Italy Day 12 - 7th September 2009

Ha ! Y'all thought I'd forgotten about our Italian trip way back in 2009 !

Whaddya mean you hoped so ?? Peasants !

Ok back to September of that year and as it's been a long time since my last post, father, here is a Glee type catchup bit........

The intrepid trio (Daffy, Stephen et moi) went to Italy for a bit of a tour. We spent a few days in Rome, then headed up north west via Senna and Pisa before reaching Lake Como and the beautiful town of Bellagio (sad but not surprising that a Google search brings up the Vegas Hotel first and not this Italian town on which it is based). Then we headed east and visited Venice.

And that's what you missed.

As it was about 6pm when we finally left Venice, we didn't want to travel too far before settling down for the evening/night. So after driving 10 miles down the E55 from the railway station at Mestre, we pulled off at the small town of Lughetto and booked into the Hotel Da Vito as it looked clean and despite its name, looked remarkably free from any large Sicilians. When the receptionist assured us we'd only find a mint on our pillows as they were clean out of horses heads that week, it was an offer we couldn't refuse !


An uneventful evening turned into an uneventful night, followed 9 hrs later by an uneventful breakfast. For this, we had to cross the road as that's where the hotel restaurant was located. I find it's often a good idea to have a short walk before breakfast and 25yds was just about right.

After checking under the car, we set off down the east coast towards our next port of call, the famous resort town of Rimini. Daphne had been to Rimini in her yute and so this was a voyage of rediscovery for her but a new destination for me.

We drove along by the beach as we wanted a hotel within walking distance and were somewhat seduced by the Plaza Hotel........first by the name and then because it overlooked the beach. Neither hotel nor beach fully lived up to expectations !

We checked in, dumped our stuff, crossed the road and hit the sand. Well it was a bit like the sand in parts of Hawaii (I know, name dropping again) as it was a dirty grey colour and despite the absence of any nearby active volcano, had the look of ash about it. Still, it FELT like sand and so we paid, yes paid, to go on it. Not many others shared our enthusiasm but then it was the end of the summer season and the whole town had the air of a resort that badly wanted to have a little rest and close down for a few months.


Getting to the waters edge, we surveyed the scene. The sea, or the Adriatic as it was known locally, was blue and inviting and wanting to take a photo looking along the beach, I ventured in.


....almost a bit too far !!

The swimming attire on display would've scandalised most non Europeans (no not MY swimming attire, you jokers) and I hadn't seen such an abundance of wrinkled flesh since I once stumbled into the shower block here in Buttonwood Bay. Young and old mingled with similar scanty costumes and sometimes, I didn't know where to look - to get the best eyeful !

Then, out of nowhere, a chap set up a boombox and in no time a mixed group of beach strollers collected to put on a sort of line dance meets the macarena performance.


It was all a bit bizarre as apart from this area of activity, the rest of the beach was pretty much empty.


After a splash about in the water, we made use of the beach chairs for a bit of a lie down. Tiring work this touring lark ! Then it was back to the hotel for a wash and brush up, although never one to pass up a chance for immersing herself in any form of water, Daphne made a beeline for the hotel pool. I'll spare those of a nervous disposition by leaving out photographic evidence of this event and instead, here is a photo taken by Stephen, of the pool rules. Clearly another example of an online translation site being used by Johnny Foreigner with mixed results.


Meanwhile, here is the view from our balcony which again shows just how empty the beach was and yet gives some indication how crowded it could be in high summer.


After Esther Williams had had enough and changed into her street gear, we headed off for a stroll along the promenade to take in the shops and enjoy an evening meal. The walk gave us another opportunity to people watch and also satisfied Daphne's desire, nay obsession, to buy every postcard in the whole world. At one point, it also gave her the idea that she was Sophia Loren somehow transported from Leeds to Rimini by way of a classic Italian scooter. Dream on, girl !





We finally had an evening meal and my plate of some sort of sausage meat was as unmemorable as the name of the restaurant. But look...I also had lettuce, chips and....orange ? I'm taking all of those as veggies !


Still, it filled a gap and we set off back to the hotel, passing again all the promenade shops on the way. Many were selling t-shirts and one in particular took my eye. I'm making use of the well known rule that anything seen on a t-shirt cannot possibly offend and IF you should be offended by this photo, well then you've simply not read the rule. That's my get out and I'm sticking to it.

Like the person who wrote the hotel swimming pool rules, I've used an online translation site to try and determinate the meaning of the words, although the cartoon is pretty self explanatory. Hopefully some kind Italian native, for I do have some, will do a better job in the comments section but in the meantime, I believe the words convey the message that "love is..helping each other" It does seem to imply that this is even more important as we get older !


I realise that I posted this photo in a previous blog so if I offended you back then, well I guess I've just gone and done it again !!

Ah well, if it also gave anyone an idea, then I regard posting it as performing a public service.

To whet your appetite for the next instalment, when we left Rimini, we temporarily left Italy and visited the oldest constitutional republic in the world.

Exciting eh ?