Venice 

We booked into a cabin in the large camping ground just outside Venice at Fusina where we can catch a water taxi into the centre of Venice. It was very nice there, ships come so close we can almost reach out and touch them.  Heather has strained a muscle in her back, an old recurring injury, and we rested for four days before we did any sightseeing. Venice is a unique city, instead of streets there are canals where small boats weave their way round delivering goods to businesses, water taxis take people to work or shopping and the gondolas take tourist for a ride. People can catch a train or drive to the edge of the city and then it is either walking to get around or take a boat.  Little bridges cross the canals to connect the streets. No cars, no bikes just pedestrians and boats. We visited the music museum dedicated to Vivaldi where numerous antique musical instruments are on display, the majority where violins. The big attraction in Venice is San Marco’s Basilica, set in San Marco Piazza is has magnificent mosaics in the Byzantine style, both inside and outside the building. The alter is elaborate with bronze statues, the ceiling domes are covered in mosaics and the floor, which is sinking in places, has intricate tiled patterns of birds. Outside there are four brass horses plundered from Constantinople and a clock tower which chimes on the hour.  We did lots of window shopping admiring what Venice is famous for - its glass. Beads and ornament in all colours, shapes and sizes. Venice is certainly different to any place we have ever been to and we enjoyed walking around the city through the narrowest streets we have also ever seen.  The weather while we were here was mostly foggy and overcast, everything is damp so there will be no more camping now.   

We have given up all hope of getting an extension on Heather’s visa. We must be out of the Schengen by 16^th Novembe., There is no time left to ride all the way so we have decided to ride to Milan then catch a bus or train to Paris, from there we will ride to the coast to catch a ferry to England.  We are disappointed with this but we have learnt we have to be flexible with visas.