A day and night in Venice

So here I am, arrived refreshed (?) and alert in Venice after a delightful adventure on board the Paris – Venice train.

I exit the station into bright sunlight (seriously, why is it that as soon as one steps onto the continent that gorgeous weather ensues, not to mention very hot and humid?  It beats the English grey and drizzle anyway).  I follow everyone else to what looks like a queue for a taxi.  Remember we’re in Venice now, hence ‘taxi’ is a small boat shared with many people.  Before I do this though, I spy a sign for “private taxi” and wander over to take a look.

“60 euro to St Marc’s Square” he informs me, apologetically shrugging and also pointing to the long queue.  “You’re best off going there.” (I thought this was rather nice of him, given that he’d passed up a fare).

I go back to the public taxi queue.  5 mins later & it’s not moving anywhere. 

“F*ck it” I mumble under my breath, turn to the Australian couple behind me and ask if they’d like to share a private taxi to St. Marc’s Square.  Turned out they would love to, so off we trot.

“Are you a native?” the Australian man asks me. 

“No, I just like to try to look like I know what I’m doing when abroad” is my reply.

So we board the private taxi – think little mini speedboat.  I can’t hide my excitement as I feel like an extra from “The Tourist” or some kind of Bond movie.

Speeding along, we pass MANY beautiful sights and I am in awe of the many bridges and, quite frankly, the magic of the place.  This is only exacerbated when I finally reach my hotel, settle my belongings and go for a wander.  I am left simply breathless by the place: her bridges, small side streets and oh the yachts!  I even spy one with a helicopter pad!  Further enquiries reveal that it’s the Venice Film Festival quite soon, so maybe someone famous has rented it.

Can you see the helicopter on board?!

Enquiries into a gondola ride reveal that it costs 80 euros per person, even if sharing a gondola with 5 or 6 others.  I do my best not to laugh in the face of the gondola man and make my way over to another place I have spied: 30 euros for a ride on a small motor boat up the Grand Canal and back.  This is a much more agreeable price and I happily part with my money.  Having an hour to kill before said trip, I plonk myself in the park and stretch out on a bench, happily dozing whilst listening to the chatterings of many different languages around me.

The trip is a pleasant one – the boat only fits 7 of us and we are able to stand up and for the next hour we are shown the delights of Venice: the Rialto Bridge and all along the Grand Canal as well as Byron’s house (I hope Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt showed it some respect when they stayed there during filming of “The Tourist”).

I sleep well that night, having dined on gnocchi and a 4 cheese sauce.  I remember my last waking thought is that despite the people, it is so quiet, hence I’m able to drift off quickly.  In retrospect, this is because there is no traffic (cars) in Venice, hence no motor noise.

Small side streets reveal lovely buildings

Awaking early, I go for yet another wander around St Marc’s Square and eat a small salad of tomato and mozzarella.  Not wanting to pay another 60 Euros for a private transfer to the port, I pay a respectable 7 Euros instead for the public taxi.  But oh!  I know now why it’s so cheap – the queue to get on it!  And once on board, the sweat dripping off me/us as we all cram together in a space that isn’t air conditioned.

“Ok” I figure, “I can cope with this for the next half hour at least.”  Except that half hour feels like an age.  The taxi doesn’t exactly motor at full speed and all the while, people are getting ‘edgy’ and impatient.

 Upon disembarkation at the port (finally!) I then have to find my way to the ship.  I can see the Princess Cruises ship where the majority of my fellow taxi passengers seem to be heading, but my Minoan Lines ship seems to be tucked away (if that’s possible because when I eventually see it, it’s bl**dy huge!).

 Another 20 min walk ensues – in 30 degree humid heat and me dragging my case (no small transfer bus for Minoan passengers!)  By the time I finally get to board the ship, I must be looking rough as the lady asks if I need a doctor.  I just tell her I’m hot and make my way on board.

