No, but seriously, do I need to say more?? This trip started out quite long but it was a great trip with some great people!
Our trip started with a night train that was 12 hours long. Some of you maybe wondering why it takes a night train four hours longer to get from Vienna to Venice than a normal train and I was too. However, the reason is that it actually took us to Salzburg, the city just on the border of Austria and Germany, and then down to Venice. Luckily we had reserved a cabin for the six of us. I felt like we were on our way to Hogwarts, it was so cool. However, when six people try to sleep in one compartment, even if they do make mega bed, it is uncomfortable. We arrived in Venice at 9 in the morning and as soon as we stepped out of the train station we were confronted with the beautiful canal, right there in front of us. The thought of having to ride a boat as a bus was almost beyond me but I was so excited to get on. I had not been on a boat in a long time and I was looking forward to getting back on the water. Erika was especially excited having not been able to row in some time.
Luckily we talked to a lady at an information desk and she told us about the "rolling Venice" pass. This pass would get us a cheaper transportation pass and it would get us certain discounts at certain locations. We did not end up using our discounts but that does not mean that you travelers might not find use for them, besides it makes the travel passes much cheaper.
Our trip started with a night train that was 12 hours long. Some of you maybe wondering why it takes a night train four hours longer to get from Vienna to Venice than a normal train and I was too. However, the reason is that it actually took us to Salzburg, the city just on the border of Austria and Germany, and then down to Venice. Luckily we had reserved a cabin for the six of us. I felt like we were on our way to Hogwarts, it was so cool. However, when six people try to sleep in one compartment, even if they do make mega bed, it is uncomfortable. We arrived in Venice at 9 in the morning and as soon as we stepped out of the train station we were confronted with the beautiful canal, right there in front of us. The thought of having to ride a boat as a bus was almost beyond me but I was so excited to get on. I had not been on a boat in a long time and I was looking forward to getting back on the water. Erika was especially excited having not been able to row in some time.
Luckily we talked to a lady at an information desk and she told us about the "rolling Venice" pass. This pass would get us a cheaper transportation pass and it would get us certain discounts at certain locations. We did not end up using our discounts but that does not mean that you travelers might not find use for them, besides it makes the travel passes much cheaper.
We hopped on the next bus boat after we got our tickets and headed to Lido, the island just off of the main land. We found the hotel pretty easily but the man I asked directions from told us that it would be an easy walk . . . . yeah NOT. Besides we could have ridden the bus three stops and been almost at the doorstep, but it was a great way to see the island. Once we arrived at the hotel, Hotel Villa Parco, we got out our bags of groceries (really just bread and some Nutella or jam) and made us some brunch. After we got done easy we were able to check into our rooms and get settled.
The LaMars had their own room and decided to take a nap but Keri, Erika, Jamie, and I wanted to go and see the beach. SUCH A GOOD IDEA!!!!! It was so beautiful and was exactly what we all needed. The beach was on the Mediterranean Sea, water was freezing, the shore line was covered in sea shells, you could not take a step without crushing a hundred shells, it was amazing. We were able to just relax and enjoy the warm sun. We had some little photo sessions because Erika and I were so hyped up by the sun and the beautiful landscape. After a couple of hours we headed back to the Hotel and waited until it was time to go and pick up Anna and Sara (a friend that came to visit) from the boat dock. While we were waiting we started talking about what we planned to do with our time. The next day we headed to the Constitution bridge, which was Cool, but ultimately disappointing. ;) We decided to walk back from the bridge and find our way to the Rialto bridge. Along the way we found some cute little shops and everyone was able to finish up their shopping needs and take some fun pictures along the way. At the end we made a stop at the Basilica and walked around inside (something everyone should do). Just when we were about to leave for Lido from St. Maro's Square, to get our things for the night train ride back, Jamie realized that she had miss placed something: her clasp that held her only credit card and transportation card for both Vienna and Venice. O.O Needless to say we started back over almost exactly where we had started and worked our way back to where Jamie had made her last purchase. Jamie and I were able to walk pretty fast so we ended up losing the group on our way to the shop, but we found her clasp there safe and sound. Walking backwards we found half of the group we left behind and sent a message to the other half to meet up at the hotel. Thankfully, we all made it to the hotel and the train on time. Also, we were able to snag two compartments making our trip back so much more comfortable. | Anna and Sara were staying for a very short amount of time so we wanted to make sure that they got to see everything but that we also had other things to do for the other day that we were staying. We ended up visiting Saint Marco's Square, Rialto Bridge, rode a Gondola and walked on some of the back streets of Venice. Unfortunately, we ate at the Hard Rock Cafe (some people wouldn't let it go). It was good, but it made it so that most of us could not afford to eat real Italian cuisine the next night. The next day we headed back to the Rialto bridge to let Anna and Sara finish with their shopping since they were leaving that night. After we dropped Anna and Sara off at the boat dock, we headed to the local Billa to grab some cheap wine and some sweets to eat at the beach. It was nice to just chill and relax together, even if the beach was closed off. |
This was one of the greatest trips I went on and I WILL be going back to Venice again.