I am propping my netbook on my lap at this moment slightly wet and cold and uncomfortably sat on a hard seat at Venice Station. I have another 1 hour and 20mins to kill before we board the overnight train to Italy and say hello to our third country of Germany.
I have nothing new to say on Venice, it was the same sunny day but we largely spent it killing time. 12 hours ago we left the hotel with our bags stored there and we walked the attractive streets of Venice. This is the part of travelling which is less than appealing; killing time. We were resigned to spend as little money as possible and therefore this meant that breaks in cafes needed to be kept to a minimum. Now the money waster proved to be toilet breaks. Venice charges EUR1.50 for a visit to their loos, which made me regret the beer I had with my lunch. Lunch was at the 1st quarter. Let me explain, to help time fly a bit more I broke the 12 hours from hotel to train into quarters of 3 hours. 1pm being the end of the 1st quarter, clear now? I was pleased to get what I wanted from when I first knew I was coming to Italy. Spaghetti with cuttlefish ink. I've had the paella equivalent in Spain, and new the flavour I was hoping for. Even though we had this meal in a restaurant which has photographs for menus, the taste was amazing as I remember. Although it didnt stain my teeth black as I remember last time. I'm not sure if I'm happy about that or not. Anyway it was a good lunch which took us a 3rd of the way into the 2nd quarter. Walking and stopping in new piazzas was the name of the game, until we thought we'd avail ourselves of Macdonalds free wifi to get some fries and sit down and use a toilet for free. This took us to 5pm and close to the end of the 2nd quarter. I cannot make this day look exciting no matter how I try. I don't want to mention how it rained come time to pick up our bags in the 3rd quarter as over mentioning the weather is another horrible British trait.
Italy in Summary
Italy is not as tidy and clean as France, but that's what makes it. The place screams culture. Buildings in Britain which I would write off as needing a lick of paint, look somewhat perfect in an Italian Piazza as long as they throw in a big wooden door and a disused fountain. The people aren't so prissy about their language, but for me I still favour the French, sorry. It's like Italians try to hard. Maybe I should stop comparing Italy to France as its not comparing like for like. We didn't really visit the touristy places of France like we did Italy, so I'm going to put France to bed and concentrate on Italy as best I can. Italy is a beautiful country, but its not the pizza and gelato that make it for me. The memories I will take away is the first meal in the historic section of Genoa, not just the meal everything surrounding us at that moment. The guitarist on a piazza in Florence and more importantly the man who sang popular opera on a small square in Venice with an ipod as backing music. His voice perfect, his manner shy and lacking in the confidence he should have had. When I stopped joking with Sarah I felt quite moved. When he finished I went to shake his hand and thank him, as I sincerely thought his voice was beautiful. I hope to hell he never finds fame as he looks perfect where he is. I have a video of him, but I think its better in my memory than off a 5 megapixel iPhone. Anyone who comes to Italy will find something that means something to them. Visiting Venice and Rome and seeing all those things you learnt about in geography will be enjoyable. However, I guarantee this isn't what you will take away with you. Whether it will be that first bite of Italian pizza, or first sip of Chianti. Or the first time someone speaks to you in what I think is the most beautiful language on earth (if only I could learn it). It will be something unique to you that you will take away and it won't be recordable or caught on camera, it will be something that you will turn to one dreary day back in reality which will make you smile.
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