This should be headed VENICE because on the original itinerary that was where we were due to be on Wednesday 14 September. Out of the blue in the summer we were notified that Trieste was replacing Venice. I think they said there was no room for us in Venice which seemed a little odd. We all know that Venice wants to limit the number of cruise ships in the port because of the damage to the buildings.
Whether that was the reason or whether it was a financial decision we will probably never know. We’d do love Venice and particularly that 40 minute vaporretto ride from the ship to St Marks Square with all the working launches full of supplies darting in and out of the congested canals.
But Trieste was new for us. Queen Victoria was berthed right in the City. The terminal was a little tatty but we were quickly through and into the beautiful town. Jane and Kim have become experts in all things architectural after attending a lecture on this cruise by a remarkable lady. Now we study the windows and the doors, the colours and the statues. Well the ladies do.
We found a tourist information office and they produced a map and marked on it the route to the Old City (which, very helpfully, was at the top of a hill). The very helpful lady told me that there was a lift up to the Old City but told me that it was important that when we arrived at the kiosk for the lift that we pointed out Jane in her wheelchair (hard to miss!) as the lift man would need to active some special machinery which would be needed to get Jane’s chair out of the lift, when we arrived at the top. It took us some time to find the entrance to the lift which was hidden in an underground car park. The lift man looked out of his kiosk, saw Jane and shook his head. The gist of it was that the machinery had broken and Jane couldn’t go up.
Beautiful squares and lovely narrow side streets led us back to the shops and the coffee houses and it was agreed that the old man could sit and have a coffee while the ladies did some shopping.
And they left me there.
No. By then it was time for lunch and Jane’s afternoon nap and after Jane and Kim had had what was one of the best coffees of the trip we headed back to the ship. We had been told over and over before leaving the ship that we must have our passports with us as they would be checked by the Italian police before we could board. No one looked at anything! Why would they want to keep us there?
