Distance: 107km
Elevation: 80m
I slept well but woke up often. Sleeping through on a Thermarest requires some practice and I knew from past tours that it will take me a week or so to adjust. Also, my instincts and routines still need to come back. Right now, I am still thinking too much and things take very long that way.
One step at a time.
I took it easy in the morning since I knew that the owner of the campground would only arrive at 10am or so. I had my standard breakfast: cooked Muesli. Easy, warm, healthy and quite tasty.
After her arrival, I quickly paid and ventured off. I cycled through some places that looked pretty worn down without the typical Italian shabby-chic. The closer I got to Venice though, the prettier the places became.
I found a bakery that sold freshly made Pizza. When bike touring you have to use every opportunity to eat good food – and I did. It was delicious and good for the morale.
A little later, I zig-zagged through Mestre which was quite exhausting. This town is also the car park when you want to drive to Venice. From here you have to take the train into this buzzing town.
I followed the coastline of the Laguna, mostly on great bike paths, and could see the silhouette of Venice from afar. The Laguna is a nature resort and quite beautiful. There were canals, rivers, and all sorts of other waterways everywhere.
When I was approaching Jesolo, a thunderstorm was brewing up behind me and a strong wind was coming up. According to my weather app it had been raining all day anyways. It reminded me of the one in the Canadian Prairies close to Drumheller. I ended up spending over an hour in a public toilet on a car park in the middle of nowhere to protect me from the lightning, hail and rain.
Let’s say this one was also very motivating and kept me pedaling onwards.
In Jesolo, the thunderstorm seemed very close and inevitable. So, I took a strategic break in a bar and waited for what would happen. After 45min the weather had cleared up a bit and I continued my tour.
I followed the coastline of the Adria. This area was full with artificial tourist villages, camping resorts and aqua parks which were all still deserted. I remembered having to spend a night in such a place at the Costa de la Luz when I was cycling around the Iberian Peninsula. It had been a little creepy to be the only guest in such an abandoned place.
When I reached Caorle, the thunderstorm had turned North but was still very close. I had to take a little ferry across a river, since the bridge was way more North. That was surprising and good fun.
I found a relatively small and family-owned campsite directly in town and by the sea. People were friendly, the showers were wonderful and they even had a small restaurant on top of a dune.
I felt blessed.
I enjoyed dinner and was in my tent at nightfall around 8pm.
Another great day to be thankful for. And I even stayed dry.