Leaving Menaggio.

Bye Menaggio!

I will miss the bidet. I still don't understand the concept. I dared not try it.

We were sad to leave Menaggio. I loved the images, sounds and smells of life on the water. Creaking tether ropes as the ferries dock, are fastened briefly, loaded with passengers to be released to the lake again, speeding around like leaves blown on a big puddle. Local commuters, puffing on cigarettes, or sipping expresso while they wait for their transport. Cars queuing to cross the lake, perhaps to visit locally, or perhaps to escape, like we would, through a tunnel to the flat lands further south, away from the foothills of the awesome alps overshadowing the area.

So we were leaving. Nick used his culinary skills to craft a roughly hewn sandwich for us all, 

Steph admires Nik's handiwork. In the background he works
on another masterpiece.

and we descended the 2.4km to Menaggio for the last time. 

Packed to the rafters

Atmospheric clouds on the eastern side

The ferry trip was uneventful, 

View across to Varenna

Last ferry trip on Lake Como

but the trip to Venice was marked by its arduosity, and some frustrating delays. It was the first day of Italian school holidays. What better time to close the main Autostrada from Milan to Venice for 20km to clip a few cm off the hedge in the centre.. wouldn't want any leaves brushing against any cars, would we? This was a nightmare. Perhaps the frustration, or a lapse of consciousness and a nasty accident could occur.. as it did for this unfortunate group of travellers.

Nightmare- I lived in dread of a car accident in our hire car.

Having left dead on time on the first vehicular ferry, we arrived at Venice at 1.30. 

First impressions of Venice

Not having local knowledge, we started walking to our apartment. 

Declining a 60 Euro water taxi we sweated it out...

I love the little lanes

Viv and William would be joining us.. a spontaneous decision that had meant a rendezvous in Venice. They should have been preceding us, but due to a Brussels Airlines flight dematerialising in front of their very noses, they were holed up in Barcelona, enjoying the free buffet and accommodation, making their slow way to Venice. They would arrive tomorrow, but Mary and I would take possession of their apartment.. or so we thought.

This place is beautiful!

This didn't happen. We waited and waited at the apartment, leaving multiple messages with the owner, until eventually we realised that the number needed to be preceded by 00 to work! The website had incorrect information, and we were pretty frustrated when we finally got in contact with Laura, who had waited for us at 1pm, thinking that our rough arrival estimation constituted "an appointment" which we had not turned up for! She blamed us for ringing the wrong number, but arranged for a friend Massimo to meet us.

Mary Waiting while a gondolier slips slowly by.

Poor Massimo was having a bad day and ended up being an hour late. Just as we were about to be let into our apartment, another couple arrived. Massimo chatted to Laura and they were shown in to OUR APARTMENT….. WHILE WE WAITED AGAIN!! Eventually Massimo emerged to tell us we had been "upgraded" to another apartment, which was only "5 minutes away". Alas, the walk there revealed that it was a fair way from Rani and Nik, whereas we had chosen the place at Calle De L'Arco because of its proximity. We declined this apartment and Massimo arranged for us to have our apartment back the next day. Bummer. Highly inconvenient. We didn't want to pay for this night.

Pretty site on our much walked path between the two apartments.

In between the comings and goings, we had nipped back several times to Nik and Rani's apartment which was wonderful. We would sleep there. We enjoyed an iced coffee too.. or sort of. It was a bit weird. Venice though was wonderful