Friday, October 1, 2010
Venice here I come
It's time for my first vacation in Europe and I decided for my four day weekend I would head down to Venice, Italy. I left early Saturday morning to the airport in Prague. I met a nice couple from America who were retired teachers from Chico, California. As we boarded the flight, the flight attendant asked me if I spoke English. She then asked me if I would like to sit in the emergency exit row with more leg room and so I agreed. I sat in the aisle seat so I can talk to the American teachers. The flight attendant asked for me to sit by the window for take off and I can move during flight and she would save my seat. She blocked off the whole row just for me! Talk about VIP status with a full flight. It was an easy hour flight down to Venice and I hopped on the bus that takes you down to Venice. I enjoyed the bus ride because I got to see local Italy and it is beautiful. I am for sure coming back and going to explore more of Italy.
I arrived in Venice and got to my bed and breakfast. I had a nice single room and had to go down the hall to use the bathroom and shower.
I decide to venture out and explore my surroundings. The weather in Venice could not have been any better! It was warm in the 70's and the sky was very blue. I walked to San Marco Square where I became nervous because it was flooded! I was warned by others that it floods in Venice and sad that perhaps I had chosen a bad time. They have these "tables" that are placed on the ground and you walk over the flood. Of course it's a small path and people are always pushing and shoving. I stopped for some pizza and decided to shop and get lost. In Rick Steve's book and other tourists, they all tell you to get lost. Well the thing is, you get lost no matter what. There are so many twists and turns and everything looks a like. I am a visual learner and good with visual memory of finding my way around. This was visual overload and it drove me nuts that I couldn't find my way around. I did stumble upon an amazing Venetian mask shop. I purchased the most amazing mask that reminds me something Lady Gaga would wear. It is a peach color, with glitter, and has large feathers! I love it and hope I can ship it home safely. I then decided I want to find the restaurant Rick Steve's suggested and the Gelato shop that is supposedly the best Gelato in Venice. I feel I walked the whole island and could not find it. I was so close at one point on my map and had people point where to go and I still could not find the restaurant. I did find by accident the gelato shop. I know it's a little unorthodox to have ice cream before dinner but I knew I would never find this place again so I had the most amazing AMAZING gelato of my life. It was chocolate and stracietella. I gave up on finding the restaurant and just ate at an outdoor restaurant and had pasta with seafood. I kept seeing people drink this orange liquor in a wine glass thinking perhaps it's a rose wine. I asked the waiter for it and it was basically robitussum. GROSS. They had music and it was a beautiful sunset as I looked at the church across from me.
I went back to my room and had my window open to listen to the gondola's rowing by singing Italian love songs. This place is too cool.
In the middle of the night I kept hearing buzzing noises like a fly. I thought it was a fly until the next morning I saw the mosquitos had a feast last night on my arms and face! That's the only down side of my trip to Venice...the mosquitos!
San Marco square and Murano
After getting a little sample of how many tourists were in Venice when I first came in, I thought I would take Rick Steve's advice and wake up early to do all the sightseeing places. I woke up at 7am and ventured out to San Marco Square. It was a great time to take pictures since the streets were empty and the water was clear. I met three American men from San Francisco, and they asked if I could take their picture. We walked together to San Marco Square where I caught up on my baseball events since they were wearing San francisco Giants gear (the nerve). I guess my Padres have not been doing well since I left. I guess I can say perhaps I am the Padres good luck charm and actually visa vesa (I'll get into that later) I walked into the Basillica Church where a Mass was proceeding so we could not walk around the cathedral. We could walk inside but were not allowed to take any pictures. The Basillica's roof is covered in mosaic gold with events that occurred in the Bible. It had beautifully stained glass windows and the architecture was beautiful. And what made the Basillica so nice for me, no line to get in :). I then walk next door to Doge's Palace. I purchase a ticket and an audio guide that took my through the museum. Doge's Palace is so neat with the roofs that have huge paintings framed in gold. It's amazing that someone created that by hand and constructed that long ago. People can be amazing. My FAVORITE part of Doge's Palace was the prison. I love prisons for some reason and you get to walk around and explore. What made it even more creepy was I was alone since it was still early. The prison walls/ceilings had engravings of the prisoners who stayed there. There were no windows and only cement walls. There was a little circle the size of a basketball where the gaurds and give them food and check up on them. At the end of exploring the prison, you walk across the famous, "Bridge of Sighs". They call it the Bridge of Sighs because when the prisoners were being taken to prison, they got one last look of Venice and they would, you guessed it, sigh.
