We arrived in Venice around 2AM - we grossly miscalculated the procedures for reserving/checking in at Rome's Termini train station. We were under the impression that we could just hop on/hop off with our Eurorail ticket, but alas, you must actually make reservations...errrr. So we rode the sloooowest possible train from Rome to Venice (it took about 8 hours). We arrived at the Venice train station and caught a cab to our hotel?? Think again - the cab driver drops you off right next to the Grand Canal at the edge of Venice. The rest must be done on foot or via public waterbus or water taxi (perhaps we should have read over the guidebooks more?). We managed to find our way onto a public waterbus and then Warren somehow managed to navigate the world's most confusing city grid. We arrive to our hotel shortly after 3 AM.....whew.
There are few days that stand out as much as the beginning of this one. We woke up in time to catch our free continental breakfast, even though we were pretty exhausted. If the view from the room + the prospect of Venice wasn't already enough motivation, there promised to be coffee at the breakfast. The continental breakfast at our hotel in Venice was quite similar to all the other hotels we stayed at. Continental breakfast Italian style generally included: bread (with accompaniments for toast), pastries (usually always croissants), salami, ham, prosciutto, a couple types of cheeses (!!!!), fruit, coffee/tea. We spent two days in Venice. It's one of the world's neatest cities, but I can say..you don't need to stay too long. It's really quite small.
To me, the perfect day in Venice looks something like this:
9AM: Continental breakfast and perhaps two cups of coffee if you arrived late and didn't sleep in.
10AM: Camera in hand, husband on arm - begin to roam. Following the crowds at first and
admiring the Grand Canal, along with it's abundance of shops and restaurants. Look over every s.i.n.g.l.e. menu you pass in preparation for making the most challenging decision of the day: which amazing looking restaurants will you choose for lunch and dinner. Warning: this will start to annoy the piss out of your man, but you won't care much.
11AM: Continue waltzing around Venice, feet on the ground/head in the air; you'll probably
take 200 photos before noon because every single place you look presents a postcard worthy
shot. You'll probably also kiss your new husband 100 times because this must all be a dream. ;)
12Noon: You'll be hungry or at least dying to try one of the 100 restaurants you just passed. You
choose a restaurant with no menu posted outside only to learn that there is actually NO
menu. So, you use hand gestures to point out which of the gorgeous displayed food choices you would like. You have a delicious homemade style meal with a liter of white wine. You are certain you made the right decision when a handful of gondoliers sit down at the table next to you. ;)
130PM: Begin to drag yourself around Venice some more (you'll be 10 pounds heavier now). This time, you try to steer away from the crowds and wander alone the back canals of the city, not knowing where you are and not particularly concerned.
300 PM: You actually do get lost and need to ask for directions. This is guaranteed to happen at
least once per day on your visit to Venice. This is really the most important thing to do in
Venice. If you haven't been lost, you haven't been here.
400 PM: Head back to your hotel. You really did overeat (& drink) at lunch and must rest some before strolling and eating again.
700PM: Wander out into Venice again. The mood is brilliant - you are dressed nicely and ready for a big night out. Gondoliers are romantically roaming along the canals. Venice at night is
possibly even more spectacular than Venice in the day. The city is full of water, as you know, so
the moon and lights from all the streets and restaurants bounce off the water and give the city
the perfect romantic ambiance - it simply glows.
800PM: Choose a small restaurants along a tiny canal. Also, choose a seat a little bit away from the canal because (unfortunately, the slightly unromantic side of Venice) sometimes the canal has a slight fishy stench. But that's what we're here to eat, anyway. Venice is famous for it's seafood, and you know what they say, when in Venice....? You eat a beautiful Venetian meal with polenta & codfish for starters, lasagna and the famous cuttlefish ink spaghetti (basically looks like black ink poured over spaghetti noodles and stains your teeth that way) - all with red wine, of course.
1030PM: Crawl back to your hotel. Don't forget to take a few romantic, wine kissed photos on the way home. You may never be here again.
No comments:
Post a Comment