It seems to me that the universe did not want us, or in particular me, to go to Venice. From Cancer to Pandemic. From attacking Seagulls to last minute cancellations. From banning cruise ships to the latest, strikes by Italian Air Traffic Control. Every attempt we made to go was thwarted by something. It was fairly clear cut that I should do everything to avoid the place. Having now got here I’m bracing myself for the consequences. If they suddenly announce a comet is heading straight for the ea

The day started early for me and I left the room about 4am and made my way to Saint Marks Square to see what it looked like at night. Venice is eerily quiet in the small hours due to the lack of roads and therefore the constant road noise of cars. There were surprisingly few people about which again felt a bit odd for a city or even town. Normally you’d see a few late night or early morning drunks wandering around but the closest I saw was 2 police officers who seemed to be passing the time taki