Venice

Mike and Vanessa, my Canadian trail friends, and I met again in Venice. Together we wandered to streets of Venice. Then we took a water bus out to Murano Island where I mistakenly thought the colorful fishing homes were. Murano is an island with a tradition of blowing glass. We watched a very interesting free demonstration. There were three men involved in the process. They each had jobs along the way. The glass was heated in a super hot furnace. Then it was worked a bit to shape it and it was blown. Next it was put in colored glass and silver. It was reheated and the shaping contines. At some point another piece of glass can be added to give it as a handle. We saw two or three pieces worked. By the time we left that room, sweat was running out of every pore in our bodies.

From there we went over to the cemetary island. We walked around and looked how death is handled in Venice. There isn't alot of ground so the bodies placed in tall stone structures above ground. This probably also helps in times of flooding. Multiple bodies are in each structure - sort of stacked up and side by side.

From there we took two more water buses to Burano. Finally our tickets were checked so we could be glad we did the right thing and bought the multi-day pass. The houses on Burano were so pretty. They are all painted in different bright colors. There were lots of people and the sun was high so my photos did not turn out as well as I would have liked. We walked around and then walked to the next island over by crossing a bridge. There we walkwd through a vegetable/ sculpture garden with a michlen star restaurant and a vineyard. The prices were out of our budget.

From there we returned to Venice and went to look for the climate change scilpture of two arms reaching up out of the grand canal. We found it and took a few photos under it. Then we went up the canal and got on a water bus sonwe could take a photo going past it. We got off on the other side of the canal and saw the remnants of the Rialto Mercado (it is a morning market). We also took a few more sculpture photographs.

After that I headed back to the hostel. As I had made two different reservations I had to check out in the AM and put my luggage in the luggage room. I wasn't allowed to check back in until after 2. It was about 4 so I would be able to get my new bed.

I met Mike and Vanessa for dinner. We wandered around the Rialto area and eventually decided on a pizza place for dinner. Then we all rode a water bus to San Marco together. It was very pretty with the lights on the water. We said our goodbyes there. I hope I see them again. We had lots of fun together.

Then I took a water bus back to the hostel. That ride was also pretty. I am really glad that I had the chance to do that at night.

Day 29 No matter what it takes I will get to Venice

After alot of road walking yesterday, I noticed that the map showed a slighly different route than the book and GPX. I asked the hotel manager about it and he siad that he preferres to walk on the West side of the like the map showed. In the morninf that is the way that I went. (FYI The Daaldo hotel is NOT air conditioned. I wouldn't recommend it if you value a good night's sleep)

The walk was pretty. I saw muskrats ( or maybe rats) swimminf in the river I saw a couple of huge herons. All seemed to be going well. Then I met a gentleman who asked me where I was headed. I told him Venice and gave him the name of the ferry terminal that I was headed for to get ti Venice. He seemed worried about this and told me the trail terminated in 3 km. He pointed to a busy road and seemed to want me to go that way. It was very unclear what he was telling me and he didnt want to tupe into Google Translate. Since he was local I made a decision to get to the other side of the river. Now you may have just jumped to the conclusion that I swam across the river but no. The busy road had an overpass above the trail and the river. I scrambled up the side of it on all fours, hopped the fence, walked on the road and then scrambled down the otherside.

I walked on the levee for a ways and then on the road and back to the levee. After a ways I came to some Vietnamese type fiahing nets. Some were of modest size but some were enormous. It's a wonder there are any fish left in that river.

Eventually I came to a busy road and a bridge. I crossed the bridge on the road and then dis another road walk to a campground on the Adriatic Sea. It was kind of neat to put my feet in. From there it was a ten minute walk across the sand ( well maybe longer as I had back tracked and gone down a deas end road before I realized that I needes the sandy walk). Then up through a deluxe campground with pristine pools.

From there to the ferry terminal it was a walk on a paves bicycle trail right next to the road to the ferry terminal. The streets were lines with shops selling flip flops, hats, floats and all things beachy. I would have to say that this was probably the low point of the trip for me. I walked to the end on sheer will and determination (and sore feet as well as an aching collarbone - my pack had made two ugly marks on it).

Thats the end of the whine. The good news is that as soon as I bought my ferry ticket the boat loaded and I was off to Venice. I got there in the middle of the day with hoards of others. I walked to Piazza San Marco. Then I walked back to the pier and bought a vaporetto (water bus) ticket for unlimited trips for three days. Then I took a vaporetto to my hostel on Giudecca. It was just as hot there but hardly any people.

I arrived around 1 but was told that I couldn't check until 2. I left my bag and walked down to the supermarket. I was not in great shape (overheated, sore feet, rash) and it seemed like an eternity to get there but it was just a five minute walk.

I checked in and took a shower and felt much better. After a nap I went out and explores the Rialto Bridge area.

Distance: 16 miles

Overall Distance: 569km(352 miles)
Elevation up: 30290 m (almost 100,000ft)

I will post the complete spot gps track when I get home.


Photos at https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0q532ODWVPkrI

This is is my track for the last seven days
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0ZqguMWq0nIVvMudyEDQOcLFQgoN7hGXc

Day 28 A Long Hot Walk to Jesolo

Leaving the hotel at 5:30 the temperature was fairly comfortable. I applied insect replellent before I left so I thought that I would have few hold ups. However, after about 10 minutes I had to stop. The Spot had a red GPS light. I did a bit if research and realized that I had finally run low on batteries. I had expected this to happen after two weeks and I thought it would be completely dead. I had another set if batteries so it was just a matter of digging them out of my backpack (there were towards to bottom).

The sunrise was very beautiful as I walked.
I walked on levees most of the morning. Unfortunately, I was kind of in the zone and missed turnoffs two separate times. This didn't cause me to be lost but I did put in some extra miles. That was not needed on a 19 mile day. Along the way I passed an area that Hemmingway spent part of his war days on the frontline. He fell in love with a nurse during this time and wrote a novel about it.

Most if the firat part of the day was pretty non-descript. Eventually I did walk past some pretty intersting sights.

There was a bridge that opens to let ships through. I believe it was there during the war but I couldn't read the sign

There was also a poontoon bridge. It was placed over a number of boats to support it. For vehicles there was a 1€ toll but pedestrians didn't nees to pay.

Finally there was also a Roman or Middle Age building that was used to control canal traffic. Legend has it that San Romauldo lived there in the 10th century. A farmer created the relief on the side if the building with the initials SR and two sheep and a shepard to commemorate that. The building was also to collect a toll from rafts and barges that navigated the wayerway.

Along the river I saw egrets, cormorants, ducks and swans. I also saw a big praying mantis.

The days was exceedingly hot. It was above 90 when I finally arrived in Jesolo. The hike today was probably 20 miles with the navigational errors along the way.

I will be glad to arrive in Venice tomorrow. My feet are shot and I have some kind of a rash (perhapa a reaction to the insect repellent or heat rash).

Photos at https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0q532ODWVPkrI

This is is my track for the last seven days
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0ZqguMWq0nIVvMudyEDQOcLFQgoN7hGXc