Campervanning in Europe

Monday, 27 June 2016

Travel Diary 19

In my last Diary, I stated that we were off to Venice. But to get there we had to go via Ravenna. Forgot about that for a bit!

Ravenna! A coastal town developed by the Romans for it’s safe harbour and so they built a port here. At one time it was the capital of the Romans due to Rome being sacked by Visigoths or Goths or another Northern European group. Today it is a medium sized town mainly known for its beaches, port and wonderful examples of Mosaics.

Being a trading centre, the people were influenced by those it traded with. So in the few churches and other ancient buildings, there are examples of Mosaics with influences from Greece, early Roman and the Byzantine or Turkey/Middle East. Each style is slightly different, but all of them painstaking hours and months of cutting up tiny pieces of coloured glass and sticking them onto ceilings, walls and so on to form pictures.

Many of the artisans are unknown. But their work is on display for all to see. Quite magnificent! One church we walked into, had not only massive mosaics on the walls, but also the domed ceiling and the floor. Additionally, giant slabs of marble had been split carefully to show off the grain of the marble. Then the split sections stuck to the wall next to each other to form mirror images.

As you can imagine, the streets and shops are full of touristy Knick knacks all displaying mosaics. One could, if so inclined, even take classes in how to stick pieces of glass onto things to make your own! Hate to think how much that would have cost!

We wandered the main street looking for some socks for my feet. Found them – five pairs for around 8 Euro – so about the same as in Oz. Makes my feet a bit happier!! As we walked along, Kerrie got slower and slower with her walking every time she saw a shop selling handbags. It took a while, but eventually she saw something she wanted to replace the YSL one she currently has which is, quite simply, wrecked! Into the shop she went and after looking at shoes and other items eventually bought the bag. You’d have thought it was the sale of the day the way the retailer carried on!

The local Council has done a good job of smartening the place up and it has a long Mall and lots of pretty trees throwing shade over the main street at one end. The Grass is cut and whipper snippered – which is something I haven’t seen before. Even grass growing where it is not supposed to has been pulled and removed.

We had a bite to eat around the 2.00pm mark along with a cold drink (or was it a white this time? Probably!) and over the road from the Café we were in was a street market selling second hand stuff from clocks to cutlery to medals. Paintings, old black and white pictures, 78 and 33 rpm records, crockery, clothes, old magazines from the early 20^th C, and a host of things you’d have found in Grandma’s house about 40 years ago.

We walked over and just wandered, stopping occasionally to have a better at something. I noticed that everything was properly priced, so no bargains for collectors! Still, it was interesting and helped while away some time.

Eventually I said that enough was enough I needed to get my feet. So out came the street map. We worked out where we were and off we headed in the direction of the bus station. Except it wasn’t and about 20 mins later we realised we were lost. This time it was my fault! We stopped two teenagers to ask where we were and where we should go. But they thought we were a bit of a joke for some reason, but eventually we got the correct pointings and mimings going in between giggles and bursts of Italian and we headed off again. Retraced our steps or in my case, limpings, and slowly reached the bus station about half an hour later.

The bus duly arrived. A number 5, I think this one was and pushed on board along with everyone else. There were a number of North African young men at the bus stop who spoke what I assumed to be good Italian and a couple of them climbed on board as well. An African woman, beautifully dressed along with good looking children including a baby in a pram joined us.

This was also shift change and a new driver appeared and after a proper length of time getting ready and talking with the driver going home, he started the bus. Then all hell broke loose!

Another man from the bus company climbed on board and started arguing with the African lady. She argued back and then I realised she had not validated any tickets for her and her children got on board like everyone else. I suspect the company man had seen this and he was ordering her off the bus. She was protesting loudly and voices got louder and louder. Then one of the African men sitting in the seat behind us got up walked down the front and joined in yelling at the company man.