After my tour of Doge's Palace, the tourists came out and it was crowded so I decided to hop on the vaporetta and head to the island of glass, Murano!
Murano is a 25 minute boat ride from Venice. The weather was so perfect with sunshine and it was so warm LOVE IT. I got off and my technique with traveling in a place you do not know is to follow the tourists. I figure they know where to go. There are lots of stores selling glass along the water and you window shop. I stopped to get a bite to eat at a restaurant overlooking the canal. I had white wine with chips. Yes, that's right, chips. It is traditional here in Europe to eat fried potato chips with wine. Sarka (my czech roommate) even commented she thinks it's weird we eat potato chips with a sandwich. Here they eat potato chips with wine. So I had white wine and potato chips. I told the waiter I would like to try their special which was a pumpkin sauce in black noodles and seafood. It was delicious!!!
I continued window shopping where I saw a store with a man blowing glass. (Megan don't read these next 3 sentences) I watched him make black glass balls for a necklace he was making. I saw ornaments that were the most beautiful thing I have seen and wanted to buy one. Oops sorry Megan, just gave away your Christmas present. He didn't speak English but now that I'm an excellent guesser from my second graders always playing charades to communicate I think he was telling me he created the ornament and he looked very pleased with himself. I then continued my journey and bought myself a glass ring. Throughout Murano they have glass art sculptures. I really like Murano with it's beauty, art, and break away from tourists...well not all the tourists but the huge crowds.
I went back to Venice and enjoyed a cappicino looking at the water. I enjoyed watching the HUGE cruise ships coming in and out. I still wonder how in the world those things can float. I then called it an early night and hoping the weather would stay nice for Monday and go to Lido to the beach.
Last day in Venice
After a horrible night of sleep in the Bed and Breakfast due to the war with the evil mosquitos, I was hoping the weather would still be nice and venture out to Lido to go to the beach! I had my bikini laid out and was all set to go when, BOOOOM. Thunder storm outside and very chilly. There go my beach plans but on the up side I tried to sleep in and relax. I got up around 9am and decided to head out. My train ride was not til 9pm so I had the whole day of Venice. I decided I wouldnt let a little rain stop my trip to Lido. I get on the Vaporetto to the island Lido. It was cold but at least it stopped raining when I arrived. I walked through the town and made it to the other side of the island of it difficult to beat. The beach was not nice. There was trash all over, closed shops, and powerplants along the beach. I stayed for about ten minutes looking at shells then I was over it and wanted to head back to Venice. I took the hour vaporetta through Venice to get one last glimpse. I arrived at the train station in the afternoon just in time when the rain started up again. I counted 20 men walking around trying to sell umbrellas at the trainstation. Talk about ready on a moments notice to sell anything and everything. Which will bring me back to the San Diego Padres who were my good luck charm too. I was walking through the busy streets along the canal where you see lots of men grouped together selling knock off purses. I will not lie, I would take a peak seeing the fake Prada and Louis Vuitton. They would pass if only they learned how to spell the fashion designers name right and not have the LV's on the bag be VL. It was hilarious to watch them because they have a look out man and they have ear piece in their ear and they would all grab their purses and RUN! 1 minute later comes a police officer. So I was walking down the crowded sidewalk when I see a girl wearing a San Diego Padres hat! It was the second siting of a SD Padres hat so I decided I would turn around to stop and ask her. Once I turned around a man was one inch away from me with his eyes on my purse. We both became startled and he turned in a random direction toward the water. I was so startled I didnt chase the girl with SD hat and just gripped my purse a lot harder. Venice is known to have purse snatchers but I wore my money belt under my clothes that had my passport and money. Phew it was a close one. Now back to the train station...
