2011 Page 3

Venice Biennale & Return

View 2011 Eastern Europe in a larger map with points of interest index

After a short transit of Slovenia, we arrived in Venice for the Biennale, a major art exhibition that occurs every 2 years.

Previously we have stayed both at Camping Fusina in Mestre & at Camping Miramare on Punta Sabbioni - both good alternatives, both requiring a somewhat lengthy boat journey into Venice. This time we tried another alternative - the dedicated motorhome spaces in the Tronchetto parking (which you can't miss - just drive down the causeway to Venice & follow the signs - there is nowhere else to go, since you can't drive in Venice itself ). This is now our preferred location - we had a spot right on the water & an easy walk into Venice, which is a walking town anyway. Cost is quite bit more than a camping at a little over 32 Euros a day, but the location is worth it. Not much in the way of facilities, but there are electric & water points in the westernmost section. You may have to find someone to turn the power on, though.

Here's a map with white motorhome icons showing our preferred locations for parking the camper (the one with the red flag is the Tronchetto, where we stayed this time - we have stayed at the other two locations in the past):

View Venezia "Camping" in a larger map

First evening we strolled into Venice & had supper in a small piazza. Next day we visited the Giardini section of the Biennale, followed by a number of the exhibits scattered through the city.

Note: The Biennale has 3 exhibition areas :

1) The Giardini - literally a park-like setting with a main exhibit hall and a couple dozen or so pavilions - each one different and each one representing a different country

2) The Arsenale - a section of Venice's vast fortification edifice - huge rooms, probably 10 metres high, follow one after the other - perfect for large installations. Again, some of the space is country-specific, some curated by the curator of the Biennale.

3) Several dozen spaces are spread throughout the city - most representing specific countries. Apart from the art, these presentations have the added dimension of taking the visitor into various Venetian buildings that he or she may not otherwise see.

In the evening we dined on Venetian style squid (in its own ink) overlooking the Grande Canal...

... followed the next day by a tour of the Arsenale segment of the Biennale & a further selection of the off-site exhibits.

Leaving Venice, we headed towards Trento, where we had an enjoyable walk through the city...

... followed by a drive through the SudTirol Weinstrasse, camping & dining just south of Bolzano at Kaltern (this region of Italy is primarily German-speaking). We even did a bit of a hike on a wanderweg through the grapevines.

Following our stop at Kaltern we took a leisurely drive in the Tyrol, climbing up & down the peaks, crossing the Brenner Pass, traversing Austria to stay in a Stellplatz in southern Bavaria... .

..before heading to Augsburg, where we strolled the town, ate well & toured the Fuggerei - the oldest social housing complex in the world, founded in 1521.

Continuing on from Augsburg, we stopped in for a beer in a kloster town,

then we stayed overnight in Memmingen...

then visited a couple of castles: Lichtenstein...

... and Hohenzollern...

...then toured through the Black Forest to Colmar...

before heading to the Alsace wein route village of Turckheim, where we happened upon their 39th annual weinfest - they sell tickets to the village (easy since Turckheim still has medieval walls & towers intact) & give you a 12 cl glass that you take with you to various kiosks to sample the region's excellent wines.

Next morning, looking at the map, we had a hankering for a bit of Paris, so made an unplanned decision to do the mere 5 hour drive - we arrived to find the camping in the Bois du Boulogne full, so we had to freecamp the first night in the park, after reserving a space (overlooking barges on the Seine) for the following 3 nights...visited the Pompidou, but long lines kept us away from the Musee d'Orsay...