The prettiest shopping centre on the planet

Perhaps we have been travelling too long, perhaps we have just seen to many beautiful cities, splendid churches and fantastic art, but Venice really did feel like a shopping centre installed in one of the most prettiest locations possible.

St Marks square and chruch being the exception, and, to be honest, once you got to some areas on the outskirts, or went down the end of the long, dead end, alley ways things became more real.

Still, view after view of beuatiful canals, bridges and houses. The arhced windows and the window boxes dripping flowers into the water... really very magical. Because our camp site is directly across the water we were able to catch a boat to Venice, which is of course the right way to arrive. The city appeared through the misty morning, with the domes of the various chruches reaching out through the clouds.

The shops that really got the attention were the glass shops. They sell glass everywhere, including most of the street merchants, but the specialist galss shops with the multi-coloured chandeliers were a real treat to spend time in. If you had money to burn you could really get carried away. The drinking glasses set, all bent and twisted with different colours dripping down their sides.

Today we head East, only two weeks to go now, we are trying to plot the most efficient routes now. Thinking we will get to Bilbao and then catch a ferry from there to Portsmouth. Not sure where to stop between Barcelona and Bilbao so any suggestions would be appreciated.