So between the three of them, there was a whole of stuff being said at top volume and everyone is watching and waiting. The two men got closer and closer until they were literally shirt fronting each other shouting at the same time in each other’s faces and I thought here comes a punch up! The lady and her children eventually got off and this young African man was seriously worked up, yelling and screaming, throwing his arms and hands around in the middle of the bus and at one point Kerrie copped an elbow as he was pushed back into his seat.

People on the bus had no idea where to look and just tried to avoid this lad’s antics. The company man eventually got off as well and walked away. The African man giving him heaps. But he wouldn’t calm down or sit down either. There was lots of ego at stake here and that was very obvious. Finally, one of passengers quietly told him to sit down and shut up and gently pushed and walked him back to his seat where he sat down and the bus took off.

It appeared to me to be racially motivated as the African man did not appear to know the women. They had not been together or talked at the bus stop and in fact did not pay each other any attention at all. He had been with his mates. Besides, she was dressed far too well to be with someone dressed like he was. I think he just decided that he would stick up for one of his own as he felt that someone from his country was being picked on. But it was close thing for a while and everyone was a bit shaken up!

Fortunately, he got off about 3 stops later and we all settled down for the rest of the ride back to Camp.

This Camp site is the one I titled “Camping Extraordinaire” and have shared some photos of. Seriously is well done. So glad we found it! Our last day there was spent resting and catching up some stuff including some washing and the odd snooze!

In the morning we packed up, paid the bill and headed off to Venice. A few kms down the road we filled up with diesel. Then went to a super Mercado for some food. This place had a wonderful selection of wines and 700ml Bourbon at silly prices so we just stocked up! The lady at the checkout as well as other customers were looking at us as if we were alcoholics! There was more drink than food in the trolley!

After packing up the lot in the van we started again to go Venice and about 2 hours later we arrived at Mestre which is the closest camp site we could find to Venice. It’s about 10 minutes and 3 euros return away by bus.

The site is called naturally enough, Camping Venezia and is clean, neat, modern and tidy. We ended up in the newer section and what with free WIFI and only 3 euros for two glasses of red wine we felt quite content. A quick trip to the reception and a prolonged discussion sorted out the travel arrangements to and from Venice. The young girl running reception spoke pretty good English and while I was waiting, I heard her speak three other languages. I asked her how many she spoke and it turns out it is five very well and understands two others but can’t speak them well yet! She would be in her mid 20’s and as she confirmed, she loves languages. Bit of an understatement I thought!

Tomorrow we have an early start what with our first tour at 9.00am. Then another at 11.30am and the third around 5.00pm. So a big day.

Friday, 24 June 2016

Travel Diary 18

Florence to Rome is approximately 200 kms. So that involves about a 2-and-a-half-hour drive …. for me! As mentioned before I find driving the van on the LHS of the road doing 110 – 120 kph very tiring and Kerrie thinks I fall asleep at the wheel and gets very nervous.

So the compromise has been, drive for an hour and take a break. Chew some lollies and have the odd coffee. Occasionally, when I haven’t slept well the night before, I’ll grab lunch and have a half hour to hour sleep. Ohh, all right, sometimes it is an hour!!

This is designed to simply make up for the lost sleep during the night spent … apparently, snoring (as if you could believe that!) and what’s worse, I am now accused of answering her back in my sleep! Can you believe that!

She says she asks me nicely to roll over and she reckons I just say “No!”. I know nothing about any of this of course! And why should I? I’m away with fairies, peacefully sleeping! What’s worse, she says she has to yell at me now to get me to roll over! Huh!

Who’d believe such rubbish! I think she’s the one dreaming!! Needless to say, I do feel much refreshed after a bit of a kip around 1.00 or 2.00 pm’ish.

The autovia winds its way down the rolling hills of Tuscany bypassing many, many hilltop towns all with their obligatory Church, high city walls built pre middle ages, narrow streets and usually situated as close to a cliff as possible.

We didn’t stop at any of them as my research hadn’t highlighted any as being special except for Ovieto has a church with some nice artwork. But we drove straight through.

