Venice 16 & Nearly Arrested
Yes you read it right……..
Here we were on a 4 week European Extravaganza 16 years old with Lady Estelle naughtier than I’ve ever been.
After travelling from Florence to Venice in a coach with another 35 or so tourists.
Pulling up to beautifully maintained grounds then entering a palatial hotel foyer, we were thrilled & eger to receive our keys & room allocation as we were going on a Venice by night tour.
We ventured upstairs & to Lady Estelle’s delight there is a beautiful spread of Antipasto and Prosecco to which mum tells all “This is a Venetian tradition Aperitivo “ so the hungry hoards of tourists tuck in with Lady Estelle telling me eat up then we don’t have to waste time eating later. Just as the last of the buffet was picked over there was a wave of energy in the lobby area of hotel, staff rushing around & coming upstairs , Well at the time I didn’t know much Italian but I learnt some swear words that night with the dramatic arms we knew something was wrong…..
Downstairs was the Bride , Groom & the immediate family of about 50 !! And yes the Aperitivo was for them before the reception.
Our tour guide grabbed mum & asked What the hell were you thinking, Lady Estelle with a half bottle of sparkling in her hand told Siegfried her reasoning so with countless photos of the happy couple on our Kodak camera the wedding party was stalled so replenishment of antipasto was achieved.
Our night tour was conducted with the minimalist of enthusiasm from Siegfried & telling us that we must pay around $200 USD to make up for the groups mistake.
Morning arrives with a early departure to see Venice in all her glory , Lady Estelle who loves the microphone gets up admits her mistake & asks all to chip in to pay for the Antipasto & Wine which slowly happens until Siegfried tells mum it’s now around $400 USD., & that most of the tour were classless Australians & New Zealanders well Hell broke loose, people screaming about being scammed, others yelling that Siegfried was going to pocket some of the money, others saying they only had 1 breadstick !!!!
With that mum & another tourist throw in the balance, well the shouting continued until Siegfried announced as getting off coach that he was leaving the tour and he & bus driver walked off.!!!
WHAT TO DO
Lady Estelle thinking she was well traveled & Roger the kiwi a coach driver decide it would be a great idea to commandeer the coach & continue our tour.
About 1 km down the road sirens & the police we are pulled over.
Lady Estelle tries to explain while the bus driver arrives in another car with hotel manager, more yelling, more arm waving more screaming takes place. The head police officer says in his best English that we were all going to be arrested & jail was on the cards , that’s when Lady Estelle launches into that my daughter can’t go to jail while I hid down in my seat.
So after much screaming, explaining & more cash exchanged our bus driver boards the bus & we end up in Venice with about 2 hours to look around……
so a whirlwind time in beautiful Venice was all I got to see……
Since then I’ve travelled to Venice & had a incredible time & a few days to enjoy her beauty.
So tip for travels ask before you eat & don’t let your mother steal a bus !!
Look at my tips page for some great ideas to help you enjoy your next time in Venice