Greetings from my village coffee bar.
Yesterday, driving home from Croatia, there was a dangerous downpour made the autostrada dangerous, not only to go forward, but even to pull off. Even if we could finally find a place to escape we were afraid to leave in case of being hit from behind. Fifteen minutes can feel like a lifetime! On the way from home there is a stretch of autostrada near Latisana, which for several reasons has more accidents than anywhere else. This Friday was no exception. A crash being cleared caused a second crash that had occurred just minutes from our passing. A driver had been driving too fast and too close and when he reached the stopped traffic, it was too late. The back end of the lead car was mashed as if a giant sledge hammer had hit is, even the muffler was crashed and hanging down. The driver was out in front on the phone calling for help while holding his head in his right hand. Everyone proceeded even slower after this. This stretch of highway has been under construction for at least three years, and it is almost finished, much to the relief of every driver who ventures north of Venice.
Croatia is a great retreat for us, a drive of just over 3 hours into a totally different type of landscape, and less populated area with quite a nice difference of cuisine. Rovinj is our usual destination, where on the weekend almost every restaurant is barbecueing a large pig at the entrance. The sweet smell can be detected within a kilometer of the small city.
We make a habit of staying in a bungalow in a small campground famous for good food. The hosts told us that this summer was very profitable for them and they have mostly recovered from last summer’s shutdown by covid. They said that this weekend they received hundreds of calls from people seeking a place to sleep. I believe that people are trying to make the most of this last little piece of summer. We ate meals surrounded by a large number of Germans, Austrians and Italians. I was the only American, but this is usual. School has started here in Italy and now we will see how the students manage to avoid covid. Italians are all wearing masks to go inside shops and stores, they have been observing this all along, and our cases are only rising slowly. Summer travel has caused the rise. This weekend we took advantage of the cheaper gas in Slovenia, and we found that people had to show their green card (vaccination certificate) just to go inside and pay the bill. I thought that today I might be stopped for a check when going into my coffee bar where I am writing this blog post, but was not. Tomorrow I will go food shopping at a big market and I did not have to show my green card. I carry a photo of it in my phone just in case. I think that this is a future possibility, so I will be ready.
Village life is quite back to pre-covid, people are here at the bar having their cappuccinos and quickly leaving. However, it seems that there are more male adults lingering, reading the free newspaper, or just lost in thought. I was hoping to see my old friend arrive, I have not seen him for over a year now. We both had avoided the bar situation as we are both retired and need to observe caution. I see people out walking on the street enjoying the sun and pleasant temperature, 75 F. I have not written much about lodging in Italy, many are thinking of travel again and we are a target. In the media and on websites there are advertised resorts that offer exclusive everything. What this means is that the tourist never has to leave the site, all is provided. There are also 5 star hotels that offer an expensive sleep. However, let me suggest a few other alternatives. We often stay in rooms provided by a family, and these are rated 3 stars by the government. You can find these on booking.com. You can find them with google.com (maps), just type in hotels and they will pop up. These are a much more reasonable cost, and you can view photos of the rooms, the breakfasts, the landscape, and nearby famous sites you might want to see. When staying in Venice, would it not be more interesting to stay in a hotel maintained and owned by a local family? It won’t be fancy, but it will be clean, safe, and in the center of Venice. These lodgings have been used by us on overnight visits and we have never felt less than completely happy. For you Americans who are thinking of flying over, don’t be afraid to consider these types of rooms. Comparing a stay you will find the expense at least close to half the cost of a room in the United States. In addition you will make acquaintance with an Italian family and experience more of the Italian life.
Here are food shots from our Croatia campground weekend. The food is a bit different from what we find here in the Veneto. I think you would enjoy it, too. I would drive 3 hours to taste that white smoked bass mousse. Ciao, Tutti!

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