The plan is to hit the camp site, and rest up for what will be three hectic days of tours. We start tomorrow with washing, cleaning and resting and preparing for the travel arrangements into and out of Rome. Then the tours commence at 6.00pm that night with a street walk around the centre of Rome.

The following day we have a wander around the Colosseum and old Roman Forum in the morning and in the afternoon something called an Eco Tour which involves golf cart driving around Rome. I’m fairly keen to see this as I have no idea how this is going to work!

Then on day 3, we have a morning tour of the Vatican City and Museum.

It was around 4.00pm when we arrived at the outskirts of Rome near where our Camp site is situated. The autovia becomes a just a highway (top speed of 90kph) with other highways running off it and joining it every few hundred meters. Sometime two or three junctions within 50 meters. So to get the right one can be a bit tricky. Particularly when Simon says things Like “Prepare to turn right in 300 meters”. Followed a couple of seconds later by “Prepare to turn right in 120 meters”. Then “Turn right”.

You’re looking and there are two or three options of “turning right”. I cannot see the map on the GPS as my eyes cannot leave the road. It’s too busy. So Kerrie’s job is to watch the map and our progress and go “No! Not that right, it’s further on”. Or “Turn now” which I sometimes do and sometimes it’s right and sometimes it’s wrong! Sometimes it’s my fault and sometimes it’s hers.

In the end, we ALWAYS blame Simon! He’s just a liability in those conditions! He needs a serious talking to and then updating!

This time, into Rome that is, we managed to take the wrong exit on three separate occasions and what with having to wait for Simon to do his “Recalculating” bit, then figure out where we had to drive, then actually go a few kms out of way in order to turn around, it was about 5.30pm when we actually arrived! But, hey, we got there! Objective achieved!!

I had chosen Camping Flaminia due to its proximity to Rome and being on both rail and bus routes and having a supermarket within 200 meters. The Reception is only open certain times of the day and when it is open it has a line of people waiting to get served. But they have a large swimming pool and as it turned out, fabulous facilities.

They do not give out information about anything at reception. For that you have to go to the Info Centre which is only open certain times during the day and never between 11.00am and 5.00pm.

We checked in and were told, your site no is 216, but you may find someone already in it. If you do, pick another one and let me know which one you have OK? It’s a bit messy down there! I wondered what we were letting ourselves in for, but then thought, surely getting a camp pitch can’t be that difficult!!

We drove about seven or eight hundred meters down to the camp sight. Right beside a sports training complex which we found out operates to music of the Doof-doof variety until all hours of the night.

Sure enough, pitch 216 was taken and anyway it was very small. So we parked up and walked around and eventually found one numbered 256 which kind of looked OK. Again a bit small and under a tree dropping flowers and leaves everywhere, but that would do as it was flat. Back to the van and spent the next 10 mins negotiating the track there and getting it parked. Plugged in the electricity, wound out the awning a little bit, unloaded and set up the table and chairs and sat down to the first red wine for the day!

All’s well that ends well! Nice red too! Some Umbrian Chianti or Sangiovese or something. Definitely a something! But then again, we really have not a bad wine since we started this holiday and I, for one, am very surprised. Pleasantly though!

The next three days were in and out of Rome or as the locals call it, Roma. Walk a km to the train station. Train for about 15 – 20 mins. Then hey presto, you are in Rome at a place called La Plaza del Popolo. Or the people’s Plaza.

It is not large, but is full of statues which an Emperor at some stage decided would look good there. The reason was that this was an ancient gate into Rome from the North of Italy, so making a good look and a statement for visitors when they first arrived was considered important.

During these three days we saw heaps of stuff! Absolutely heaps of it. If the truth is known, it was all a bit overwhelming as there was so much. The things that really stand out for me are (in no particular order):

1. Berlini’s creative genius

2. The craziness of Roma drivers. But at the same time they are extraordinarily good! I was relieved to find out only 1.5 pedestrians a day get killed in Rome. Hard to believe I know. Personally I thought it would have been much higher!!

