It was quite a complicated journey from Cinque Terre to Venice as we had to change trains at La Specia, Pisa and Florence before we got to Venice. We rushed around a bit as well when we got to places where there are more than one station with nearly the same names.
We eventually arrived in the late afternoon to the city of lovers.
I have visited Venice before and it was and still is a magical place to me. A city built on water, surrounded by canals and small rivers. A city of music, lights, gondolas and fancy mask. A city so immersed in italian culture every building tells a different Italian story.
A girl can't help but be swept along by this romantic atmosphere and fall in love with Venezia.
Thinking back I prefer my first visit because there are too many tourist in summer. Last time I visited so many years ago it was spring time, still slightly chilled and wet the Venice then for me had more charm than what we were confronted with as we stepped out of the train station.
There were people everywhere. Crowds rushed into and out of the train stations, to and from the water buses.
Being on the waterbus again and seeing the sights triggered some memory from the last time I visited. The movement of the boat, the smell of the canals and all the beautiful buildings built right up to the water, these were still the same as the Venice of 10 years ago.
We did not know how to find our way to our hostel so we approached an Information Centre just outside the station.
It must be the most unhelpful centre we have visited so far. All the information they could tell us was which waterbus station to disembark, when I enquirer about travel cards or special tourist cards, only vague answers were given.
Even the maps cost two euros! Maybe there are just too many tourist? If they give a map to each one they may just go bankrupt!
We finally got the lady to clarify for us how to purchase a special youth travel ticket that applies for young people 18-29 years old. This had to be brought at the boat ticket stations.
A good deal is the rolling card also available for youths that cost an extra 4 euros which gains special ticket prices for some of the museums, shops and restaurant.
Us at the waterbus stop.
Here are some photos as we cruised along down the Grand Canal on no. 1 waterbus.
We got to the Piazza San Toma and with some assistance from the locals, we were directed to the sister hotel to check in.
To our dismay the man at the reception informs us that the hostel we had booked was now shut down. As they were a large chain of hostels and hotels, we were relocated to another hostel on Giudecca at a special rate.
Giudecca is one of the largest side island of Venice, therefore we picked up our backpacks again and headed for the waterbus.
The day was hot and humid, it was nice on the boats, but as soon as we disembarked the heat swelled up again. Definitely I prefer the cooler Venice.
Venice is a city one can easily get lost in, there are so many winding paths, little rivers crisscrossing the city and impassable walkways that we had to be careful in case of getting completely lost with the backpack still on our backs.
This is the moment I think the Venetians needs to be praised most highly, they know their city and they know tourists, we have been approaches and offered directions without even needing to ask. The Venetians are very nice to us tourists.
Finally we got to our accommodations, turns our it is a University Residence. With the help of a fellow hostel person we met on the road we even got the code to the gate before we spoke with the reception.
The hostel only offers two people rooms so I was given a room to myself that another person will stay in on the 4th. A good deal right?!
When we got to the rooms we got a pleasant surprise, it was in fact a two story flat, bathroom and small study area downstairs, beds upstairs.
It was a massive room for two people and being on my own I felt especially grateful. However the rooms are quite stuffy upstairs, even opening the windows did not cool the upstairs much.
In the thermometer my room was reading 28oC. The boys room was 30oC! I was lucky to have the corner room which meant I had better access to the air circulating from the side openings.
There is always a downside to everything right? Again we were faced with no Internet, this time not even a kitchen or refrigerator and no air conditioning. I am again behind on my blog. I do apologize to my dear readers!
Time flies when one is finding the heads and tail of Venice for the first time, by the time we settled it was near dinnertime, there was no point to go visit the sights as everything would be closing soon. Instead we got suggestions from the man at the reception on a place for dinner.
He recommended the hang out place of university students, this guarantees good and affordable food.
Outside our hostel.
This Goldie was outside cooling from the heat and judging by the ball a game of fetch? Reminds me of my dear Edison at home...
We Travelled to the main island for dinner to Campo Santa Margherita.
The sun setting on Venice.
This is a shopping delivery, we talked to a local lady waiting on her grocery and she says it is difficult to buy grocery in Venice, the nearest market is in Rialto and takes her two hours to get there. It is a big trip considering all the bridges and stairs she has to cross. It is easier for her to order her grocery by phone and they deliver by boat from the mainland.
Look, directions to Michael Parekowhai's exhibition for the Venice Biennale!
A comparative photo of Venice and The Venetian! I think I prefer the real Venice!
Finally we arrived at the Campo and we found some Pricy restaurants and some more affordable. The place we had dinner was a bar and restaurant.
The owners were very hospitable, you can see that it was a family business. They recommended and pointed out different food from the counter just behind us. I think the owners saw us as poor traveling students because he offered us tasters and a free tiramisu.
This was our main.
I had this black one which is in fact octopus from the lagoons of Venice. It was cooked until quite soft and served with the yellow corn bread you see on the plate. It was quite lovely.
The owners saw us taking pictures and joked around and told us to also take photo of this beef entree they prepared for another table!
At the end of dinner they also offered us free tasters of their tiramisu. I was astonished at their hospitality. They know how to entice visitors to come again!
I like the way the Italians eat, much like the French, there is no rush, one course at a time with plenty of chatting. The social part of dinner is as important as the food itself. This is much the same in Chinese dining as well, that is why we have such large tables.
Night photo as we cross the bridge to the waterbus stop to take us back to Giudecca.
Gelatos!
The exterior of our hostel, my room is right at the end of the row of rooms on the right of the photo.
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Location:Via Orlanda,Venice,Italy
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