After many weeks of planning, mask buying, costume planning and program organising, it was time.
5:30am on a Friday we headed out, all 2 mini-buses (12 people) of us. 6 South Africans, 1 Irish-man, 1 Brit, 2 Americans, 1 Guatemalan, 1 Romanian. A real 'bunch' if ever there was one.
Our first stop was Arco, Lake Garda, for a much needed champagne breakfast. One of many little bleached-white pebbled 'beaches' that surround the enormous lake. The sun was shining, the mountains looked hazy in the background, the water was crystal clear and the food was good.
There were even some little friends who joined in, although I have a small suspicion that they were there for the bread and not the good company...
Luckily, on the way there we overshot the turnoff and the TomTom took us a slightly more scenic route back to our meeting point, along the tiny little back roads through the vineyards, so when, tummies very full, we hit the road again after brunch, there was a very clear silence as everyone drifted off. I tried my very best to stay awake with Frank, the designated d, while we listened to the only 4 cd's we have here (there was no where to plug in an ipod... horror!).
We arrived in Venice in the afternoon, parked our vans in a ticket and boom free parking area (very un-south african!!) and headed off towards the train which would take us across to the island. And then... there we were!
Venice is exactly what you imagined it to be. Gondola's floating by, buildings look worn in the most picturesque of ways. There are people everywhere and pizza places on every corner. Cobbled stoned streets line the waterways and twist through the buildings and the water. Well. Although it is quite possible that if you fall in your skin would sizzle off, it is the most beautiful, milky, teal-y, turquoise.
After wandering around lost for a bit, we found our hotel and had a quick shower and change (By change I mean GLAMOURIZE) for the evenings festivities. You see, we were headed to a BALL!
Unfortunately, due to a military death and subsequent government mourning, the venue was changed (it was meant to be held at the Arsenale's Navy Club) to the Hilton Hotel. Not that I'm complaining! A lot of people were unable to make it so it was relatively empty when we arrived (late) so the story we're going with is that we hired out the 8th floor of the Hilton for Venice Carnival. Naturally.
There was a lovely spread of sea food snacky-things and then lasagne (HOORAY) for dinner, and, of course, limit-less prosecco, which we attacked with full force. (Much to the dismay of the extremely-late people that arrived later.)
However, there is only so much prosecco one can drink, so it was back over the Canale della Giudecca for us to find a bar of sorts with a variation of drinks (that didn't cost 8 Euro each).
I noticed a strange thing in our drunken wandering. Everywhere we went we saw this:
Did we miss a party? Are we a few blocks behind the parade? Why is no one throwing confetti at us? Do we not look fabulous enough? (We were a pretty fabulous looking bunch!)
After being chased out of a bar in San Marco square (most things close around 12) we found ourselves in the very conveniently located bar 'Ginger' across the tiny alleyway from our hotel. One summersault and some stairs to bed? Perfection. Plus the bar man kept giving us extra (free) drinks... although this could be due to his POSSIBLE uuuh, crush? on the Irishman. Possibly...
The next morning Frank and I (amongst the last to leave the party) woke up (well after breakfast) and somehow managed to piece ourselves together in a respectable-ish manner.
We then proceeded to eat our way across Venice in an attempt to 'cure' ourselves and see the sights. Only to wind up back in San Marco Square where we settled in to view the sights with a few bottles of rose.
(Turns out the reason things close so early at night is because people spend all day parading their costumes and are (not surprisingly) too tired to party.)
People mostly dress up in Venetian style costumes but there are the occasional crazies like the Joker and a Sylvester and Tweety I saw, but didn't snap.
After our wine was up we made our way back to the hotel to freshen up before heading off to dinner. Apparently, everyone else was also heading home and we got very lost (and very squashed from time to time). But eventually, with the help of our fellow South Africans, managed to find our way.
We then headed to dinner (conveniently around the corner from our hotel) at a lovely little restaurant where all (now) 18 of us sampled various seafood dishes and pizza's. I had the seafood risotto (trying to stick with the new rule of doing things that make us uncomfortable). After a few bottles of wine and a return to our bar-across-the-alleyway we very definitely summersaulted up to our beds.
Unfortunately for me, while the risotto was an excellent choice during dinner, I woke up saying, "Fish was a baaaaaad choice."
It was a pretty long car ride home but there was a stop at McDonalds when we crossed over into Austria. (This cured me, but left a few other passengers with the McRumbles, shame).
We had a brief stop off at a very strange airport out in the country side to drop off one passenger. A strange airport in a stranger area which I have dubbed 'Skaapstad.' (Due to said passengers concern that he would have to shoo sheep off the runway before they could take off).
Then, it was home.
12 passengers in 2 mini buses, non of us Germans, but all of us very happy to be Home. In Munich.