3. The tens of thousands of tourists.

4. The cost of everything and anything when purchased near a tourist attraction. Walk a 100m away and the price halves!

5. The sheer quantity of things to look at.

6. The disappointment of the Vatican Tour and Sistine Chapel after having seen what we have elsewhere.

7. The sheer gall of some Italians (particularly tour guides) who think they can speak English!

8. Rome has 38 original Egyptian pillars (called Stella???) and Egypt only has four. Most Roman Emperors thought they would look better in Rome as opposed to Egypt!

But on the plus side, what we did enjoy was sharing our experiences with the same group of people in the three tours! A mother and daughter from New Jersey, USA, originally from Dominica in the Caribbean. A family from Pennsylvania USA and a family from Sri Lanka.

However, we did four tours and had two guys from England as guides, one lady from Latvia and one lady from Rome. I understood the two English blokes, the lady from Latvia was a bit of a struggle, but the Italian lady was totally not able to be understood. I picked up one word in about 100. She wondered why over half the group took their hearing aids out, but were unable to tell her nicely she could not be understood. At around one hour, nearly everyone was just ignoring her and two people eventually just wandered off to do their own thing!

The next day, I emailed the company manager who I had met previously called Tatjana from Angel Tours and explained what happened. Have not heard back from her. So my advice is, be careful booking through Agencies like Viator, as you never know who you get!

Lastly, the Sistine Chapel which Michelangelo painted the ceiling of. Yes, it is beautiful. However, I was disappointed because after all we had read and heard, I expected this to be outstanding. But Rome has too many painters and sculptors and too many items to look at and he gets lost amongst amidst them all. Personally, I prefer Berlini’s work. He was a brilliant designer and painter. Michelangelo was a better sculpter. Think of “David”.

Berlini has just on one thousand pieces of work in Rome! He died at age 36. Talk about prolific!

The Eco Tour was fun and a good way to see Rome. Again, this was provided by Angel Tours and we had an Englishman called Thomas who had lived and worked in Rome for 9 years who was our guide. Great bloke and an interesting guide with lots to tell us. I can recommend this tour.

After four hectic days, my knees and ankles gave up! I was in pain and could hardly walk! So driving became a thing of rest!

We headed for Perugia and found ourselves on the edge of town up a small hill camped with three other people! Long grass and very unkempt and facilities you would tell anyone about! However, the barmaid from Russia was fun and her replacement from Somalia was as well. We spent a few Euros and drank some red wine and chatted in broken anything and had a good time for an hour or so.

I called a rest day the next day and basically sat around with my feet up trying to reduce the swelling. After two nights and one day here, we had seen nothing, but heard it was a pretty town. I managed to sit on some bleach in my black shorts somewhere and transferred some of it onto the driver’s seat of the van! It now has a couple of white patches on it where it should be grey and brown! Something else I will probably have to fork out for!

Next stop, Vienza. Venice to the uninitiated!!

Sunday, 19 June 2016

Camp site extraordinaire!!

Travel Diary 17

Wanted to chat a bit about campsites. In particular the one we are in at the moment in Ravenna. We had heard before that camp sies in Europe were generally things to behold. Have everything from Cinemas to supermarkets. Well, these do exist, but are not so frequent as expected. The vast majority of camp sites are just plain ordinary sites with a few facilities.

We have stayed in ones that do not even have toilets. We have stayed in ones where there isn’t a flat site to be had and staying in bed at night is interesting! We have stayed in ones where they advertise a restaurant or supermarket, but when you get there, they do not exist or are closed down or are just closed. Or the supermarket consists of nothing but a small room attached to the reception with about 20 items in it selling at exorbitant prices.

But this one we are at now is an example of what can be done. Scroll through the pictures as they tell far more than I could ever describe. Seriously, this is a genuine village and the only time you would have to leave, is to go home!