Day 22, Lake Garda, Italy

29/07/2016

I woke up absolutely buzzing even if it was to the sound of screeching kids but I couldn't wait to go Parasailing. I headed down in the morning to check if all was still going ahead as they mentioned at least 3 people are needed to weigh the boat down when someone is being towed. After a quick chat it was clear that other people were down to do it but not until 3pm which was fine with me, I could dig out my clothes to do a sink wash then give the van a good clean inside.

When I arrived at 3 pm we walked down this narrow pontoon that was sunk underwater, at the end was a small floating pontoon which 6 of us climbed onto and they pulled us by rope out to the larger floating deck. When we were all loaded up and headed out the other people I was with started to pull out life jackets and harnesses from under the seating area. The driver and his colleague then proceeded to give instructions on how to put on the harness and life jacket, however I was the only one who didn't understand Italian. Of course the instructions were given in Italian, so all I could do was follow exactly what the others did. I was chatting to a German couple and luckily they were kind enough to translate some of the gestures back to me and I hoped for the best.

Parasailing across Lake Garda!

We had been driving out for a while and I noticed the parachute was about to be released so I decided to start setting up the gopro ready. I had just finished mounting it when I realised the parachute was up and the driver spoke up and pointed at me saying 'you're up first' and pointed at the parachute fully open. I jumped up grabbing the Gopro and clipped in, as they started to release me out it juddered and the gopro slid around on the mount which took me by surprise. Once I was up it was unbelievable, it felt so high up and the views were fantastic.

I returned to the van buzzing still despite the same kids still screaming and started packing ready to hit the road the next morning. Next stop, Lake Como!

Day 21 - Lake Garda, Italy

28/06/2016

This morning started off in my expensive parking space which worried me a little about how much the campsites were going to cost. I decided to go find out anyway as I much prefer being able to have a proper shower and refill the water tank. It was €45 for 2 nights which isn't bad when compared to the parking spot I had before. I decided to go for it and have a shower and explore around the lake.

Lake Garda, Italy

I spent a lot of the day relaxing, reading and swimming. The lake being so close and the campsite having a decent size pool meant I kept hopping between the two - showering in between of course! The only downside was that my neighbours were screaming kids which seemed to be all the time. I couldn't help but wish that I was back at the other spot, at least it was quiet. Whilst wandering around I noticed the campsite had a water sports area at the bottom of the site so I decided to check that out, after 20 minutes of debating I left with an annoying thought to go Parasailing. The only reason I didn't book it there and then was because it cost €50 and you're only in the air for 10 minutes!

Lake Garda, Italy

After trying to do some rough research with poor reception I decided to just book it anyway because I really wanted to do it. I headed back to the water sports area and booked in for 1pm the next day.

Day 20 - Lake Braies & Lake Garda, Italy

27/06/2016

I woke at 5am to loud cracks of thunder followed by flashes of lightning followed by rain pounding the van roof. I was absolutely gutted, my plan was to drive 135 miles up mountain roads to see Lake Braies. I had found it on the Internet and it just wouldn't have been the same in rain. I fell back asleep and woke up pretty grumpy debating whether to make the journey, I really wanted to see it but I was doing a 250 mile round trip just for that. After breakfast I packed up the van and decided to go for it, the rain had calmed down a little and I hit the road.

Truckin' up the Dolomites slow and steady but we were still going strong!

As I was getting closer I could see signs for Lago di Braies, the excitement was incredible. I pulled into the car parking area and a parking attendant approached me asking for €5. I thought that was a lot but there wasn't a lot I could do. I handed over the money and tried to ask if it was for 24 hours, he spoke no English and I had no idea what he said but I decided I'd just stop there the night as other motor homes were parked up and looked like they had been there more than 24 hours.  

Potential camp for the night!

I walked over to the lake and it was amazing, I dug out my slr straight away and realised I left the bloody memory card in the van again! I tried taking pictures on the go pro and on my phone but it wasn't the same so I quickly popped back to the van to grab it. I cooked some lunch while I was there as I realised you can walk around the lake, but I found out the pasta was mouldy so that went straight in the bin. A few breakfast biscuits later and I was back at the lake wandering around taking plenty of pictures.

Lago di Braies, Italy

After doing a full circuit I decided not to bother staying over and hit the road to Lake Garda which was my original plan. I had seen all there was at Lake Braies so there was no reason for me to hang around. I found a camperstop a few miles away from the Lake and parked up there, it cost €17 and didn't have many facilities so I headed off on my bike to find the campsites I had found online. They looked very busy so I was doubtful I would get a spot the next day.

Day 19 - Venezia Village Camping, Italy

26/06/2016

Today I decided to have a day relaxing in the van, slacklining, catching up on jobs. There is a Lidl just down the road which was ideal to do a big and cheap shop to restock the van.

Day 18 - Venice, Murano & Burano, Italy

25/06/2016

I had been very excited to see Venice and during the night I decided to open the window again. This time I wasn't so lucky and I woke up covered in huge bites. A couple of the bites on my foot had puss starting to ooze out! I didn't let it bother me too much. I walked down to the bus stop just outside the campsite and headed for Venice. Entering from the bus depot was very weird, there was a lot of graffiti and it seemed quiet. I didn't think Venice had such a quiet side but I headed off around in a big loop. My parents had been before and warned me that the canals can smell quite bad during the summer. I didn't think much of it until I got the smell, it was bad. I must've got used to it by the end of the day.

Canals, Venice

The first main landmark I found was the Rialto bridge which was all boarded up due to work being done to it unfortunately. I continued onto Saint Marks Square which was amazing. Especially after my parents talked about how the square can flood when the tides change. At first the square wasn't too busy but before I knew it, it was absolutely packed with people.

Saint Mark's Basilica

I then ventured on to find the Vaporetti water taxis to look at reaching Murano and Burano in particular. I had seen that Burano looked beautiful with its multicoloured buildings along the canals. I walked past the hospital which was pretty cool. Murano was the same as Venice so I didn't spend very long there.

Emergency Ambulance parking

Grand Canal, Venice, Italy

Burano, Italy

After a big day of walking I headed to the restaurant for a pizza, with Tuna, Chorizo and pepper which was an unusual combination. Tomorrows plan is to rest and catch up on washing, writing, reading.

Day 17 - Rome to Venice

24/06/2016

Today was a heavy day in the van. a 6 - 7 hour drive from Rome to the campsite near Venice. I didn't arrive until after 5pm as there were a few accidents on the motorways and a lot of traffic slowing me down. The journey seemed to fly by thanks to some old tunes.

Truckin' from Rome to Venice

Day 16 - Rome, Italy

23/06/2016

After another terrible nights sleep in the heat I didn't feel too energetic in the morning. I can vaguely remember sliding the window open in the night but some how I got away with absolutely no bites. I headed back into Rome for another day of exploring. I decided to take the train straight to the Vatican city and quickly decided just go walk around the Church and not to bother with the museum. The Church was very impressive and the grounds outside were amazing.

Front of the Church

Vatican City

I then followed the route on the map to the other areas to see. It started with a market, then moved onto a square and then onto Patheon (a temple) followed by a beautiful fountain (Fontana di Trevi) which was very crowded! Followed shortly by a small fountain next to Trinitia dei Monti and finishing at Piazza del Popolo which was next to a Leornado Devinci museum.

Pantheon

Inside Pantheon

Fontana di Trevi

Fountain outside Trinitia dei Monti

There were more fantastic views as I walked towards Piazza del Popolo where I finished the day in the Leonardo Devinci Museum and then took the train back to the campsite.