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Published: June 18th 2017
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Starting the day in a hotel breakfast room can be both interesting and fun. We experienced both today. We were confronted by an array of interesting breakfast treats. We could have chocolate or plain rice bubble look-a-likes, a variety of pre-filled or plain croissants, cakes, yoghurt, bread roll and spreads, and fruit. We have seen apricots in the supermarket. Today we can try before we buy. We won’t buy. Nothing like our tree ripened apricots from Central Otago. If you were blindfolded you wouldn’t know what you were eating. Needless to say we left feeling full even if it wasn’t what we needed. The attendant was a delight. She tells us she talks to English speakers as often as she can to improve her English. She was so happy and interested in our trip. By now we’ll need a personal A380 for our return trip to bring all our new friends home with us. Won’t the Immigration Service be happy.
We have a few choices for today’s journey. Take the SS route and spend all day meandering the coast road and battle with the local population or pay an unknown amount of money and reach our destination by lunchtime. We
San Marino
St Quirinus Church and Convent of the Capuchin Fathers choose the autostrada. We’ll be able to give the car a good run, see the countryside from behind a safety barrier, won’t have someone suddenly pulling in to park in front of us and the wing mirrors should be safe. The speed limit says 130 kph and we want to be in San Marino for lunch so we take on the challenge and go.
Someone beside the driver gasps when the speed registers 144 kph. “Didn’t feel that fast”. We seem to be cruising along passing trucks at will, cars speeding past us at will. We are eating up the kilometres. After a brief stop for coffee and a stretch Jane says we’ll be in San Marino by 1:15 pm.
We visited San Marino six years ago just to add another country to the long list of countries we visited on that trip. Today we’ll stop awhile, sightsee and have some lunch. The drive up to this independent state has views over the surrounding countryside. We find an underground carpark away from the heat which no doubt will cost us megabucks. We’re touring and getting experiences so this will be another one. Tourists are swarming over this beautifully
presented little country but we find a very nice quiet restaurant. The tourist shops sell all the usual souvenirs but we also see shops selling a range of weaponry which includes knives, swords, bows, and all manner of imitation guns. An imitation army could be well equipped after a visit to this shop. Quite unexpected to find this outlet surrounded by tourist shops and eateries. Perhaps they haven’t heard of the terrorist threats outside their city walls.
Back at the car the only surprise is the tax free parking. Not nearly as bad as we thought. Will park there again. In the meantime the bus park was filling fast with buses arriving all the time. One bus was having trouble arriving. The driver found himself stuck fast front and rear trying to round a very sharp hairpin bend. This caused quite a build up of traffic. The impatient ones turned around quickly which left just us to cruise down to the scene of the problem, get around it quickly and on our way. At one roundabout about we realised we have not tried out the horn of our new car. What an impact! A little red Italian van came
San Marino
Anyone for some weaponry to a screeching halt in the middle of the round about. We carried on oblivious to the ruckus we had caused. The horn works a treat.
Our drive on to Bellaria Igea Marina was uneventful from then on and we arrived intact, on time, at destination. We have two nights at this seaside B&B so we can visit Ravenna and catch up on some unfinished business. A quick walk to the beach before dinner. What a sight. Row upon row of sun loungers, umbrellas, little tables, and young men busy raking the sand in preparation for the first sunbather tomorrow. A well earned cornetto went down a treat while watching these men carry out their evening ritual. Only to do it all over again tomorrow, and for the next three months or so. Tomorrow is another day.
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