I woke up on Saturday morning on a train in Northern Italy. Getting my bearings as the train pulled into the station, I stepped out into the morning sunlight and was faced with this sight:
I hopped on a Vaporetto (the Venetian equivalent of a city bus - seen above), and cruised down the river towards my hostel.
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| Gorgeous morning |
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| Rialto Bridge |
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| Very waterfront living |
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| In search of my hostel |
I somehow managed to find my way to the least Hostel-y front door I've ever seen, and left my bag in the storage there. I then began my morning exploration walk:
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| The hostel - well marked! |
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| Venice's own leaning tower |
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| Gondola central |
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| St. Mark's Square (fortunately not flooded as I was there) |
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| The side of the Basilica |
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| Towards the water from St. Mark's Square |
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| Stalls and tourists on a gorgeous day |
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| The Bridge of Sighs |
Thanks to the Rick Steeves Italy book I borrowed from the hostel, I get to share the following story with you. To quote (along with the rest of the story): "The Doge’s Palace’s seventh column (the seventh from the water) tells a story of love, romance, and tragedy in its carved capital"
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| A woman on the balcony is wooed by her lover, who says, "Babe, I want you!" |
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| She responds, “Why, little ol’ me?” |
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| They get married |
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| Kiss |
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| Hit the sack—pretty racy for 14th-century art |
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| Nine months later, guess what? |
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| The baby takes its first steps |
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| And as was all too common in the 1300s... the child dies |
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| Grand Canal |
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| Typical sketchy alleyway |
Getting back to the hostel at 2:30, I talked to the girl at the desk for a while (her name escapes me) and a Harvard graduate named Austin. We made plans to meet up again later that evening and go barhopping in the university area. Until then, it was time for a little more sightseeing.
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| Leonardo Da Vinci interactive museum |
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| I went to the top of the Campanile for some views - Basilica from above |
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| 'Twas nice, that's for sure |
I had expected Venice to be extremely expensive everywhere you went. Restaurants proudly advertise 7 Euro cheese pizzas, which cost 3 euros in southern Germany. Groceries were expensive (they
do get hand-carted in from the water), and I was expecting a quiet, relaxed night without too much drinking.
We walked over to the square near the University...
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| Ruh Roh |
After sitting down at a bar for a while to watch the Russia - Greece match, we found a restaurant offering a beer and all-you-can-eat dinner for 4 euros. We gladly obliged, and mistakenly ordered another beer after dinner. The second beer also cost 4 euros. We left.
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| Simple but delicious all-you-can-eat |
We went to a much livelier bar, where we talked to Americans from all over America. Deep south, northwest, mid-east, I had never met such a variety in one place!
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| Me, some 'Merican, and Austin - along with the friendly bartender's dirty stash |
The night went on with multiple trips back to the one-Euro bar, and eventually ended up in an awful club somewhere. I somehow managed to find my way home, and was asleep by 3:30.
I woke up on Sunday to a breakfast of cookies, followed by pizza and coffee. I had a serious to-do list, so I was out of the hostel by 10:00 to complete my duties as a tourist.
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| First off - the Doge's Palace (no photos allowed inside, sorry) |
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| The Prisons |
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| Prisoner's last view from the bridge of sighs |
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| Doge's Palace |
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| Gondola riders - way out of my budget |
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| The Basilica on a fine day |
Thanks again to Rick Steeves, I brought a bag along with me. I went to check it, and was handed a ticket for immediate access to the Basilica - skipping the hour+ long line.
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| Inside the Basilica |
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| Altar |
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| Ancient bones in the treasury |
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| The detailed art on the walls and ceilings is all a mosaic! |
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| The balcony |
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| I had to. |
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| Big pictures in the Academia. Gorgeous Renaissance art |
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| Ambulance Boat - it was funny to see all the usual cars replaced by boats |
Feeling satisfied with another long day of heavy tourism, I snuck a shower at the hostel before grabbing my bag and starting the trek to the train station. I fully intended to get lost for an hour, so I left well before my train as the sun began to set.
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| Lost good and proper |
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| No clue where I was, but my internal compass prevailed |
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| The good ol' night train |
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| Racing another train out of Venice |
Another weekend, another adventure.
