Chapter 14
This was to be our last train and I for one was secretly very relieved.
This one would take us to Venice, which was terribly exciting in itself.
Except yet again, we would have no time to explore the place.
We had been so focussed on the actual journey that we had forgotten about the rest of it.
We had foolishly given ourselves no time to explore and see the different things each place had to offer.
We had just worried about catching trains.
I would come back perhaps next spring and spend a week or so in Venice or Paris, I decided.
Because the determination was growing in me that I would be braver; I would not allow my life to be confined to one small town and the same few streets and shops, not when the world was out there, waiting to be explored.
Maybe I would make the opportunity to talk to Jack about just that – the possibilities.
The best places to go. Was this a genuine reason to engage with him, or a pathetic excuse?
The train pulled out of Milan on time and made its way slowly past numerous unattractive apartment blocks and other railway tracks.
There was a skein of electric overhead cables, concrete pillars and towers.
And then as we left the outskirts of Milan the train picked up speed and whizzed at two hundred kilometres an hour past broad fields and under motorway bridges. We all snoozed for a while.
We stopped briefly at a couple of places including Verona, forever linked to Romeo and Juliet, and Padova, where it was raining.
Then we pressed on towards Venice, Santa Maria, arriving once more exactly on time.
It was just after five in the afternoon and the whole thing had been very impressive indeed.
‘One last push, girls,’ Anna said as we got our luggage down from the train.
I noticed she took hold of Harriet’s case without a thought and after a bit of toing and froing when Harriet insisted she was perfectly okay and not an invalid, we made our way out of the main doors and out into the late afternoon sunshine.
Beyond a shallow flight of broad stone steps, a staggering view of the Grand Canal met us, with glorious buildings soaring up into the blue sky which were like something out of a Renaissance painting.
There were boats of all sizes everywhere.
Some were vaporetti, water buses full of people; there was a police launch followed by a yellow water ambulance.
We stopped, awe-struck for a few moments, hardly able to believe what we were seeing.
‘Well, will you look at that,’ I said.
‘It’s almost a shock, isn’t it?’ Harriet agreed. ‘I just wish we had the time to look around instead of rushing off somewhere else.’
‘I have been thinking the same thing. Next time,’ I said, squeezing her arm.
‘Yes, next time,’ she agreed, and she smiled at me. ‘Perhaps next time I won’t be such a crocky old woman.’
‘You’re not,’ I said. ‘Perhaps you just needed a different type of holiday. One with more rest and relaxation. And maybe we should have included some time for ourselves rather than be dictated to by train timetables.’
‘A week in a spa like I suggested?’
‘That sort of thing. Anyway, we are here now, and very soon we will be on the boat and you won’t be trudging around anywhere other than to the bar, the restaurant and your cabin.’
‘Bliss,’ Harriet said. ‘Now then, all we need to do is find Evelyn. She said she would be here to meet us. I wonder how we are going to find her.’
We went down the steps towards the canal, loving the bustle of people and boats all around, not to mention the beautiful view down the Grand Canal, which unfolded in front of us.
Suddenly Harriet turned at the sound of a voice.
‘Cooee! Cooee!’
There at the edge of the canal was a very smart, glossy water taxi, like something out of a Hollywood film, and standing in the back was an elderly lady dressed in a striped sweater, dark trousers, huge film-star-worthy sunglasses and a large brimmed straw hat.
She was waving and smiling and after a second, Harriet hurried towards her and I followed.
‘Evelyn!’
‘Ahoy there, shipmates!’ Evelyn called back, ‘I’m your ride to the ship. Isn’t this lovely. I was just going to use the vaporetto, but a friend of mine insisted I use it. He said we should arrive in style.’
She wasn’t what I had expected at all, and Anna, who had been busy taking photographs and selfies on her mobile phone, turned with wide eyes.
‘Oh my goodness, is that Evelyn? And that boat is a Riva,’ she murmured. ‘It costs a fortune. Evelyn must know some impressive people.’
‘Didn’t I tell you? Evelyn knows everyone,’ Harriet called triumphantly over her shoulder as she hurried forwards. ‘She’s a force of nature.’
A couple of very dashing young crew members helped Harriet into the beautiful speedboat and she and Evelyn hugged, obviously delighted to see each other again.
Anna and I followed, standing on the quayside until the young people took our cases on board and then held out hands to help us, welcoming us and begging us to be careful.
‘Benvenuta a bordo. Per favore, prenditi cura di te, signora.’
People were watching us, taking pictures. We felt like film stars. It was wonderful.
Introductions over, we sat in the back of the boat on leather seats, enjoying the matchless views of the beautiful houses which lined the Grand Canal and moved at a slow, stately pace away from the quayside.
‘They are not allowed to go faster than five miles an hour,’ Evelyn said over the noise of the engine, ‘but I think that’s a bonus, don’t you?
It’s such a beautiful place. La Serenissima.
The Queen of the Adriatic. My husband Douglas and I came here many times.
We had friends in a district called San Marco for many years.
Marjorie and I have been enjoying a little holiday with their son Franco; he owns this boat.
People are so kind, aren’t they? Such fun. ’
Evelyn held on to her hat as we went a little faster, the blue silk ribbon around the crown flowing out behind her.
She was like a neat little doll in her jaunty nautical outfit, and she looked entranced at the scenery as we passed, even waving a couple of times to people walking along the quayside.
At last we slowed as our boat approached a new dockside and then, with the help of the crew, we got out again.
