The train was so late arriving at the Italian border that they refused to let it continue. Who the hell are they to criticise? We all had to pile off the train and wait for a connecting train to Venice. What arrived was a standard commuter train, which was full before we all got on it. This confused me as, according to my diary, it was a Saturday.

As-per-usual, all the Italians were immaculate, and they were very unimpressed by all us scruffy inter-railers. It was all right for them, as they hadn't just spent the night in the corridor of a grotty Yugoslavian train. Mind you, knowing the Italians, they would still look pristine. Some pratt in an army uniform was obviously taking the mickey, much to the amusement of some of the Italians. We did the same to him in English, being careful to avoid any of the words that the Greeks had recognised, as they may well do as well. It was all very childish, especially since the army guy didn't know when to stop and you could tell that many of the Italians started to get bored.

I tried to change the Greek currency, but I was stuck with a 1000 drachma note, which are apparently out of circulation now. Greek bastards.

The girls knew of a campsite which was a short bus-boat ride away from Venice and where you could just spread out your sleeping bag on the ground without the need for a tent. That sounded like a good idea to me. Got off the boat to discover a road and cars!?

After a reasonable night's sleep and an ice cold shower - you had to put money in to get hot water - I got the bus-boat back to Venice to check out everything that I had missed last time. Venice is another place where my natural sense of direction would come in handy if I had one. I got hopelessly lost on the way to the station, but who cares, I had plenty of time and it was great to wander round.

I used the last of my lira to buy an ice cream. If I had to pick the Italians two biggest strengths, it would be their dress-sense (obviously) and their ability to make ice cream. It’s another example of where foreign imitations can never come close to the genuine thing, it being their invention and all. I just wish I'd discovered it sooner!