Author: freedombird

Tuesday 12th May 2026 – leaving Italy behind and moving on to Austria….

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Pretty wet overnight though drying up nicely for a final walk down to the beach as we bid a farewell to the stunning Italian coastline and head up into the Dolomite Mountains and eventually into Austria….

Whilst driving through the Italian Dolomites we pause for a while at the stunning Lago di Croce….

Take several quick photo stops at Via Valgrande, Cascata de Pissandalo and on the Passo Monte Croce….

A little further along the Passo Monte Croce we stop to get out and stretch our legs at the Sesto Ski resort (all closed for the season) and enjoy stepping into the snow (in very appropriate footwear) for the first time in a while….

From here it was downwards all the way into Lienz in Austria to our campsite for the next few nights – Camping Falken with 360 degree mountain views….

As it is such a beautiful (if a good few degrees cooler than we have become accustomed – 12 degrees as opposed to 20+) afternoon we take a slow wander down into Lienz for a mooch around….

In the short distance that we have travelled through Austria, we have spotted a few of these tall wooden poles with Christmas trees on the top in the villages – as far as I can google they are an advent feature symbolising Light and Life and decorated and lit up for Christmas – a little odd….

An absolutely stunning drive, interesting with lots of switchbacks and serious climbs and descents but so worth it.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 146
  • Miles walked – 5
  • Country No – 5
  • Fuel – £67.88
  • Groceries – £45.18
  • O/N – £26.11

Monday 11th May 2026 – and on to Murano and Burano (Venice Part 2)….

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We continue our visit to Venice with a trip to the Island of Murano – famous for Murano Glass and yes pretty much every shop was selling glassworks of some kind. Tp be honest a lot of it was touristy tat and easy to ignore but there were some outstanding pieces at a fairly outstanding price too….

Murano was like a smaller and much quieter version of Venice, without the gondolas and magnificent buildings but to my mind prettier and more authentic….

And we enjoyed a lovely stroll around the main and back streets until the weather took a nose dive and we decided to seek respite on a water taxi taking us to another island – Burano….

Still raining quite heavily when we arrived so we took shelter until the worst had passed over before wandering around the brightly painted streets and pretty canals….

What an absolute delight – I wonder who decides what colour the houses are painted?

A lovely way to round of our day in Venice and begin to make the longish journey back to site.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles walked – 9
  • Trip – £29.45
  • O/N – £15.38

Monday 11th May 2026 – a day trip to Venice (Part 1)….

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The moment we have been waiting for (well sort of) ,as we didn’t wish to battle the weekend crowds, we set off bright and early (8am) for a day in Venice. The weather is a bit mixed so we are armed with wet weather gear (which we did need for a couple of seriously heavy downpours) as we leave site to catch 2 buses and a ferry to Venice.

Straight off the boat right next to Piazza di San Marco, we seem to get carried along by the crowds of visitors, particularly when crossing the many narrow canal bridges….

We manage to squeeze our way through the crowds to get a proper look at the Bridge of Sighs….

And into Piazza di San Marco….

As long as you keep your distance from the main buildings the square is huge and likewise once you leave the main thoroughfare you are able to breathe again….

We enjoyed wandering around the side streets for a while and found a small square that was quiet, to sit and plan our next steps. It should be really easy to find your way around but there are a lot of dead ends and bridges where you don’t need them and none when you do! In the end we decided to catch the main water taxi which takes you all the way along the Grande Canal and catch the main sights that way….

Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, Punto della Dogano and Basilica Santa Maria della Salute….

Further up the Canal we enjoyed the varied architecture of Palazzio Genovesi and Palazetto Stern….

Rialto Bridge which is much better seen from the canal – the viewing bridge was packed solid….

We alighted at Ca d’Oro which seemed much quieter and prettier and some how less touristy for a welcome walk in the sunshine….

After we had had our fill and recharged a bit we made our way to the Water Taxi, this time deciding to head to the islands – Morano and Burano which we will cover in the next blog.

Not Tilly’s best kind of day – busy streets and boats are her two least favourite things and I have to confess though I appreciate the beauty of the amazing land mark buildings, the main centre around San Marco, somehow felt a little staged and grubby with hundreds of stalls selling every kind of tat imaginable and in complete contrast all the designer shops looked warm and welcoming – not!

As for me – I hate crowds too and whilst I appreciate the beauty of the buildings and the infrastructure of the waterways – I’ve been, I’ve seen and am glad to have done so but I doubt I’ll be back….

Friday 8th to Sunday 10th May 2026 – a relaxing few days on Lido di Jesolo….

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These are our last few days by a beach in Italy, so we have decided to take them gently and just enjoy.

Sometimes we wander along the promenade, sometimes paddling along the sea edge but generally just enjoying a slower pace of life, thinking, planning or just being….

Tilly enjoying a bit of freedom as the beaches are pretty deserted and she doesn’t get a great deal of off lead time when we are on our travels – though to be fair she is quite content on a lead and mostly seems to prefer it apart from when on a beach.

This resort is pretty empty, with many hotels still not open and acres upon acres of sun umbrellas and loungers either all ready and waiting or still at the set up stage….

Even so the lifeguards are on duty every 100 or so metres…

In between the sea of umbrellas indicating private beaches – though you can still wander along the waters edge, are little tranches of Public Beach….

There appears to be a whole army of staff keeping the beaches clean, sweeping the promenade, selling passes for the loungers, manning the bars and lifesaving huts – I guess most are employed by the hotels but bearing in mind it is almost mid May, the resort is pretty deserted, so the season must be pretty short and I wonder how they make it work? I also shudder to think what it must be like when the hotels and campsites are all open and full – hell on earth!

Still a nice and relaxing venue for us right now – time to catch up on a few things and do some forward planning as time is racing.

Friday’s stats:

  • Miles walked – 7
  • Beaches – 1
  • O/N – £15.50

Saturday’s stats:

  • Miles walked – 5
  • Beaches – 1
  • O/N – £15.50

Sunday’s stats;

  • Miles walked – 5
  • Beaches – 1
  • O/N – £15.50

Thursday 7th May 2026 – from Lake Garda to Jesolo….

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A lovely morning greets us and we actually get a good look at Lake Garda from the campsite before we leave, without the low cloud cover…

An uneventful journey takes us the rest of the way across northern Italy to a long strip of beach, just on the other side of Venice – the Lido di Jesolo….

A 15km stretch of sandy beach – as far as the eye can see and beyond….

This will do nicely for a few days off, is it a bad thing to be grateful for a few days of nothingness? Nothing spectacular, historic, pretty or stunning – just a long stretch of more or less empty beach backed by empty hotels and sunshine – ideal….

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 140
  • Miles walked – 5
  • Beaches – 1
  • O/N – £15.50