When traveling, especially when traveling alone (yeah, i'm cool and autonomous now) you meet HEAPS of interesting people. On the train from Maastricht I meet a 86 year old jolly fellow that loves drinking beer, a black girl with fake blue contacts and an eccentric italian Ryanair flight attendant giving my tips including where to find the best pussy (soz Jane)... dirty dog. After playing language charades on the plane with a jolly middle aged italian fella we arrive in Venice! Okay so one of the first things i recognize about people can largely be summed up in this sentence... Imagine the Italians you know and love back home, now imagine a whole country of them, and that's Italy. Okay, sounds dumb, but imagine a general appreciation for good food, charismatic, ridiculous hand gestures, a little hairy, sik/loud cars and quite polite. In Venice I'm camping, the first night I hit the sack to prepare for a play making filled day. Stepping out of the tent for the first time in my life I praised the bite of a mosquito as it means the summer & heat have finally arrived, fwwwwark ye. On my way into Venice the public bus is absolutely CRAMMED with people. I literally couldn't move my arms (mainly because I lift over 9000 though) On top of having an hazardously overloaded bus the Italian bus diver is having a full blown conversation with a passenger. By full-blown I mean, Italian full-blown, its in a league of its own - hands thrust about, fingers clenched at the tips rocking back and forth, intonations like they are attempting to qualify for Italian Idol. But I get into venice... Just! Okay so the first thing i think is that Marco Polo, the game, originated from Venice. I have been to a few cities where navigation is difficult, but this place definitely tops the list. So many people whipping out maps as they don't know where de faq they are (including myself). Few signs give directions to landmarks and the signs that are around are confusing as, i assume, shop owners have created another point on the flat end of the direction arrows to make them double ended in hope people will walk that way and thus generating bulk business. Notably, Marco & Polo are names for the popular areas opposing each other over the Canal Grande that separates the island of Venice - I'll do bulk research to find out if I am correct and if I am I will be praised as a fwwfwfwfwwwwarkin genius. On another side note, Venice is intensely beautiful. 'Cleaning up' photos from my SLR I deleted pictures from some of old as fark buildings as I took too many photos of insanely old buildings. During my 11 hour meander in Venice i come across i see a public ping pong court, equipped with bats and a ball, made of stone, probs like 2000 years old and I approach it looking for a worthy contender. My opponent, in the blue corner, weighing in at 160 pounds, 5" 8' anddddd 80 years of age challenges me. With intentions to send this geezer back to bingo I pick up the bat, so does he, and we start. As the match progresses I have no idea what the score is as its being kept in Italian. The first match, I apparently win. The second match he wins. The third and final match. The Showdown. The old man; thin white hair flailing in the wind, sweat traversing down a ages facade as intricate as the venice canals and bat grip like an Asian superstar, we commence. Bang! He comes out with all guns firing. My opponent proves a challenge as the score becomes tied (I think) and its match point. He looks deep into my eyes, my soul even, and serves. The serve generated enough back spin to through the world off its axis. With a agile, youthful display of athleticism, I return it. We play, the ball is slapped back and forth, moving at speeds to grind the stone table like a chisel. Then, it happens. My defensive, backhand, backspin sits the ball up in for an optimal forehand slammer. I say my Hail Mary's, the old man summons geezer strength and sets fire to the ball whipping out a cross court winner. I roar like a Lion in agony. I lose. "Bravo", he says. Venice is nice - apparently 3,400 years old, but it's especially nice if #1 you're old, #2 you have money and #3 spare time to kick back and drink bevvies/wine by the Canal Grande. Even though I punch bevs like a bowse I, unfortunately, didn't fill this criteria particularly well. I arrive in Bologna, destination number #2 in Italy. I really don't expect much from this place, other than being told it had great food. I arrive at my hostel and set sail solo for a feast filled evening. Not knowing where I am I ask an African-Italian man for some directions. He says to catch the bus, the same ones he's catching and it will take me into town, so I follow him. When we arrive in the centre I show him a piece of paper which has the name of a restaurant scribed on it from an Italian lady in the train. This guy, completely out of goodwill spends the next 15 minutes walking with me trying to find this place. We search and cannot find anywhere, but I say I'm here only for the night and I'll just eat here (still a nice restaurant). I settle down, being on budget and not having enough money to repay this guy (with a meal) I excuse myself. He smiles and sits down. I spend the next 1 1/2 hours speaking to this African-Italian guy about Africa and why I should go. We talk about Australia and he helps me map out a possible trip through Africa! It was really really nice to have someone to talk with over dinner, and I think he know that. These random acts of generosity and popping up much more frequently. It's midnight and this city is still absolutely bustling. I can hear drunken moans from across the court, buses screaming uphill, people sprawled per stairs, people in cafes having a midnight splash of wine, people sitting around ancient fountains talking. I then seek out another innocent soul to talk with, I see a guy sitting on the fountains edge, I introduce myself and we get talking. He shows me around the city. Bologna has a huge student population, students literally everywhere congregating in a square near Bologna University. Over a hundred students, on a Monday night, are sitting on the ground, beer bottles scattered all around, joint on the flow, just talking. There are police present, about three police cars, parked only 20 meters away though they simply turn a blind eye to the student shenanigans. 'Social living' my African homie described it as. After our city exploration, Its time for me to kick zZz's in my kennel and Tal offers to walk with me so I don't get lost. We walk for about 20 minutes, in the complete opposite direction he needs to go, then I recognize where I am and he bids me farewell - both stories about my African homie and Tal are just to illustrate the kindness of strangers. I felt so warm and fuzzy inside ^.^ :3 New roads are to be explored as I venture out to Florence, Pisa, Rome, Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, Capri and Naples... My finances you ask? How do I afford all this you ask? Well, quite frankly, I'm a little fucked. I don't want to be scraping the bottom barrel come early August. So in order to not sell my kidney/self for a dolla bill I have set myself a budget I call the 'Fidday budget' or translated to €50 euros a day or around $65 (or like $70 now the AUD is fucked) Sounds like a lot, yeah, I know but shit ain't cheap here in Europe, especially in Summer. It's a bit of a shame really I couldn't drop financial bombs on Italian cruising as it looks so fuarkin frothworthy but I need playmaking mullah for da boyths shwanging over in 6 days. Maybe I'll be dumpster diving for food or giving BJ'S for a bitta extra dosh but what I know for certain is that the coming two months ill be playing a little game, a little game with my dignity - Marco Polo. Notes - Every man and his dog in Venice is munchin on an ice cream - I'm almost very Italian word finishes with I, A, O or E... Legit. - Indian guys selling pigs that splat then reform back into their original jellatanous state - African guys sell fake designer bags. -"people are like diamonds; they have many faces and some faces are bigger than others and as time passes the diamond turns revealing different faces". - Carlotta's explanation of personality changes.