I went next door to a Pizza cafe and ordered a mushroom pizza. The woman sitting next to me said loudly, "Are you American!". It's how all Americans I guess start a conversation in Europe. It was a husband and wife on vacation from Michigan. She was very friendly and I tried to give her some advice from my experience in Venice. For instance, waking up early to beat the crowds and the most amazing gelato I had there. After they left, I stayed and people watched while enjoying a cappichino. I walked back to the train station and had to get my fill of one more cone of gelato before I left. I saw they had Oreo flavor and how I miss Oreo's so I got Oreo and Chocolate...mmmm.
When I got back to the train station I met a young couple from Seattle Washington who were traveling through Europe. We were exchanging cultural differences we have experienced, our adventures, Venice, and news back home. They were on their way to Budapest then going to Prague. We exchanged emails and we are meeting up this weekend and I'll show them around Prague.
I really enjoyed my experience in Venice and proud that I could do it all by myself. I wasn't sure how traveling by yourself was but it is actually quite nice. I can do what I want when I want. I can enjoy the scenery. I start to notice you are more friendly and reach out to people more. So I learned that I can travel alone and know how to plan. Venice is absolutely a place you should see in your lifetime and don't think the Venetian in Las Vegas will cut it. To see Italian culture, beautiful Italian buildings floating on water, Gondolas, and the food of course, Venice is just an incredible place to see.
Trains are not that cool anymore
I have loved taking trains all through the Czech Republic until I decided to take an overnight train back from Venice, Italy. I waited basically all afternoon in the train station since it was raining. I met a very nice couple from Seattle, Washington who were my age and traveling through Europe for two weeks. They were waiting for their train to take them overnight to Budapest. They were telling me their experience on overnight trains and said it's not so bad but just watch your valuables.
I got on my 9pm train to Salzburg. I didn't know the trains final destination was to Vienna which meant I had to get off the train at 3am in the morning alone. I find my train cabin and it looked like it just had two couches. I was like, "hmm that's really nice". Another couple came into the cabin and I was wondering how all three of us were going to sleep here. Then 3 more people came in dropping their stuff off. I was so confused until I saw the couple take apart the "couch" and make it into three beds stacked one on top of the other. So it turned into 3 beds on each side of the cabin. And I am not sure if you would call them beds. I had to sleep on the bottom and I could not see out the window, it was cramped, it was dirty, so I would call it more like a coffin. To make matters even worse, the "couple" decided to sleep in the same TINY bed that was on top of mine! So it dipped down over me and I just wanted to shoot myself. Oh it gets better. The other two in the cabin were very...how shall I say, not aware of personal space. For instance, the girl spilled water in her backpack so she frantically tried to take everything out. While I'm still in my bed, she puts her wet stuff on my bed like it was nothing. I really didn't know how to respond to this but I didn't care at that point. She kept throwing her dirty tissues that she blew her nose with all over the room. People these days...gross.
So I didnt sleep A) I was in a coffin B) I didnt want to miss getting off the train earlier in Salzburg. It was 3:30 and I hear a knock on the door. It was pitch black and I could not open the door. I felt so bad since I woke the guy and he helped me open it...oops. The tenant was there to wake me up and he had a slice of wheat break and tea as my breakfast. Well that's nice but how am I going to eat and drink tea when my bed is a coffin and you must lay down and there is no room in the cabin. Was a nice idea but I just left it on the floor. I get off the train at 4am and realized our train was late getting in. I had 5 minutes to find the train that goes to Praha. Looking at the departures I begin to panic because I see that it's the only train going to Prague for awhile and scared I would miss it. I ran and made the train to Prague (phew!) and shared a cabin with a very nice family. A mother and her two kids from Australia. I find people are so friendly when you travel and I guess it's because they want to communicate and share as much as you do. Still didn't sleep but my goodness I had another 7 hours train ride from Salzburg to Prague. My tooshie was killing me and I was getting so restless. I finally arrived back in Prague where I looked and felt a mess. I stopped at BurgerKing and I think I inhaled the burger I was so hungry.
As far as train rides, they do not cost more than airplane flights and in fact can cost more! I guess I see lots of backpackers in the train station because you can buy a Eurorail pass and travel all over Europe which can make it worth it. But 14 hour train ride from Venice to Prague...NO THANK YOU! At least I can say I survived and did it but I think I'll be flying from now on.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)