Awoke to blue skies and the wonderful view of Bari in South Eastern Italy. After a visit to the gym we headed ashore. On googling prior to trip it didn't seem to have much to offer, but I found a bike company called Velo who offered old city tours in a rickshaw. The photos on the web were of happy smiling handsome young Italians hosting the tours and it certainly was accurate advertising. I had booked it online, no payment required, and we were met as we stepped ...

Decided to catch the ferry/taxi as recommended by our hotel man, to the cruise terminal. 30 minutes, a couple of stops - easy! Sadly, not so easy. Seems that there were 3 cruise ships leaving today. Average number of passengers 3000, the majority of which stayed in Venice last night. Therefore you can get a mental image, of how many people , with luggage the size of small trucks, were attempting to catch the taxi to the cruise terminal. It was far from being a pl...

Shower certainly felt good after the train journey, and awoke fresh ready to explore the city. Hotel paganelli is in a great spot. Out of the tranquility of the foyer, into the madness that is the Grand Canal. For those of you who have visited Venice, you will understand what I mean when I say it is amazing and confronting at the same time. So many people in such a small area, but you can get lost in the narrow streets (literally) and feel a world away from the c...

Well, we arrived at the railway station (from hell let me tell you). Not a coffee to be had and not feeling overly safe in the 'waiting area' but as this was the station the overnighter left from, then we had to suck it up. Finally our carriage arrived and we were met by our steward. Lovely young man who escorted us to our 'cabin'. Now he seemed impressed that on our 'coffee table' there was a complimentary pack filled with a washer, soap, ear plugs and a contain...

Up early to catch the bus that would take us to our 'real boat' ride down the Danube. Have never really liked organised tours, but as we had a day to fill in before heading off tonight on the train to Venice, John thought it would be the way to go. Well, as usual on bus trips, there was a mixture of travellers. Most were wearing comfortable trackies with t shirts tucked in, a bum bag accessory and a bad cap - and then there were the men:) one and a half hours of ...