And so now I am in the middle of the Adriatic.  My jaunt in Venice was thoroughly enjoyable and I loved it.  I fell in love with her – she offered beauty, peace and tranquillity.  I must come back, albeit in the winter I think.  Or if I book in advance, maybe for Carnival in February?  I visited a small shop next to my hotel which sold masks and carnival dresses.  The lady informed me they make the dresses for carnival and they hire from 300 – 1,000 Euros.  We shall see.

Look out for the ‘Adriatic’ instalment – coming soon!

Facts:  Hotel booked through Expedia.co.uk (or .com) and was £75.  Excellent value as it was 2 min walk to St Marc's Square and the room was huge.
Try to share a private taxi at least once if you can, it's well worth it.

Bloggin' on the road

Flying over the Alps on the way to UK

First part of journey!  Well, not strictly speaking.  I'm at Athens airport at the moment, waiting for my plane back to the UK.  It's the RETURN that will be exciting.

I have to say though - leaving my flat in Central Athens to get to the train station to take me ot the airport was an experience:

I leave a little later than planned - highly unlike me, but maybe I'm turning into a Greek after all?  I digress...
Therefore I am in a little bit of a hurry.  I walk past the pharmacy - the girl who works there comes out for a chat with me (not that I spend a lot of time in the pharmacy you must understand, they are just very nice people who I chat with occasionally).  I politely point to my case, making the point that I am in a bit of a rush.  She waves me away with a "Have a good trip."

Second encounter - the man in the hardware store seems me passing and comes to the door to chat:
"Where are you going?"
"England."
"What do you want to go there for?!  It's going to sh*t at the moment, and your weather is cr*p.  Stay here - you'll have a better time" (he doesn't mince his words).

Hmmmmm, I admit it's 36 degrees in the shade, a beach is about a 40 min distance from me by public transport - I don't know what to expect when I get back 'home'/UK...maybe he's right?

Still, am looking forward to seeing my dad - love ya dad...the rest of it we'll have to see.

So, how do you go about it?

And why?  Why travel back overland?  Isn't it a hassle/expensive?

OK, let's take this bit by bit.

1) Why...why???  Haven't you ever thought to yourself that there has to be more to a 'holiday' than merely arriving at your destination?  For me, my holiday starts when I 1) step foot on the plane or 2) step foot on the container ship (that's a story for another day) or ferry or train or whatnot.
So, with this in mind, I decided to save time by COMING to the UK, so I could spent precious time with my dear, dear dad.  The journey back to Greece I decided to make 'exciting.'  Despite my age (30 'something' - and that's all you're gonna get :0)  ), I still get a little tearful when I leave my dad, so I decided to make my return journey something to take my mind off the potential floodgate farewell.

2) Expensive?  Well, the ticket from London St. Pancras to Paris (1st class don't you know!) and then in a single sleeper overnight from Paris - Venice cost £415.  I arrive into Venice early morning (09:30) and have decided to stay one night there - the hotel, found on www.expedia.com cost me £75 for a double room near St. Marks Square, then the ferry from Venice - Patras (in Greece), 2 nights shared cabin with one other 'person of the same sex' (damn!) cost 178 Euros (you do the maths). 
I should add the 'ferry' is more like a mini-cruise as it's 2 full nights, has a swimming pool and entertainment. 

Am I happy?  YES!  To me, it'll be totally worth it.  I've never been to Venice and am looking forward to it - maybe I should have also booked one night in Paris, but never mind.

So, keep following this blog - when I set off, I shall update you as and when I can.  Oh, I should add the following websites that are great for booking overland European rail:

http://www.seat61.com/Greece.htm

http://www.europeanrail.com

Speak soon people!  Enjoy your summer, where ever you are.

Soon I'll be travelling overland back to Greece!

Not much to write about at the moment.  Those of you who follow my other blog:  www.beccyhall.blogspot.com know that I live in Greece and of my adventures here.

Soon I will be returning back to the UK for a holiday.  For me, travel has always been about the journey, not necessarily about the destination.
So, with this in mind, I am to return to Greece by train and ferry.  I intend to document my adventure here, so keep an eye out for pictures, stories, etc.

:0)