While the flight to Venice was delayed due to a mechanical issue, no toilets failed, no medical emergencies redirected the plane, and the pilot didn’t need to exit out the cockpit window. They served me food I could eat that tasted great. I slept intermittently.
Arriving in Venice, I passed easily through Customs. No one made me open the box, and/or check me for Mad Cow Disease. Entering the luggage area, the location for oversized luggage was clearly labeled, with my bicycle already sitting there, unmolested. It didn’t end up in another plane, or at another airport. While US Customs had searched it, they’d done a better than adequate job of taping it back up, and no contents were lost. It took a couple of hours to reassemble the bicycle, find an ATM in the airport, and eat lunch.
No police offers stopped me as I left the airport. While I rode in traffic until I left the immediate area of the airport, after that much of the day was on dedicated cycle path or unused road. I learned that you shouldn’t miss any turns, because bridges are few and far between if you’re on the wrong side of the ubiquitous canals. I learned that lesson without making that mistake!
Concerned about the temps and the weather, today was sunny and warm. On arrival day I usually stagger to the closest accommodation and collapse. Even with a light headwind much of the day I’m camped 50 km from where I started this afternoon. Duna Verde is a quiet beach resort town in the days before the summer seasons starts. A small market provided dinner; the friendly salesperson says the usually see only three Americans all summer. I observed that the campground doesn’t supply toilet paper without finding out the hard way.
I’m all set to continue towards Trieste tomorrow.