VENEZIA – 37 YEARS ON

Have survived 3 days at Camp Fusina – still standing after 37 years and even met a chef who started work there in 1975 and also the owner who bought it in 1965!!  So had a few reminisces about gigantic pizzas and how travellers have changed.  Still full of travelling young ‘uns in Contiki tour buses, but now also plenty of PLU’s in campervans, so an interesting mix of folk in the bar. 

Young and old until 7.30’ish, then youth takes over and partying until the early hours – was OK for first night in our basic camping cabin, but then Fri/Sat the bus tour from Poland deposited a stack of 18/19 year olds in adjacent cabins.  Even the ear plugs had a job keeping us asleep – but hey, what do you expect for 20e a night. 

We survived to enjoy 3 days of sightseeing around Venice and wore out the pedometer getting lost, visiting numerous churches and just enjoying the atmosphere – really is nowhere like it.

For a fuller comparison of our trips to Italy between 1975 and 2012 see separate posting – to be composed tomorrow during the long trip to Germany and 2 nights at Rothenburg – a bit of humour to round off the blog.

For now just to say that Venice has been brilliant and include few well known photos

Old Boat house with interesting collection of fans, gondola hats and bits of wood

Rialto bridge – full of people, rubbishy shops and all that graffiti you can see on the back of the shops – not a great sight at all.

View along the main front – a constant hustle and bustle of boats, ferries, gondolas and people.

On our way in on our ferry from the campsite every day we see all the cruise liners – up to 5 or 6 and Queen Elizabeth came in – dwarfing all ships and Venice itself.

Endless photo opportunities of gondolas and canals

St Marks Basilica – just amazing and we spent 2-3 hrs wandering all round it and out on the balconies – unforgettable (except Graham had forgotten it from last time!  wonder why?)


Some of the shop fronts – loads of them full of masks and outrageous costumes for the festivals

Gondola trips were still unaffordable at 80-120 euros – but we got this one to ourselves for a 1 minute trip across the canal – 2 euros each- a bargain!!

And a final entry in the “Unsettling Animal” photo competition – cat suckling about 6 kittens, all bigger than she was.  Ouch!!