Caio! Boujounro!

So I wen't to venice for my last weekend here in europe and it was by far one of the best things that I did. This city is truly amazing. Everywhere you look there is water running down picturesque ally ways and by these gorgeous buildings. The pictures that I saw really did not do it justice. When I got off the train I was in disbelief. There is so much to take in. You just look around and ask yourself, could this be real?

Well it is real and I got the chance not only to see it, but to see it with people who lived there. I stayed with Elena at a house where some of her oldiest and dearist friends live. They warmly took me in and made sure that I had a great time. They mostly spoke italian, but enough spoke english that it worked out.

We arrived saturday by night train, I will get to that in a second, and took a look around town and a modern art museum that was there. Everywhere I looked something new and exciting was there. It was complete overload to check out this city and then the museum that is set in it. Very cool experience.

That night we went out for a few drinks on the campo. Now drinking in Venice is not really like other city's. There are no dance clubs and most of the bars are rather small. So what you have is a lot of people standing outside with a cocktail drinking and chatting. It was very civilized and a lot more relaxed. We stayed out until around 3 and hit the hay.

Yesterday we just kind of killed the day looking around a bit more, enjoying a coffee and chatting. This was great because it was around 80 degrees and clear sky's. It was summer in october.

So I mentioned the night train. Now Elena had told me a bit about the train and made it sound like no big deal. It would be easy to do and you would wake up early in a new city. This sounded ok to me and it was also much cheaper than flying. With tickets in hand, we headed to catch the train friday night around half 8 from vienna to venice.

I got on, took my seat in this room with 5 others and we were off. I didn't think much of it, yet... This particular weekend happened to be a long one for the Austrians. They all had monday off and apparently they all thought that venice sounded like a nice way to spend it. Needless to say, the train was 100 percent packed.

A couple hours went by and I happily read my book thinking about the sweet train dreams about to come. This train bliss was quickly interupted around midnight by a couple coming into our already full room. They told me they had reserved my seat. I thought, this is impossible, I have a reserved seat and the ticket to prove it! So everyone in the room got out the tickets and carefully compared them.

Yep, I proudly thought, I have number 64 right here, see! Well so did they... As we looked closer it turns out that I had been sold the wrong date ticket, awesome. Mine was for thrusday and it being friday ment, it was time for me to go somewhere else.

I scowered the halls, every room was reserved. There were no seats free on this train. I went to the conductor and asked for help, apparently this was a waste of time. He basically told me to get bent as he was only the conductor and could not do anything, great. I finally found a room with only two people in it. Jackpot, I hoped.

I took a seat in one of the other seats that was reserved but had no one in it. Being almost 2 am I hoped I was in the clear. I got myself tucked into my seat and ready for bed. In the back of my mind I was thinking, if someone comes and takes my seat, I will have to sleep on the floor.

Well of course someone from some small Italian city did get on around 3 am with a reservation for the seat. From here life went down hill a bit, as it was out into the cooridor and onto the floor. I got to know that floor and that train well that night. In the 5 hours I spent sleeping there I was nearly stepped on a dozen times and everytime we stopped a freezing breeze came rushing in. The only think I could think was this was a good chance to HTFU and get ready for the cross pain cave.

Any to end this long story I got up about the time we were arriving and had slept surprisingly well. It was an experience I will remember for a while.

So here I am in frankfurt waiting to go home. I am staying with one last friend from Cape Town, Patiricia, and then it is time again for the big sit that I call the flight home. I will see you all once the jet lag wears off.

Choos!

E