Today was the day we said goodbye to Venice. We packed our bags and left the building; saying goodby to the first friendly Venetian we’d met, the granny downstairs.
While I had been buying fruit cups for breakfast from street vendors, this day I indulged in the beautiful sweet of Venice. This is what the Italians eat every day apparently. Maybe that’s why they’re so grumpy, their sugar high crashes by midday and they’re left in a slump! Having said that, the two ladies in this particular coffee shop were also very nice. They looked at our faces when they spoke to us and tried to help us the best they could. It was a good way to leave Venice.
We had our breakfast and I went to look for some magnets to take home. I like to buy magnets because when I’m chatting in the kitchen they catch my eye and remind me of all the places I’ve been. They’re also helpful unlike some of the souvenier junk out there. My friend and I found some really nice ones near the car park and we left. About half an hour down the highway, Mr Love says to me, “Did you take the passports?” My heart absolutely feel through the bottom of the car. I’d left them in the South African safe – under my mattress in the apartment!!! I couldn’t believe I’d done it either! My Dad always says, “Don’t put things in the hotel safe or you’ll forget them!” Well I was so distrusting being in a city I didn’t know and leaving my passport lying around felt wrong so I hid it…only to forget it. I had to ask my friends to turn the car around and go back. I felt terrible and a part of me still can’t believe I did it! So we had to go back to Venice, park the car, run over the bridge, catch a boat back to our block, ask the granny to open the door and LUCKILY the housekeeper was there to let us in. Get all the way back to the car again. It added on about an hour and a half onto quite a long journey already. Oh dear, mistake boss! Hope I NEVER do that again! At least we hadn’t crossed the border already (about 5 hours away from Venice) because then we REALLY would have been in trouble!
None the less, before we left Italy we had one road stop for petrol. I decided to see what was for lunch and found it most amusing when I found an uncle cooking risotto and lasagne in the petrol station. No Steers, no Debonaires but you can get antipasti and risotto haha! So I had some! Why not? Bacon and artichoke risotto, tasty!
After about 6 hours we crossed back into beautiful, green, mountainous (and clean) Switzerland. They always say Switzerland is clean but you don’t really notice it until you go somewhere quite dirty then WOW! Switzerland’s cleanliness and efficiency pops.
We made our way back home to Zurich where we got kebabs from the local take out for supper, relaxed, watched some computer “tv” and went to bed to rest. That was the end of the road trip between Venice and Zurich.
Until tomorrow, thanks for reading 😉
