Subduing Stress in Venice

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Geo: 45.4345, 12.3384

We find ourselves in beautiful Venice, trying to focus on today, and not the stressful decisions of the next few days. More on that in a minute. Having left our cruise behind, we were on our own here for a night before our flight to Paris. Our accommodation here turned out to be pretty special and unique. It was a further 20 minute walk from the check in reception. We left our packs, and took just day/night bags on a hike through Venice in search of our room. Over several bridges, canals and winding streets we eventually came to a multistory dwelling down a side street. Three keys got us through the entry, up stairs and a gate to our small Venetian room, with a beautiful window view of the canals below.
We spend the day exploring the city again, finding a tasty garlic chili and basil pasta at a small local restaurant. After a small afternoon siesta, we headed out to find St Marks Square in the dark, grabbing a pizza along the way. Such a pretty city, allowing us to shrug off the stress of our circumstances from time to time.
We have a lot to think about. Its the final few days of our adventure plans and we need to decide what to do next. We are in the final quarter of our allocated budget. The collapse of the Australian Dollar hasn't helped us there. Its time to think about working, and how and when to get back to Australia. Its crunch time, and no wifi for the last 10 nights hasn't helped us. We have time, but our only restraint now is funding. Money. Unfortunately its important. Were going to need it over the next few years, and were going to have to work to get it. Considering that, we've been exploring when how and where. Initially, when we landed in London, working in the UK seemed a pleasant option. Our wallets were full, we were full of excitement, energy and options. We had a great time there, but with every passing adventure and destination, our love for the UK dwindled. Wed love to stay a while in Norway working, or Stockholm, or Holland or Germany, but Nat only has a UK visa, and even with my EU passport, alot of better jobs around Europe have residency requirements. Considering salaries, we aren't high rollers back in Australia, but compared to the UK and a lot of Europe, our salaries are better in Australia. Even comparatively, considering the cost of living. Some EU countries offer better salaries, but getting jobs there would be extremely hard and not possible for Nat.
Further, we are returning to Australia, whether it be in 1 month, or 12 months. If were going to look for work, whats the point doing so in the UK? The pay is less. Its temporary. We need to rent/ pay for accommodation (dead money), and we have debts to pay and money to save for the future (Brazil 2014, settling down thereafter, returning to mortgage payments etc).
Jobs in the UK dont seem easy to come by, and we could spend alot of time and money looking for work, before and if we even find anything. A month looking for work now, could cost us thousands, with low earning potential, whereas returning home, to a guaranteed job, at least for one of us immediately (pending Nats re-employment), gets us accommodation, quicker and higher income and cash flow, moving forward.
So with these thoughts, an opportunity has presented itself. A grand end to all this, a fittingly epic conclusion to our adventure. No, not killing spree and bank robbery, but a cruise back to Australia. The cost, cheap, last minute, just over the price of a 24 hour flight home. Instead, we would get several weeks. Accommodation, transport, food, entertainment, all inclusive. 10 extra countries; South East Europe, Egypt, Oman, India, Indonesia and more. We would arrive back in Fremantle. No international flight required. It pushes us to the limits of our budget, maybe a fraction over. Favorable tax returns would more than rectify this. It gives us a grand experience, a perfect end to our trip, a once off chance to use so much time. It would push our trip over six full months. Our travel insurance would expire the day the ship arrives in Australian waters. It also gives us days at sea, to relax before returning to work. Were beat. Exhausted, sleep bereft, wounded, out of shape and even a bit homesick. Something to think about. First, a trip to Paris.

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