Day 15: Rome to Venice via Verona

Arena in Verona
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We leave Rome at about 8, listen to the trip song, and then people drift off to sleep. I'm actually not that tired, and catch up on my journal writing. Big Willy Styles is awarded the donkey of the day for growling at the Colosseum ticket person when she wouldn't give him the under-18 rate.

After our road stop, Tori hands out a piece of paper to everyone that has someone's name on it. She tells us that to get in the mood for Verona (the setting of Romeo and Juliet) we are going to write a love letter to whomever is on our sheet. I figure that Tori hates me for sure when I look at mine and see Ting's name. Ting ends up with Willy...Jeff at least gets a girl (Angela). I eventually manage to get something down, and after everyone's done, Tori and Ben read them out. For the most part they are very cheesy, and some are quite offensive! My letter gets saved for last..."To Ryan Berry: In your dreams, fucker. The Hulk."  This of course gets a lot of laughter - I got hulked big time! Terry tells me at lunch that he meant no offense, but he couldn't think of anything to say. I just have to laugh - I can't even get any love from a fake love letter!

To Ryan Berry: In your dreams, f*cker. The Hulk.

Verona
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We get to Verona around 2:15, and Tori takes us on a walk to Juliet's balcony. It's not much more than a tourist trap, with a Romeo and Juliet museum and a "love wall" where you can post a message to your lover. But we all stand in line to rub the breast of the Juliet statue - for good luck! We get some gelatti and take a look at the Arena (sort of a smaller Colosseum), then I pay 50 cents to use the WC before we get back on the bus at 3:30.

We arrive at the Venice campground around 5:30...Ting and I bunk this time, while Jeff rooms with Renato. The trailers are similar to what we've seen at our other Italian stops, but a bit bigger and blissfully with air conditioning! Ting and I throw some laundry in, then take a quick swim,  grab a beer and get ready for dinner at 7:30. We end up forgetting about the laundry until later on in the evening, as well as forgetting Jeff's detergent in the laundry area, so it's gone by the time we go back later. Oops, we owe him some!

Juliet's Balcony
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Dinner is at the restaurant in the campground, and involves BBQ chicken and ribs, fries, salad, bread and wine. And of course ice cream for dessert. Lamar shows up with a new haircut - a mohawk given to him by Kylie. There are two other TopDeck tours here at the same time, including one which is camping - we don't envy them having to pitch and take down tents all the time!

At dinner, the general mood indicates it's going to be "one of those nights". Everyone hits up happy hour at the bar for cheap drinks to "take away". Ting and Jeff play some ping pong, while I head over to where the rest of group is hanging out by Kylie and Mike's trailer (who have become affectionately known as Mom and Dad). We hang out there for a while, chit chatting and drinking - I get into a discussion with Wellsy and Shona about the merits of cricket. They tell me how awesome it is...I mention that hockey is my sport of choice, and they immediately think field hockey! Don't they know ice hockey is the real hockey?!

Some Good Luck for Me
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We hang out there until 10:30 or so, then head down to the bar. There is a live cover band playing outside and they are awesome! Or at least I thought so at the time :) Everybody gets into it and starts dancing, even Ting who is busting moves I never thought I'd see him do. After the band finishes, the party moves inside the bar, and more dancing ensues...at various times, people get up and dance on the bar along the wall.

Later on, we end up chatting a bit with 2 Canadian girls outside before heading to bed. Lamar was trying to pick one of them up, and Wellsy was supposed to be his wingman, but abandoned him, which Lamar is sure to remind him about the next day. "I helped you out, then you abandon me - you're a terrible wingman!". Wellsy apparently did hook up that night, as did Darren. From what I gather later on, Suzie did too, but she's not too happy about it and doesn't really talk about what happened. Finally some intrigue on the tour!