Mestre to Napoli

The events that unfolded today were a consistent reminder of ‘Wacky Wednesday’ the discomfort and humor of which we gracefully embraced and therefore shall we not reminisce about this day without laughs.

It all began with the cold indifference of the understaffed hotel at Mestre about the dirty bed sheets and the lack of proper plumbing in our room. And to think of it, it was only our room, one out of 300 odd rooms, that had ‘technical problems’. How (un)lucky is that? :) Whoever gave this hotel four stars and how it should be so hard to allow guests a shower and a clean bed, I shall never know. However, what I am certain about is that this was nowhere close to the worst traveling experiences that one could go through :) And I must admit, the waiters in the breakfast bar served coffee and croissants with big friendly smiles.

Later in a restaurant we had good laughs when the waiter, perhaps his first day, kept bringing food and drinks we never ordered and dropping plates and spoons. I earnestly hope his manager told him that it was normal to be nervous and make mistakes on the first day.

The journey from Mestre to Napoli via Bologna, Florence and Rome was a long one - roughly 950km, give or take 50km – and as it turned out a slow one because the day got wackier and we missed a fast train or two, as a result of which we arrived in Napoli past midnight but the great thing was that we got to enjoy the lush Tuscan landscapes for hours.