It’s sad to leave Michi and Lisa back in Lazise, but time is getting very short otherwise. On the way to Venice, the long awaited blue sky is finally coming out, and I decide to go for one of the campsites near the city.
A quick glance at my bank accounts tells me that I really shouldn’t spend too much time here. What I didn’t realize when I set off for my journey is that Italy is actually Europe’s most expensive travel destination. And Venice is its crowning jewel – not only in terms of romance and beauty, but also price-wise:
Camping €20 per night (1 person/motorbike/tent)
Boat from campsite (in Fusina) to Venice €5
1-day public transport boat ticket €16
single fare boat ticket €6.50
1 beer (0.5l) €10
Local residents get a 1-month boat & bus ticket for a bargain €24. Nice…!
The only solution to this: get up very early & try to see as many things as possible before the last ferry-boat leaves back to the campsite in the evening. The next morning I’m off to Slovenia.
On the way to Ljubljana, I once again get soaked down to the bones. It all happens rather quickly: shortly after Venice, the first clouds make their way into the blue sky. Half an hour later, I find myself in what I believe is the centre point of a thunderstorm. The rain is so dense, it only takes 10 minutes before the ‘waterproof’ gloves are soaked in water and I take shelter underneath one of the bridges (together with another motorcyclist and even some cars!). Every few seconds there’s another lightning in the sky. As soon as the rain gets a little bit better (still bad enough), we get back on the bikes & try to move a few miles, before it gets worse again. After 3-4 bridges, I am tired of this game. It seems that the storm and I are constantly playing catch-up, and so I decide to keep going until it stops raining. And so it does, 80 miles later – about 2 miles after the Italian/Slovenian border.
