking oodles of photos. After an hour of indecision, we decided to head to the wharf where a tour boat operator had previously enticed us to join a cruise from 11:30 to 13:00. Our return bus was at 13:30 and with a bit of a risk missing the 13:30 and having to wait for the 17:40, we intrepid adventurers embarked. The cruise went around Rovinj, which juts out on a short peninsula, then south around some small islands. Our Croatian host offered all the passengers first a small plastic cup of whiskey, then a sparkling mineral water, then a glass of wine, followed by some cordial. Linda imbibed enthusiastically to all offerings, me too. There were about 12 passengers on the boat including a group of four Aussies from Wollongong touring west & east Europe for 9 weeks. Nice to speak Australian for a while. Two of them ex-Croates, one of them born in a shore front house in Rovinj he pointed out from the boat.
Returning to port (the wharf, not the drink), we easily made our way back to the bus in time to return to camp. Bought some more provisions from the shop, including ice creams then omelette (& ice creams) for lunch. After lunch went down, we headed for the Havana bar, not for the bar but the water slide in front. Lots of up & down, then relaxed on lounge chairs in the shade, then swim, then relax. They closed the slide about here so after extended relaxing, walked back to cabin the long way around the foreshore. The volleyball courts were now, sadly, unused. (.. sigh.)
Cuppa at the cabin at 5:30. The cleaners have done their thing in the cabin with clean towels & sheets. We have two single doonas on a double bed, by the way. We adapted.
At 6:30, mellow music carried up to us from The Spaccio restaurant down by the marina .. very pleasant.
Day 19 - Saturday 22 September
Rovinj to Fusina
We were ready to hit the road about 8:00 but I had about 230 Kuna (~$50) and we were leaving Croatia. I bought some water proof shoes to protect my feet from the beach pebbles and a diving mask. Linda helpfully finished off the rest. Ready to go at 9:00 under overcast sky but warm temperature.
The car GPS course estimated our trip to Fusina, near Venice, to be 3.5 hours. A few major events conspired to prevent this from being anywhere close. A short time into the trip, still in Croatia, traffic slowed to a crawl and continued like this for many kilometers for a reason we never discovered. Eventually our course led us away from the traffic jam just to encounter another one approaching a toll gate. Through that, OK until we reached the Slovenian border .. another delay. Further along, another toll gate in Italy which did not deserve any money because the tollway was slowed to a crawl or with low speed limits because of the great lengths of road works. We eventually reached our camp cabin at about 3pm, a trip of 6 hours! Bought some 'lunch' and reconnoitred the camp site. From the foreshore, we could see Venice in the distance with half a dozen huge cruise liners waiting to dock and partially blocking our view. Checked out the ferry terminal we would depart from tomorrow morning and bought tickets back at camp reception, ready for a day in Venice tomorrow.
Day 20 - Sunday 23 September
Under an overcast sky, we caught the 8am ferry #16 and arrived at the Zattere port of Venice 8:30. Remarkably few people around this time on a Sunday. This was to change to big crowds in all the main areas, the squares and main thoroughfares, later on the morning. We crossed the Po the dell'Academia across the main canal on the way to the tourist info centre near St. Marks Square. We booked a half hour gondola ride starting at 11am so we perfused the square with throngs of others, Linda buying gifts for friends & relatives. I was placed at the front of the boat looking back at the other 5 passengers, positioned by the boatman to balance the boat, we were to find out. After a few minutes of taking pictures and swivelling around, the gondolier ask me to move back to the centre of my seat. Understanding now how critical balancing weight in such an unstable craft is, I decided to stay where I was meant to be. This critical understanding, however, was not picked up by Linda, who, ten minutes later, moved up to me and wanted to change places with me, making the boat rock, much to the concern of the gondolier, not to mention the other passengers. Changing places with her would been a bit dramatic because her place was on the side. Firmly directing her to sit back down was met with a determined effort to be in a good spot for her to take photos. Being firmer and then trying to explain small craft balance, I just ended up in the dog house, metaphorically. Don't come between Linda and a photo opportunity!
Going under low bridges and manouvring around many obstacles from side and above, I grew to have respect for the skill required by a gondolier. Linda's first wish granted, we then navigated through the haphazard labarynthian alleysvia the Ponte di Rialto (the biggest ponte) to Fondamen te Nuove, a ferry terminal from which we could reach Murano on a 4.2 ferry. Why don't ferries come in integers, I wondered.
While boarding, I asked the assistant which of the four stops on Murano we should get off at for the glass making. 'Two stops' was the advise. The boat stopped at another stop before Murano, making wonder, two stops from where we embarked or two stops on Murano? I went with the latter. It was, however, the former. We were let off at a wasteland, basically, and wondered why anyone would put a ferry stop here. Turned out, crossing a bridge and walking around a dodgy looking apartment block, there was the glass blowing factory we were there to see. We stayed for the free demonstration of glass blowing by the master, donated a fiver to the bowl afterwards because I thought it was worth it and we perused the abundant shops displaying huge varieties of glassware with huge varieties of prices, but mostly just huge prices.
Ferried back on our 4.2 and took one of the ring roads through the Cannaregio (north) area, having some pizza in a cafe, Linda still buying gifts .. lots of friends & relatives.
Our goal eventually reached, despite my inability to make reliable navigation decisions using my 'Venice City Map', the Leonardo de Vinci museum.
Fascinating display of working models of many of his designs as well information about his life and diverse work. Worth getting lost for. With tired legs that had been carrying us all day, we made our way back to the Fusina ferry terminal, had a rich, thick and creamy hot chocolate while waiting, and got back to camp at 6pm. Dinner of pasta in the camp restaurant, washing & drying done, a box of macaroons from a Venetian cake shop for supper.
Day 21 - Monday 24 September
Fusina to Marzabotto
Settled the remaining bill of E0.80 (some tax), complained about the poor quality of the wifi and on the road again @ 8.30.
The countryside to Bologna is a scruffy rural landscape .. not very picturesque. We took the freeway most of the way to past Bologna .. got change from 10 Euro at the toll gate. The landscape became a bit more interesting past Bologna, with the hills getting bigger and quite a few tunnels for the freeway. From Marzabotto, the GPS led us up the side of a picturesque valley to our camp, and a fully self contained unit with a panoramic view over the valley from our front porch.
Carla greeted us and offered us coffee (very strong in cups smaller than anywhere so far .. very Italian). After a pleasant chat with Carla and Harrie, Carla showed us our cabin. Linda was very pleased with all the facilities, and she could cook again. The bed was a double but two single doonas supplied. We have done that before.
There are two central buildings at the camp. The smaller one is the residence of Carla & Harrie. The larger villa has a small shop and magazine library in a common room on the ground floor and most of the top floor was a large library room. After studying a few maps of the local area in the library, we went down into Pian di Venola town and stocked up at the iN's Mercato (yes iN's market) supermarket. Back at the cabin we had lunch @ 3pm, at last. Back to the library after lunch and Linda spent a few hours on Facebook, her addicted preoccupation, and I planned a round trip to Florence the following day following, with Carla finding and supplying me with all the info I needed.
I also found that the camp is located in 'The Historic Park of Mount Sole' which has a really gruesome history. Here was the greatest mass slaughter of civilians by the Nazis during World War II involving the three towns in the area with the murder of 770 elderly men, women and children. Many other people died also because of the wartime conditions. The area was left abandoned until the 1970's when the area started to redevelop.
