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Hungry, hungry, I am hungry. Table, table here I come. I could eat 3 bowls of goulash, 15 pickles and a purple plum.

Ruddy starving I am, but I won’t be eating until 15:47. 1 minute after my train gets into Verona.

I didn’t sleep very well last night so I was in a bit of a go slow mode this morning and I had a bit of stuff to sort out too. So consequently I didn’t leave until 13:25 and then when I got to the train station the next one was in a few minutes so no time for some nosebag.

I think I might have pizza for a change, ahem.

I did just that too and it was one of the finest I’d ever had. If you find yourself in Verona, drop by the Primavera Cafe. I knew it was a good sign that it shares it’s name with a particularly nice Vespa model (the one pictured below that I saw earlier actually). It means ‘Spring’ in Italian, as in the season.

Verona didn’t really do that much for me, it’s a nice enough looking place but it didn’t really warrant the trip. I had a look in the ampitheatre and I’m sure it makes a great atmospheric venue for the modern theatre productions it now hosts, but as a tourist there’s not really any reason to spend more than 5 or 10 minutes in the interior. The other thing I was going to have a look at was the famous Romeo and Juilet balcony but I didn’t know where’s it was, diddums. Can’t say I’m that fussed.

To be fair to the city, I may have missed other things worth seeing as I didn’t have a map so it was just a case of stumbling around.

When I get back to Venice I might go on one of the ferry boat things just for the experience. At €6.50 it’s a touch cheaper than the €100 or so for a gondala. It’s also a considerably easier way of getting about than on foot, the narrow Venezian streets together basically add up to one very large maze.

I’ve got my train ticket to Milan sorted for tomorrow morning as well as the hostel booked, all tickety boo.

‘Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon’ is the last Devendra Banhart album I had to get to grips with. I love it. Warm and rich songs full of inventiveness. Nice one Dev.

Actually, I can’t be bothered with the boating idea. It’s cold and I’ve still got one. I’m heading straight in for some hot pasta and a hot shower.

Christ, I don’t half get myself in some pickles train wise. I had to wait an hour for the one back to Venice so then when I did get on I forgot to stamp the card. The machines are really discreet and it’s not a natural thought to do it when you don’t do it at home or have not had to do it in the 24 countries or so prior (I need a recount soon, losing track). Still, I’m a numpty.

Anyway I didn’t realise this until the inspector came around with only 15 minutes or so to go when to the main Venice station. Rather than just say I forgot I thought the ignorant tourist number would be a better approach (as it was last time). This fella was a ball buster though and wasn’t budging even though he acknowledged that as I’m not going to be in Verona again anytime soon I’d have had nothing to gain by not stamping the ticket on purpose.

He wanted a €50 on the spot fine from me, I didn’t have it and even if I had I wouldn’t have give it him anyway. So then he was murmuring about a €2000 fine (good luck getting that one out of me matey!) and that I needed to produce ID or he would have to call the Police. I called his bluff and said he’d have to call the Police then, a bluff it was ‘n all.

PS No matter how famished I am, you wouldn’t get me anyway near a purple plum, or any shade of plum for that matter. I’d probably give the 15 pickles a miss too.