Friday, 9/12 Riding our Bike to Sottomarina - 41km

Wow! An early wake up at Stefano, and Germana"s house. I say goodbye to Stefano since he has to go to work, and we will be gone when he is back. They are both planning to drive up to Tuscuny with their bikes for the weekend, so everyone is busy with their trip. I pull out the two pieces of luggage to assemble the pieces. I work in the front yard, under a pine tree on another hot day. We are told, by Sunday, summer will end as the weather is expected to change...
As I assemble the bike I confirm that all the parts are undamaged. All looks fine, until I install the rear wheel and notice that the rear derailieur is in a funny angle. It is the only part that took a beating during the flight. After scratching my chin, I decide to check on the gear changes, and carefully bend it back to its proper position. I pray nothing breaks, and it does not. At least for now. I will have to watch it for the first few days. The bike is tested with Germana on the back. "For the experience", she says. It was a first for her, and she was a bit nervous, especially since the seat was too high for her. We say our final goodbyes (until we meet again to put bike back in boxes, and to go back home).

Leaving Mestre to find the causeway to Venice started off by doing a few extra km, but finally we were on it. We rode to the ferry landing, and on to Lido. From Lido we rode along the coast in a southerly direction. It is flat, the weather is pleasant, the drivers are nice, and we see locals cycling everywhere. Two more ferries to take - two car ferries, and one passenger ferry. While on the last ferry we noticed a black clowd to the west. "An afternoon thunderstorm", we thought.
We got of the ferry at Chioggia. A pleasant town with a few canals, and a nice promenade with coffee shops, resaurant, and stores. Then the rain came. We sat under a building on the promenade with everyone else on bikes, on foot, or on vespas. After an hour the rain stopped, and we rode out to the nearby town of Sottomarina. We found the campground recommended in the book, set our tent, and ate dinner. Then the rains came again. This time with strong winds, and thunderstorms with lightning. This went on all night. We put our rain gear on while in the tent, since we had a few leaks. Most came through the zippers on door, and window. The water ran down to accummulate at our feet. We used our towels to soak the water, put in a pot, and pour out a partially opened window. During heavy squalls, this had to be done continuously! We were saving a sinking boat! Then a lull came, and we got some sleep...