Adventure!

You cannot travel Europe as a group of seven, on a shoestring budget, and not have some adventure (especially if you are a Beine, some would say).  We arrived in Venice yesterday evening, in the rain.  The guidebook said that EVERYBODY gets lost in Venice (with 117 islands, over 400 bridges, and changes that even our brand new GPS could not keep up with).  We got lost 3 times before even finding our camping accommodations.  We thought Italy would be warm in late May, so we went with the campsite (tent provided).  Last night, when the rain was coming down and the temperature was in the 50s, I wondered if I had made a mistake.  I asked for extra blankets but the place was packed and no more blankets were available.  I put on the hat that we bought in England (when we were cold) and shared Dave's cot to stay warm.  The boys put on extra clothes (and some were still cold).  Kylie did not have a roommate, so she decided at 1:00am that it was okay to take the blanket from the other bed (the midnight influx of travelers did not produce a roommate for her).

This morning, we awoke to more rain.  At least we did not awaken to a tent full of ants, like another traveler that I saw at 6 am (expressing her exasperation).  We went into town to find rain ponchos (we were not going to miss Venice for rain!) and some sleeping bags and a couple more hats.  We also decided to look for a camera.  You see, our point-and-shoot cameras that were pulled from the fire weren't working.  One boy forgot his point-and-shoot camera at our relative's house.  So, we have been sharing Nick's Canon camera and Kylie's point-and-shoot for the whole trip.  Then Nick's shutter gave out.  We tried all the tricks listed on-line.  We decided that it would be a bummer for our budding photographer not to take photos for the rest of the trip (2 weeks left), so we bought a new SLR camera (the Canon was quite old).  It took all morning, and the rain continued to fall.  We boarded the bus around noon for the center of Venice.

Then the rain let up, the sun came out, off and on, and we only needed our ponchos for short stints of drizzle.  The day was lovely.  We had a great time exploring the tiny cobblestone alleyways and canals of Venice.  Of course we crossed the Grand Canal in a gondola once!  We had a wonderful seafood/pasta lunch in a tiny cafe.  And we topped off the afternoon with a cappuccino and pastry (gelato for some) at a famous cafe called Rosa Salva.  We sat outside to enjoy the snack and soaked in the charm of Venice.  Dave did a stellar job leading us back to the bus stop on foot (no easy task!; ask to see our videos).  It was high tide and some of the customers at canal-side restaurants got wet feet as the water lapped over the edge of the canal.  Global warming?  Or has it always been this way?  We got to the bus park just in the nick of time: standing room only for the 25-minute bus ride home.  We missed the stop nearest our campsite, so our sore feet walked another 10 minutes from the next stop, and now we are taking a little rest.

So, tonight we hope to sleep a bit warmer.  We are so thankful for sleeping bags...and for the sun today...and for the camera--more great pictures to come.  Tomorrow, we take a drive through Austria and then go to the Romantic Road of Bavaria, Germany.  We are headed (over a couple of days) to the area that the Beines come from (Stukenbrock, Germany).  We look forward to a little rest as we get acquainted with extended family.

Ciao from the Beines + Kylie!