At least it's a dry heat

Venice was wonderful, in spite of being very hot and humid. Our campground won the award for over-the-top amenities. Here are the bathroom and dish-washing stations:







The freeways, or Autostradas, in Italy are fast and efficient but require you to pay tolls which really add up. We had planned on taking the backroads down to San Marino but quickly gave up and jumped on the toll road. We had naively assumed that we would be cruising through fields and vineyards on winding roads between villages but that was not the case. All of our backroads experiences have been narrow, congested roads through endless, sprawling suburbs of unplanned chaos. And the roundabouts! Someone friendly with a high-ranking government official must own a roundabout factory in Italy. They are everywhere, and many times the side roads that shoot off are either blocked, unfinished, or dump into a vacant field making the roundabout completely unnecessary. Add to that the aforementioned gear shifting adventures and the toll roads are a real bargain.

We camped in San Marino, which is the oldest republic in the world and one of the smallest countries as well. How could we resist getting another easy stamp in our passport? It is a small town with a beautifully maintained old hilltop fortress and walled city.






Many of these small countries survive on tourist dollars and offer tax-free shopping. I used the opportunity to replace my broken sunglasses at an obscene price instead of an obscene price plus 20% tax.

We drove in the heat, all the van windows down for maximum AC, to the port of Ancona to see about catching the night ferry to Greece. There was a mad rush at the ticket counter to grab up the last vacant spots on the ferry that was slated to leave in an hour. It was a free for all to get the ticket agent's attention, with German tourists cutting in front of Turkish truck drivers who were elbowing Bulgarian carnies out of the way. I meekly waited my turn, sweat pouring down my face, the thick smell of b.o. and cigarettes chipping away at my already eroded patience. Finally, as I watched our chances of making tonight's ferry disappearing, I snapped and nearly tackled an angry French gypsy to secure four spots on the boat.



The family was overjoyed when they found out I had actually sprung for a cabin and a meal ticket at the buffet. Our first dinner with meat since the rainy day in the Salzburg Ikea! When Noelle claims she's sick of noodles that means it's time for a menu change. We awoke in Igoumenitsa, Greece and drove inland and we actually passed the Bulgarian carnies on the highway! Now we are staying at a little campground in Meteora. This part of Greece looks and feels a lot like the Sonoran desert of Arizona. Tomorrow we will explore the ancient hill-top monasteries.