To - Lido di Jesolo.
Distance - 101km
Time - 5 hours
Total - 3978km
It has been hot! Wall to wall sunshine.
Guess what. I was told last night that 'smarty pants' has also been to Lido di Jesolo, is there nowhere that I go that she hasn't been!
Before I set off I did something I don't think I have ever done before. I threw away some wine! Yesterday I had bought a 1 litre carton on red wine for 1.40 euros, it was top class plonk! It tasted fine but I only managed half of it and had the choice of carrying it with me or pouring it down the sink. Seeing as it was probably worth only 60p I poured it away and saving the weight in my panniers. I had to close my eyes as I poured it because it seemed wrong and by closing my eyes I could pretend it wasn't happening.
I got over it and cycled out of Grado along a long causeway with water and marshes on either side. The route went on some busy roads but most were reasonably quiet and they were all flat. Many were tree lined and that helped to keep the sun off me partially. I stopped briefly at a couple of places where they had a market but as normal I only look and never buy. If I buy something I have to carry it and 'I don't want to do that'!
I got into Lido di Jesolo just after 1pm and then had the task of finding the hotel on a long straight road about 5km long. It's a bit like the golden mile at Blackpool. There are hundreds oh hotels and bars and touristy attractions. I passed many with English names such as The Royal Oak, The Sheraton, The Oxford and The Piccadilly! Im staying at the Amalfi. There will be lots more of corny hotel names. You can tell that this place is tourism at its classiest....not! It's not so bad though, the sun is shining and the beach is lovely.
I'm a little undecided about the Hotel Amalfi, it is medium sized and has a large bar, breakfast room and restaurant. It is advertising a happy hour, karaoke and a nightclub but it looks past its best so I can't image it being the hot place to be seen on this long road of hundreds of competitors. The pool is nice and very deep for a hotel pool which is OK for me but not too great for smaller kids although there is a little pool section for tiny ones. The room is OK but the ensuite is a little bit grotty. The digital TV is small but flicking through the channels I found an original episode of Dukes of Hazard dubbed into Italian of course, there was Boss Hogg but what was the girl called? Anyway it will do nicely especially as it was cheap for one night.
The beach is only 50 metres away and the hotel has a section reserved for its customers. I got the token at reception and this time I went straight to the attendant to find out where I could sit. The beach is very long and its full of loungers and umbrellas set up meticulously in rows. It probably looks busier than it actually is because the beach looks full when in actual fact only a quarter of the places are being used. I normally opt for the quiet beaches rather than these regimented beaches but I must hand it to the Italians they are well organised, the beach is in perfect condition, no litter and the only thing that lets it down is the people who roam the loungers trying to sell, watches, sunglasses, jewellery and towels etc. They don't bother me because they normally target older females. After a quick cooling swim I watched these people selling stuff and noticed that those people selling towels had only beach towels. They weren't selling any flannels at all! There could be lots of touring cyclists on the beach that would benefit from a flannel. I always think that the people that watch me stroll onto the beach and lie my flannel on the sunbed and proceed to stretch out on it are looking because they are envious of my flannel and its versatility!
Slowly my white bits (apart from the very white bits) are starting to get some colour, up to now its only my arms and legs that are tanned with a clear line where my t shirt and shorts end. So far I've managed to avoid getting burnt. I will probably wake up in the night feeling red hot from a day in the sun!
I walked down the Main Street and treated myself to an ice cream, eating it using the previously described method and returned to the hotel to have a lie down and start on the blog.
My brother, Peter, has been asking about what wine regions I have been passing through. Well, I don't think the wine carton I poured away this morning stipulated a region but I was in Friuli-Venezia Griuli region famous for its Pinot Grigio but now I am in the Veneto area which does whites wines, Trebbiano and Prosecco and Molinara and Corvina reds. I cycled past a few vineyards and they looked much further on in the growing cycle than any of the other countries I passed through. I hope that gives Peter a good excuse to pop open a bottle of Prosecco, I'm sure he won't need too much persuasion.
I will be in an apartment at Mestre (just outside Venice) tomorrow for five nights with Rebekah and John. I will get to the apartment mid afternoon and then catch a bus to meet them at the airport. I hope everything goes according to plan. I should also be passing the 4000km mark tomorrow.
As I am writing this I am listening to my music on shuffle. Most of you know I have a very varied taste in music but you probably wouldn't have guessed that I had Grimethorpe Colliery Brass Band on my playlist, they were playing 'Jerusalem' which makes me feel patriotic and its also the name of my favourite skiing piste at St Martin de Belleville in the French Alps.
Photo 1, View from the causeway back towards Grado.
Photo 2, Tree fellas by the side of the road! No they weren't Irish!
Photo 3, Market stalls in small town.
Photo 4, This is actually two towers at Lido di Jesolo. I presume apartments?
Photo 5, Lido Main Street.
Photo 6, Something for the kids when they arrive!
Photo 7, Piano at my hotel. I think I'll knock out a few tunes later but it looks like someone knocked them put before me!
Photo 8, Hotel pool.
Photo 9, Promenade at Lido.
Photo10, Beach, looks nice!
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