Med Cruise - Venice

Venice is a city in northeastern Italy sited on a group of 118 small Islands separated by canals and linked by bridges.  It is located in the marshy lagoon along the shoreline between the mouths of the Po and the Piave rivers.  It is renowned for its setting, its architecture its beauty and its artworks.  The name is derived from the ancient Veniti people that inhabited the region around the 10th Century BCE.  It was formed by refugees creating land offshore by driving closely spaced wooden piles through the soft sand into the clay below, building foundations and brick and stone buildings on to of these footings.  The wood does not decay as fast in these oxygen poor conditions.  Most of the piles were made from the trunks of Alder trees which is noted for its water resistance.

Measurements from satellites show that Venice is sinking by 2mm a year on average.  As the world oceans are getting higher by 4mm a year compared to the land because of the melting icecaps, it is only a matter of time before Venice is lost.  For this reason, a project called MOSE to build flood barriers that will protect Venice by up to 3m.  This project is scheduled to be completed by 2016.

Venice is the only place that Claire and I have been before on this entire trip and Sue has not even been to Venice.  Although Claire and I have been to Venice, it was before we started this blog so it wasn't documented.  However, I have managed to find two pictures taken there on Claire’s birthday.

Just added some pictures and words now.

Im not sure when I will get chance to put these pictures on, it will have to be when we are ashore in a wifi cafe.  Another problem is that I have brought my new charger recently bought off ebay and its not charging.  The light is on up to the transformer but nothing going into my computer so it wont last long.  It will also mean that I cant charge up my phone or ipad because they rely on my computer.

Anyway, we had a nice time at the hotel near Gatwick airport and sampled their curry restaurant.  As we had to get up at 3.30am we had quite an early night, I fell asleep watching Big Brother.  I was rudely awakened at 10.45 with a knock at the door.  I answered in in my boxers to find two little chinese girls.  When they saw me they looked as if they had just seen a monster, screamed and ran off.  I couldn't get back to sleep again until about 1am as it seemed to have disturbed Claire.

Our flight was only a little late and we grabbed a cab to the port, hung around and then queued up for about an hour to get aboard.  We headed straight for the buffet for lunch and thats where we found out that our all inclusive drinks package wasn't on our cards.  We spent two hours queuing up at the desk and trying to sort it out.  I wouldn't mind but we paid up front in February for the lot so they have had our money for a long time and now we have to pay for our drinks until its sorted.  We went back to reception at 10.30am Monday to continue the saga and they rang Cruise Nation and they told us that we have not paid for the drinks package.  We had no choice but to pay again for the package and sort it out when we get home.  Also we booked all 4 of us at the same time and they had put us on two different floors for dinner.  Another hours queuing to sort that out.  How to ruin a holiday by Costa.  Hope I am not moaning so much next time, if I have any charge left.  Our Captain has quite an appropriate name, Massimo Pennisi.  I guess that’s Italian for massive penis.

At least I got some nice photo’s.  I got some good ones of Claire, especially the one with her with our Maitradie Wagner.    Poor Wagner, he didn't know what hit him when he asked Sue how everything was going, just at the wrong time. Serves him right for being a gay German.  Of course, even though we are all knackered, it didn't stop the girls entertaining the troops until gone midnight.

 Venice looks quite different from above, you get a different perspective when not on the ground.

Our queer friend Wagner.

Another tit head.

The entrance to our restaurant.  It looks better than it is.

Best part of the day in the piano bar.