Read, Write, Ramble

 For months our shared iPhone calendars have carried the event titled ‘Robin’s Birthday Surprise’ from May 20-25, and until a few weeks ago it had remained a total mystery to me.  It was the Qantas app that shed a little more light on the plan when it revealed a red-eye flight to Christchurch on Wednesday May 20. Not that I was prying … I was innocently looking for the dates of another planned trip later in the year, when the app spilled the beans.  That is, however, all I know.  My family, when hearing the destination have helpfully provided me with a list of all the extreme sports that are possible when in Christchurch: bungee jumping, white water rafting, land-sailing, quad bike safaris, rock climbing, caving, helicopter flights, jet boats, sea kayaking  … you get the picture.  My response was, that if Stephen Walls was organising the trip I felt confident it was more likely to involve a train than any of the above.  If you would like to find out wh...

19 hours spent hurtling through the air in a metal capsule allows plenty of time for reviewing and evaluating the experiences just had.  There were many unique and memorable adventures had in Italy, not the least of which was travelling by water taxi to the airport terminal in Venice. A two-minute walk from our hotel, with not one bridge to cross, the taxi pick-up point was a narrow jetty where many activities seemed to take place, in terms of collection and delivery of goods by a variety of vessels.  When our polished timber taxis arrived, suitcases were hefted into the front and passengers handed down into the low-roofed seating area for a final tour through the narrow canals and then out onto the open water highway. The journey began at a gentle pace, but once some invisible boundary was reached we took off, bouncing over the wash left by the many other boats on the water.  Arriving at the airport after half an hour, suitcases were unceremoniously hoisted up onto the a...

Today was our last full day in Italy and in direct contrast to yesterday, the sun was shining.  We were up early to make the most of the opportunities the day would bring, and following a hearty breakfast, we walked to the water-taxi wharf and  bought a ticket to Burano island.  Although small, it is a most colourful island with brightly painted houses lining the streets and canals. Tourism is Burano’s main industry today, but it has been famed for its lace-making since the 16th century; a craft that continues on the island to this day.  After two hours of happy wandering, photographing the unique houses and browsing the large number of shops selling everything from fridge magnets, to expensive clothes and beautiful fabrics, parasols made from lace and anything imaginable made from Murano Glass, we made our way back to the ferry for the hour-long return trip.  We found somewhere for lunch in the back streets just off San Marco Square and then went back to the ho...

We set out this morning after a quality buffet breakfast, much better than that provided in the Best Western at Padua, eaten in the ‘outdoor’ breakfast area at Hotel Saturnia.  Ame had planned to take us to see the famous Bridge of Sighs, the Rialto Bridge, and the Libreria Acqua Alta before taking the boat over to the exclusive Marriott Resort Island where her husband Luca works as a Personal Trainer.  We visited the Bridge of Sighs first and took the obligatory photos before setting off for the Rialto, but unfortunately on the way, the rain set in. Not everyone was prepared for rain today, some had umbrellas, but not all, and we tried in vain to find somewhere to shelter and have an early lunch. We persevered until we reached the famed Rialto Bridge, busy with tourists of course, umbrellas threatening to damage eyes at every turn, as people vied for position at the best photo vantage points.  Having ticked this off the list, we plodded on through the rain to find a cosy...

For the first time in our 27 day odyssey we had, not one, but three slight glitches in our arrangements today.  Ame came to join us again this morning as our private tour guide for the final leg of our trip in Venice, and what a timely entrance she made. Our drivers collected us from our Padua hotel right on time and we set out to drive the short distance to Chioggia, better known as little Venice, a quaint fishing village of canals and narrow alleyways.  It had been arranged that we should store our luggage here, leaving us free to wander the town and have some lunch at Ristorante La Taverna before meeting our boat to Venice in the late afternoon. Our drivers diligently took us to the address given, but there was no luggage storage facility to be seen. To the driver’s credit, they stayed to try and sort this anomaly out, rather than simply dropping us at the address, but they were under time pressure with airport pickups to make. After much exploration of the street, question...