Today we switched our traveller's brains back on after a beautifully relaxing week in Tuscany. We were farewelled by Stefano at the train station and were on our way. We paid a little extra on our Eurail passes to travel first class, to be a bit more comfortable seeing as though
we are using trains so often. We were however, disappointed with our trip from Florence to Venice, with an un-air-conditioned coach! The weather is nice at about 23 today....but the humidity is not pretty!
Here is us on the local train before the high speed train from Florence.
Stepping out of the train station in Venice was something else. We were confronted with a sea of people (literally!) all scrambling to get on Vaporettos (Ferry's). We had pre-purchased our tickets but needed to validate them. We finally worked out we could do this at a ticket office and found a boat that could take us to St Marks Square, where our B&B is ideally located just off the main centre of the city. Being squished in to this boat like sardines is an under statement. We literally could not move and bodies were pressed together in the humidity and the water was choppy. I was counting down the minutes to get off the Vaporetto and breathe some fresh air!
Shannon, ever the map man, got us to our accommodation quickly through the throngs of tourists and cruise ships patrons who had stopped in Venice for the day. We were met by Fabio who gave us an excellent orientation of the island and we were on our way. How nice it was to take the back streets and alleyways and get lost among the canals and winding streets, where locals hang their washing out their windows and yell at each other via their windows four storeys up.
We walked all the way to the Eastern side of Venice and found beautiful gardens and a much slower pace. We sat under the trees with a much deserved cold beer and pinot grigio and watched the world go by. In the late afternoon, the cruise ship guests go back to their monstrous boats, so it was then we decided to head to St Marks Square and take in the sites. We were not disappointed. St Marks Square towers over everyone with it's beautiful gold facades glittering in the sun. The square is lined with shops, much to Shannon's delight haha, and restaurants that cost you a small fortune just to sit down. At around 6pm the orchestras start playing...yes...that's right..orchestras. Magnificent musicians who sit upon small stages in front of the outdoor dining tables and play such beautiful music. This is why you will pay a fortune to dine here. Part of your bill goes to paying for the delight of having the orchestra play in your ear, you also pay to sit in your seat and then prices for drinks and food are through the roof! You'll pay around 10 euro just for a cup of coffee.
So...we ate in another area...a lovely restaurant in a quiet street with great food and atmosphere. We had a nice stroll back around the main square and now it's time to sleep. Because tomorrow we meet our guide Fiona for a guided tour of Murano and Burano.
we are using trains so often. We were however, disappointed with our trip from Florence to Venice, with an un-air-conditioned coach! The weather is nice at about 23 today....but the humidity is not pretty!
Here is us on the local train before the high speed train from Florence.
Cruise ship Diva departing Venice
Stepping out of the train station in Venice was something else. We were confronted with a sea of people (literally!) all scrambling to get on Vaporettos (Ferry's). We had pre-purchased our tickets but needed to validate them. We finally worked out we could do this at a ticket office and found a boat that could take us to St Marks Square, where our B&B is ideally located just off the main centre of the city. Being squished in to this boat like sardines is an under statement. We literally could not move and bodies were pressed together in the humidity and the water was choppy. I was counting down the minutes to get off the Vaporetto and breathe some fresh air!
Shannon, ever the map man, got us to our accommodation quickly through the throngs of tourists and cruise ships patrons who had stopped in Venice for the day. We were met by Fabio who gave us an excellent orientation of the island and we were on our way. How nice it was to take the back streets and alleyways and get lost among the canals and winding streets, where locals hang their washing out their windows and yell at each other via their windows four storeys up.
We walked all the way to the Eastern side of Venice and found beautiful gardens and a much slower pace. We sat under the trees with a much deserved cold beer and pinot grigio and watched the world go by. In the late afternoon, the cruise ship guests go back to their monstrous boats, so it was then we decided to head to St Marks Square and take in the sites. We were not disappointed. St Marks Square towers over everyone with it's beautiful gold facades glittering in the sun. The square is lined with shops, much to Shannon's delight haha, and restaurants that cost you a small fortune just to sit down. At around 6pm the orchestras start playing...yes...that's right..orchestras. Magnificent musicians who sit upon small stages in front of the outdoor dining tables and play such beautiful music. This is why you will pay a fortune to dine here. Part of your bill goes to paying for the delight of having the orchestra play in your ear, you also pay to sit in your seat and then prices for drinks and food are through the roof! You'll pay around 10 euro just for a cup of coffee.So...we ate in another area...a lovely restaurant in a quiet street with great food and atmosphere. We had a nice stroll back around the main square and now it's time to sleep. Because tomorrow we meet our guide Fiona for a guided tour of Murano and Burano.
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