Thanksgiving Vacation 2013: Travel to Venice

 So when I read my posts from the day before it sounds like I'm writing a police report or something. Like, "...and then I did this, and then we decided that." Where is the emotion? I'll try harder today, and maybe drinking a Stone Double Bastard Ale will help.

I think I woke up before my annoying watch alarm went off, and had plenty of time to pack up and get ready for breakfast and check out of the hotel. I had the same food for breakfast as the day before, and for some reason what I enjoyed the most was the fruit juices. I guess I don't drink fruit juice much, plus, this stuff had lots of sugar.

After a quick trip to the room, we all dragged our bags down to the lobby, checked-out and asked for a cab, which arrived within minutes. The ride to the train station was quicker than expected. Once at the station, we walked into the ticket office and saw a long line of people buying train tickets, but there were also kiosks that sold tickets. So after one opened up, and pressing a few wrong keys, we bought four tickets to Venice! The train was scheduled to leave in about 20 minutes, so we walked out to the platform to watch the sign that told us what platform the train was departing from. Platform 10 was announced, so we went down the stairs and back up on platform 10. There was a train there, but the number on the train did not match the number they were showing on the screen, so we assumed it wasn't our train. Meanwhile, we saw people getting on and off the train, looking confused. As the departing time neared, we began to realize that yes, this was our train. So one of us ran up to an employee and he said yes, we just needed to validate our ticket. So my sister-in-law ran around frantically until she found the validator, and we quickly boarded in first class and found four good seats for us and our luggage.

We opted for the regular train as opposed to the high speed train, so it was a two hour ride with some stops along the way. We were really in no hurry, as we had no specific plan for the day. I was the only one that had never been to Venice. So when asked what I wanted to do, my reply was "See the canals and bridges." Simple enough. The ride was quite relaxing, and I enjoyed just looking outside at the countryside. There were mostly farms between Bologna and Venice, and you could see the Italian Alps off in the distance covered with snow. At each stop, more people boarded first class, and soon we were moving our luggage out of the empty seats and into our seats or the overhead bins.

Once we got to Venice, we departed the train and headed to our hotel which was located right across the canal from the train station. We weren't sure if we could check in early, but the staff was very friendly and helpful. They got us checked into all three of our rooms. First they had someone take us to our rooms, and then deliver our luggage, because like many older hotels in Europe, the elevators, or lifts, can hold people and their bags. My room was very nice, and after unpacking what I needed for the day, I went back down to the lobby to begin my adventure in Venice.

The staff was extremely helpful. They gave us a map and showed us all the must-see sites. When asked if I wanted to walk or take a boat, or Vaporetto as they are called (I just had to Google that term because I couldn't remember it), I said boat! So off to the Grand Canal we went and purchases our tickets for a one way ride on the canal. The boats run often, so when the next one arrived, we boarded. Once on, I quickly found a seat up front with a good view of the city for taking photos. I didn't care how cold it was. As the boat went along the canal and stopped at each stop, I was just happy to be in Venice, even with the clouds in the sky, and I took photos of everything.

Eventually, we got to our last stop which was at Piazza San Marco. Now, I had not done my homework before coming here, so I was unfamiliar with all the famous bridges, buildings and plazas. Not any more. Now I know that St. Mark's Square is the main tourist destination in Venice. I took many photos of the buildings near and far, but before I knew what was happening, I was buying a ticket for entrance into the popular attractions. According to my ticket, which I still have, it includes: Paizzo Duncale, Museo Correr, Museo Archeologico and one other building. I'm not sure which one we went into first, but I know it had lots of rooms, some small and some VERY large. 

I wasn't really interested in reading what every room was and what was displayed on the walls, but I guess the most interesting rooms were the ones where prisoners were held. This included walking across the Bridge of Sighs, which was a bridge across an canal that prisoners walked before being locked up, and apparently "sighed" at the site of the city, knowing that they'd never see it again.

After we left the building, I had to take a WC break, and when I came back, I found my brother taking a survey by a women who was entering his answers into a tablet. Well, after that we walked around the square some more, and eventually waked into another cathedral. After a quick walk around, we went back into the square, which I learned at one time encouraged people to feed the birds, but now discouraged that  practice. Either way, there were lots of pigeons.

It was now in the late afternoon, and we were all hungry. Luckily, we knew there was a Hard Rock Cafe near by. So we headed there for a late lunch, and what would be also our dinner for the day. The restaurant wasn't too busy, so we got seated quickly. I ordered a beer, and for food I can't seem to remember what I got, but I think we all agreed that it was our best meal of the trip. The waiter was very nice and spoke good English. I had dessert,which was a cheesecake, but the cheesecake was served in a dish. That didn't matter. It was just as good.

So now as the daylight was starting to fade, we knew it was going to take about an hour to walk back to our hotel. They told us to follow the signs, so we did. The walk took us along the main walking path through Venice, and it was lined with shops selling everything, including glass trinkets made of glass, which Venice is famous for, as I found out. My traditional souvenir is a magnet. And once I found a Venice magnet that was also a mini snow globe, I bought it. 

So we continued to walk the path back to the hotel, crossing many bridges and taking more photos. Looking at the map now, it seems that there are many ways to make this journey. Sometimes your make a wrong turn and end up at a dead end and turn around. That's part of the adventure. We actually missed our turn to the hotel, and ended up by the bus station. But is was just a little backtracking to get to our hotel. So with the Sun setting and the clock near eight, we turned in for the night. Tomorrow was a big day for us. Not only was is Thanksgiving back home, but it was our big trip into the neighboring country of Slovenia! As this was the the third night in Europe, I was beginning to get adjusted to the local time. So  going to bed at nine wasn't too difficult. The guide for the next day was going to pick us up at 8:30, so we needed to be out of the hotel by eight. Once in my room, I was quickly ready for sleep and the great adventure that awaited us the next day.