*Wow* Venice *Wow*

I'm in a photographer's paradise so its probably just as well I don't have a proper SLR camera with a range of lenses on me. As it was I used up the batteries on two camera's and my phone and this was just day 1. The trouble is, it is also a painter's paradise and I even had a go at doing a 'Plein air' painting but I'm out of practice and it turned out crap. However 'one day' I will do some paintings of some of these photos. At least that's the plan.
It's very very hot and it was quite funny seeing some of the state's of unprepared tourists. Guys in jeans looking like drowned beetroots or overdressed women in those impractical pumps looking utterly miserable or Asian women literally covered head to toe and with parasols as if they will perish if sunlight touches them.
Lots of young couples kissing under bridges and mad mad water traffic everywhere.
I'm staying in a budget BnB in Mestre which is a bus ride away from Venice on the mainland. It took me an hour and a half yesterday to figure out how to get my three day transport ticket and which bus to take. Its very confusing and unlike Denmark most people either don't or won't speak English. However I got a nice coffee in amidst this (stopping to figure out if I could figure out it all) and did eventually get both the right ticket and the right bus and got to Venice by 10am.

I also decided to skip most of the 'sights' and took a water taxi to the far end of the island then wandered the backstreets. I came across some of the sights by accident along the way and enjoyed every minute of it. I stopped to buy a little Murano glass photo frame, a coffee, a gelato, a couple of slices of pizza, a tea, some soda water, and a cute little marbled paper and leather miniature book.

Selfie on the Rialto Bridge

Rialto Bridge from the water

Another selfie from the waster front

Bridge of sighs

Very yummy pizza eaten while sitting on the waterfront. I was very hungry!

View from water taxi on my way back to Mestre at the end of the day

Somewhere in the backstreets

Friendly fella in a shop

Mmmm Gelato!

View from Rialto Bridge - other side

Backstreet cafe scene

Banksy in Venice?

St Marks Square early evening

St Marks Square. Some rally going on.

Robots life here 😅

Summer time and the livin is easy...

Just before I start with new travel pics, I thought I'd post some local ones. It's been hot and summery here in Horsens and today is the longest day of the year. We have only 6 and a half hours of night which means we sleep with the door wide open, ear plugs in, and eye masks on.  If not, we find ourselves waking to daylight and the chorus of birds singing (loudly) at 4.30 in the morning!

My day's consist of working hard all day on the computer and then, if I'm lucky, taking a break on the bike or to town for a coffee. As I've mentioned, Denmark (and Sweden as we noticed in Malmo) really have their act together when it comes to Bike friendliness. Here is a video showing how easy it is to cruise on a warm summer's evening.

And a few pictures of a summer's afternoon in Horsens...

Pretty flowers. They smell nice too.

Magazines don't change....poor Mary 'Stikker Af' (Escapes!)

A weak moment had me biting into this....caramel almonds on top, cream and  almond cake in the middle, and chocolate dipped. OMG!

Summertime and the living is easy....

Bazza on the bike lane on the way to town...

4.30 in the afternoon, as most people finish work around 4, many of these people would be after work workers enjoying a summer appertif...

Crossfit in Danishland

On a Monday, a Wednesday, and a Friday, the student gym runs a cross-fit class. The two trainers are volunteer students and are very good at the job!
Its a great atmosphere of positive energy with everyone encouraging everyone and seemingly happy enough for an old gal like me to take part.
We don't go every time and have taken a few longish breaks throughout the semester while travelling but overall I think I can now do a few more burpees than I could at the start of the semester.
Since Barry took up karate, he hasn't been as often, though ironically the last time he went was the day before he had his surprise grading so it was little wonder he almost did himself in! Ha ha.
Below are a couple of photos they took at the last class. We will finish up for the year so hopefully I've gained enough fitness to keep up with my brother-in-law Jeremy when we go hiking and biking the Dolomites of Italy later this month!

Karate in Silkeborg

Barry joined a local Karate club a few weeks back and the club have six monthly gradings. It so happened that last weekend there was a grading going on in a town around 50km away. Barry was going along to watch proceedings and I decided to go along so I could see the town.
So Silkeborg, like Horsens, and like all towns in Denmark, has a 'centrum' area which is a pedestrian town centre that usually features a steepled church and fountain of some sort, and network of pedestrian streets around it. It's quite lovely. On a Saturday morning all the shops and some food trucks set up stalls and there are quite often some kind of band playing, or street entertainment or promotional activity going on.
I think that this concept would be great in NZ. I could imagine the Main street in Upper Hutt as a cobbled stoned pedestrian street full of cafes and boutique shops.
So anyway, when I went back to the dojo at around 1.30 to meet up again, I found a sweaty shattered Barry. It turned out they asked him to grade too so there he was, back in his gi and pumping out the punches, kicks and push-ups to the best of his non-prepared ability.

Silkeborg is well known for its crystal clear lakes. It reminded me a bit of Taupo

Every town has its own coat of arms

Mandatory steepled church

Town centre. There was a concert going on.

Mandatory fountain

People enjoying the sun

The manhole covers also feature the coat of arms

Very exhausted but pleased with their efforts.