There was no problem with our cases this time, because the helpful crew members took charge of everything, even our unglamourous backpacks, and within minutes we were walking up the gangplank to board the Atalanta.
This time there were no people blowing whistles and urging us to hurry, no steps to clamber up, no need to stow our cases in metal luggage racks and find our numbered seats.
It almost felt as though we were safe again, we were coming home.
A few other people were on board already, leaning on the rail of the ship, watching us.
‘Well, I think you’ll like this,’ Evelyn said, taking off her sunglasses, ‘I’m very impressed so far. I heard from friends that this boat was worth a visit. They said it was big enough to be comfortable but small enough to be attentive.’
‘That sounds perfect,’ Harriet said, and she looked happier than she had for days.
‘I love it,’ Anna agreed. ‘What a marvellous idea this was.’
‘I can’t wait to see our cabins,’ I said.
Evelyn laughed. ‘I expect you want to unpack properly for the first time in ages. I don’t suppose you’ve had much of an opportunity to do that recently. I hate living out of a suitcase, don’t you? Never quite knowing where things are.’
We agreed we did.
We entered the boat near the front and were directed down an elegant, glossy wooden staircase and towards a small desk where an attractive young woman, name badge Gina, was waiting with some folders and a clipboard.
‘Benvenute signore – welcome, ladies. How lovely to see you. I hope your journey here was uneventful.’
Harriet was still chatting away with Evelyn and ignoring Gina’s attempts to catch her attention. Anna at my side cleared her throat and didn’t say anything.
‘Not entirely uneventful,’ I said, ‘but here we are, safe and sound and very much looking forward to being here.’
‘Wonderful, and what a beautiful day for you to be here. Now then…’
Gina had some forms for us to sign and cabin key cards to be given out, while up another staircase, we could see tantalising glimpses of some of the other guests on the top deck, drinking champagne, eating things on cocktail sticks and laughing.
To one side was a man standing with a woman I assumed was his wife.
He was gazing around looking very pleased with himself.
His view must have been glorious. My feelings of envy were happily tempered by the knowledge that very soon we would be joining them.
And then I remembered Jack and I wondered if he was up there too.
A funny little shiver went through me even though it was a warm evening.
At last Gina finished all her paperwork, having managed to actually prise Harriet away from Evelyn, and sort out a few queries about dining and breakfast from Anna.
I looked around again, hoping to see Jack, wondering if indeed he really would be on board. I couldn’t see him.
‘So what time are we leaving?’ I asked.
‘Six o clock. We will have a lovely view as we sail,’ Gina said.
‘We can’t sail down the Grand Canal of course, because the ship would get stuck under the bridges, but even from here, Venice is probably the most beautiful city on earth.
There will be a safety briefing in the dining room before dinner.
You must attend or the captain will be molto arrabbiato – cross. ’
A couple of handy-looking crew in smart white shirts and navy-blue trousers were standing by ready to help us with our luggage.
One was so muscular – name badge Ivan – that he looked as though he could have scooped us under one arm at the same time as our cases in order to spare us the trouble of walking to our cabins.
It was all marvellously enjoyable, not having to struggle anywhere or worry about finding the right platform or the right train.
By telling her that we needed to go to our cabins and get settled before we could join the welcome party on the top deck, we managed to drag Harriet away from Evelyn again.
Evelyn immediately went off to the party, waving her fingers at us, telling us she would find her friend Marjorie and promising to introduce us very soon.
‘Don’t forget the safety briefing or we will all have to have pasta arrabbiata. Isn’t that what Gina said?’ she called.
She was escorted up the stairs and back out into the late afternoon sunshine by a very distinguished-looking man in a wonderful white uniform.
‘Shades of Officer and a Gentleman,’ Anna murmured.
‘You’re not kidding,’ I said.
‘Do come on,’ Harriet said impatiently, ‘hurry up! I want to see my cabin. Before we have the safety briefing.’
‘We’ve been waiting for you!’ Anna spluttered.
‘Nonsense. I’ve just been catching up with Evelyn.
Do you know this is her fifth cruise this year?
She always seems to be on one boat or another.
She and Douglas travelled all the time with his work when he was alive, and she says there is no good reason to stop now.
A few years ago she took a cruise all the way to Sydney to visit her sister Wendy who lives out there. ’
Gina led us along a walkway around the outside of the boat and at last we found the doors to our cabins. There was a great deal of varnished wood and the scent of polish. The brass fittings were gleaming from recent buffing and everywhere looked wonderful.
With a sigh of relief, I reached my cabin and went in. I gave a sigh of pleasure; it was compact but gorgeous. That was the only way to describe it.
There was a reasonably sized double bed, fitted wardrobes and two nightstands with a drawer.
I tried to imagine what it would be like to share it with someone else.
With Fred for example. A man for whom the phrase ‘light packing’ didn’t exist. Who was capable of filling any space to the exclusion of anyone else.
I could imagine his dozens of shirts, sweaters and pairs of trousers crammed into the cupboards, and my stuff relegated to remaining in my suitcase under the bed.
Anyway, my case was already there on a stand waiting to be unpacked.
A glass door opened out from the room onto a balcony and a lovely view of the port in the dusky light.
There were two soft wool blankets neatly folded on the bed and a small but immaculate en suite bathroom to one side complete with fresh blue towels.
There was a blue cotton laundry bag to use so that our travel-stained clothes could be laundered and samples of various expensive toiletries and creams in the bathroom cabinet.
Now this really was the life. And at that moment despite the long-held dream I had held on to for so many years, this was looking a lot more fun than jumping on and off trains.