Ben got up and packed at 5:30. When he left I took his bed. Dowler left at 7. Once he’d gone I too packed. I received a text from Ben just after 8, saying he’d once again missed his train. I took a ferry to meet him by the station and we had breakfast together. His was a breakfast burger. I got a strawberry and Nutella crepe. We were both very tired. After that I took a ferry to my hostel. It seems very nice.
I walked over to San Marco square and visited the Doge’s palace. It was as sumptuous as Versailles, though on a smaller scale. Golden and painted ceilings and walls were the highlights. The armoury too, was a sight to see – so many suits of armour, and huge swords, bows and other weapons. Pretty cool. [I messaged my Italian friend, Guillia, while here and she agreed to ask her parents to host me in Trieste in 2 nights time!] The same ticket got me access to a couple of museums. There I saw more weapons, sick ancient maps, globes, coins and sculptures. I felt very cultured. I wondered back to the hostel after, stopping to get some gelato and a very disappointing calzone. I checked into the hostel at 2.
My “6 person mixed dorm” was actually a small room with 2 beds, a huge deserted kitchen area nearby, and an open bathroom without any locks. Not undesirable, but pretty odd. I simply lay down and slept for 3 hours. A much needed rest. I was awoken a couple of times by the woman I was sharing with coming and going. When I was up and showered I hung out in the courtyard for a bit, then called my friend Lewis and chatted for a while.
On returning to the room I found the woman was back. She was English but lived in Canada. She was obviously in her 30s. We chatted for a bit, [she was appalled by me filling my water from the shower the previous day] then went our separate ways to find dinner. I chose a restaurant by the lagoon. So did she. Her name is Francesca and she is a teacher. It was a pleasant dinner. I got a huge, much less disappointing calzone, and we had a nice chat. After I gave her my journal to take back to the room, and spent an hour wondering the streets and getting a nasty beer which cost me 9 euros. Then I returned to the hostel and slept. A restful, well needed day. Now… back to the road!
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