To think I'm having after effects of visiting a haunted place? believers and non-believers please!

[user1464861179]

I know it sounds ridiculous but please bear with me.

About a month ago DH and I talked an Italian skipper into taking us to an abandoned island off the coast of Venice. There are huge legends, myths and stories about this island, tons of documentries and "scariest places of earth" type programs but the island is off limits to anyone and difficult to access unless of course you can talk someone into taking you there.

Island has a history of military stronghold, plague victim hospital, mass plague burial pits when the disease spread out of control and later it was a mental asylum where supposedly a mad doctor carried out experiments on patients and later threw himself off the (now) bricked up clock tower. The island is completely abandoned since the 50s and totally inhabited. When DH and I went, we were literally the only people on the island. The skipper refused to join us saying he'd pick us up in 3 hours and if we were not there, he'd be calling the police!!

Anyway - DH and I ran around this island for 3 hours, explored the old aslum, took loads of photos, visited the supposed burial grounds, DH climbed up the clock tower (well as far up as he could get since the place is falling down!) and I felt absolutely fine - not spooked out at all.

Only thing was that whilst DH was messing up the clock tower, I heard footsteps heading towards the hospital where we were through the overgrown bushes etc outside. I stood and waited for what I assumed to be other tourists and nobody came. When I've researched the island since, footsteps are supposedly one of the first signs of things starting to go wrong. Nothing else happened however.

Anyway we got back on the boat, has pasta and prosecco - felt fine. Got home, showed everyone the photos - felt fine.

4 weeks later I'm dreaming of this island, not nightmares as such but wierdly atmoshpheric dreams that make me feel really, really sad and depressed. I can't explain it. During the day at work my mind keeps switching to the island/hospital and I feel an overwhelming sadness and depression when I think about it.

I'm having wierd dreams that people are standing beside my bed watching me sleep.

I don't believe in ghosts. Well - I'm starting to wonder ...

AIBU to be putting so much energy into this? I'm actually shitting myself that I've done something really terrible.

Exactly as I said - op is not being haunted, except perhaps by her own mind.

I've been to Venice at least ten times in the last five years or so (have family in Mestre) and I have to tell you I've never seen an 'Italian skipper' lurking about waiting to be asked to indulge a tourist in some woo pishery! Plenty of gondoliers waiting to relieve you of your €100 for bugger all and any number of 'vu compra's wanting to sell you the latest Prada bag for a tenner but skippers with fuck all to do - nah. How much did you pay him? Bloody handy that you're fluent in Venetan - or Italian - which is it?
Sorry - sounds like a big old story to me!

I've just spent two hours reading all about the island and now I'm feeling all woo!

The word 'quarantine' apparently originated in Venice. Interesting.

I've seen that place on Ghost Adventures, which is my boys favourite programme. Even though they know it's all made up!

And that is all I can contribute to this thread.

I do think Venice gets under your skin - I've only been there a few times, but I've had many dreams about it, and quite often there's an association with death in the dream. It's just because it's very atmospheric and memorable though - all that water, and architecture, and history.

So no, OP, I don't think you're being haunted - figures standing by your bed is a classical symptom of sleep paralysis by the way - but you could take your dreams and write a good story if you wanted.

Last week, I was on a long walking route. We camped on this site that was situated across a road from a church with a bell tower. I have no idea how this was permitted, that but that fucking bell rang every hour on the hour from midnight and then every quarter of an hour from 7am.

Understandably, I dreamed of bells and bell-like sounds all night - glockenspiels, people playing wine glasses like bells, town criers ringing bells, cuckoo clocks ringing.

It's the power of suggestion, OP, no after effect at all.

I'm sure I'm an awful philistine but the Bridge of Tits always pops into my mind when I think of Venice.

OP, you have scared yourself silly. Stop thinking about the island and you'll be fine.

And yes, I don't think the drama to get there was necesary either. You can book tours there - your 'skipper' was probably just worried about getting caught taking you there without permisson rather than being terrified of the place.

expatinscotland - our church is the same - I love the sound of bells and feel oddly comforted if I wake in the night to them.

The tours are bloody expensive though apparently. Not sure how much you paid the skipper op.

OMG, that drove me batshit, Red, and I had earplugs in, taken a sleep aid and had a bellyful of wine. Dreadful. Then lorries started lumbering up the road at about 6. I gave up and just got up. Thankfully we were only staying there the one night.

expat that just reminded me of a night about year ago, my and DH getting ready for bed. It was a late night, around 2.00 a.m. but not sloshed . I suddenly heard peals of bells coming from far away, but not sounding quite right, maybe a bit tinny sounding. It lasted for about 10 minutes and I just couldn't work out why bells would be pealing out at that time, or actually why I could hear them as it not something I've noticed before.

I have heard the odd bell at weird times of night before but never for as long as that or so clearly.

Is that woo or a bell ringer with insomnia?

dailymaillazyjournos _ I never knew it was cursed - absolutely loved Lokrum though and the views from the tower were amazing

This island sounds like one in a book i read that i think was a real place but i'm almost certain was a greek island.

MrsSpectre I've read that one too! Can't remember the name of it though.

No i'm a believer too. I watch several videos on Youtube about ghost, whilst a lot of them look fake some don't.
Look at this youtubers videos, some I think are fake but a couple look rather real.

and this video is one of the best on youtube

Me either buddha i wouldnt mind reading it again as i remember it being very good, if quite sad.

I had the worst nightmares of my life after visiting an Iron Age burial chamber. Happened following 2 visits. Really horrible & lucid nightmares - DCs being marched off to death camps for e.g.

Oh, ffs, people!

Yeah, sure, a utube video is proof positive that ghosts exist!

I had my worst nightmare in this crap motel my family stayed in when I was about 14. It really looked like something out of a horror movie, which, as a teenager, was one of my favourite film genres at the time. I dreamed an axe murderer killing my entire family in front of me and then chasing me. I woke just as he closed in on me. Again, the mind is a powerful organ.

Dreams are just that, the mind trying to make sense of things and charge its batteries. Nothing more.

Yeah, sure, a utube video is proof positive that ghosts exist!

Exactly, nothing like this is ever fake or anything.

piss off non believers