The travel notes are back after a lull. :)
After the pleasant side trip to Siena, we went to world-famous Venice.
- From Florence, we took the train to Venice. At that point, traveling almost non-stop via train was taking its toll. Why? My wife and I were tugging around two big pieces of luggage and not all train stations had access ramps. Imagine me lifting a 25kg bag on a flight of stairs... going up!
- There was a point in the traveling where I thought our bags were stolen. I panicked a bit and alerted the train security. Things ended well though when I realized I was in the wrong train car. (Doh!) I had my bags, but I definitely lost some face there.
- One important thing: There are two "Venice" train stations-- one in the main island and one in the mainland. Check your tickets to verify which train station you are leaving. We got our train stations mixed up, bu we were able to recover from our error.
- Venice is one of the very few cities in Europe where the tourist office charges for a map. If you can score a map for free, go for it.
- Speaking of maps, you definitely need it because Venice is a freakin' labyrinth! The canals of Venice make the city a virtual maze because roads have to be made narrow and short. Claustrophobics will not appreciate the innards of the city because a lot of buildings are too close to each other.
- The gondolas are nice to look at but I didn't see the value of riding them to go around the city. Most of the nice attractions in the city are walking distance to each other: St. Mark's Square, St. Mark's Basilica, the Palazzo Ducale and the Rialto.
- The best way to travel in my opinion is the vaporetto or the water bus.
- My Murano island experience wasn't as good as I expected and it was probably the biggest letdown of the trip.
- The most frustrating part about Venice: getting lost in the city.
- The best part about Venice: St. Mark's Square in the evening. It's simply magical when the stars are out and the music in the air. :)
Tags: Venice, Italy
