-The Marano Lagoon, Italy-
It was already a hot summer morning as we left for the port of Lignano wearing my only brown dress I took to Italy, the unmistakable sunglasses and of course my camera. As soon as I jumped out of the Jeep, I got on the motor-boat, called Europa to be able to have a good look before we set off. Finally I got a good spot on the deck where I could take pictures of the seagulls keeping guard on the signal posts. Just like travelling by car, Trieste on the right and Venice on the left or the other way around, I can`t remember, but I smiled looking at the yellow signposts as we got more and more deeply in the Lagoon. Some of my fellow passengers got some bread out of their bags and started to feed the seagulls to be able to take some good photos. Impossible models, I thought as they just kept picking up the bread pieces from the water creating an ever-moving veil after the boat as they followed us.
We finally docked and the broad shouldered beer-bellied captain with a sign saying 11.30 in Italian, English, German and French chanted the departure time. Following my follow passengers as if they knew the way already behind the concrete house and the fig tree the treasure hunt started. Everybody else seemed a lot more prepared than I was and got their plastic bags out to spend the rest of the time doubled up in the water until 11.15 when we had to head back. The shore was full off shells and people as if treasure hunters would have occupied the prays of the waves washing the shore for hundreds of years. I got the top of my dress out of my neck and as if I have left the house in a swimming top and a skirt, I started to collect the shells in the drapes of my dress around my waist. I picked up some black Shell shaped ones and soon after that I went off to explore the island. Only myself and a couple got away from the doubled up crowd on the shore to take away some of the islands miraculous beauty the shell-collectors may never ever see.
First of all I visited the tree trunk sculpture’s exhibition. The great artist of nature, the wind specialised in animal shapes. There were a lot of them on the island: great bustard, orc, crocodile and several dinosaurs. After that I walked along the blackberry path, where the shells only get as a distant memory of their very own crumbling houses. I thought this place could be called the `Island of Lost Berries` as well. As I walked further beautiful scenery opened up in front of my eyes: trees pushed over and undressed by the wind, dried under the sun as if to cover with lace the blue sky. And finally through the trees leaning over each other with a distant memory of an English garden gate I got back to the concrete house and set down under the fig tree. The others were still collecting shells. The handles on their plastic bags started to break, but their aching backs were still doubled up in case they find a bigger, a nicer and a shiner one. The stone and the sunshine through the fig tree soaked me in its cool freshness.
On the way back home while I was enjoying the French fries we all got from the captain, I Iooked through the pictures I took: the bench and the table with the pot of basil on the shore, the medusa still floated on the waves with the crab and the sea pompom, which I don’t even know what is called. The seagulls took a last look on the boat from the sign poles, but they haven’t followed us no more, the bread run out, and we were far too tired for taking photos, only the kids were throwing the shells back to the water.
I recommend it to everybody to take a trip to the Island of Shells with the Europa. The treasures sooner or later get back to the sea, but the blackberry path and tree trunk sculpture’s exhibition will always stay with me. The fishnets on the shore, the fishing poles, the elegant swaying of the swans on the water are all included in the ticket and it only takes a little effort to explore them.
Siraly Tourist Service of Lignano Sabbiadoro http://www.siraly.it/homepagelignano_eng.html
Today Szilvi came to visit. We talked as we did years ago on the balcony under the walnut tree. Now we are both overqualified to get jobs here, but haven`t got capital to start our own things either and we both have many unanswered question about life. Putting so much energy into studying we both believed in and wanted so much. I have worked on the thesis today, even though I had more bad news about the near future. It has been so stressful lately I finally stopped worrying about it all.
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