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Published: April 9th 2022
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My last blog was from Jordan but this is a very different trip.
During one of the peaks in the pandemic Chris spotted a deal from Euro rail for a cheap global pass which gives you seven rail travel days in a 30-day window. So we started the planning, we drew up a list of European cities we both wanted to see. We discounted spending too many of our precious days starting our journey in Southern Spain. The trip had various iterations, Italy cancelled ferries between Split and Ancona till May (that excluded Split, Dubrovnik and Bar in Montenegro), the war in Ukraine took pro-Russian Serbia off the list too. On Thursday the UN council for human rights suspended Russia and there were a number of countries who voted against which might influence my future travel plans.
Eventually we settled on this itinerary. Fly to Venice then train to Vienna, Zagreb, Ljubljana, Trieste, Florence, Sorrento (for Pompeii and Vesuvius), Rome then flying back to Alicante. There are five places neither of us have been to and Chris has been to Sorrento and I have been to Rome and Vienna.
I am writing this in Zagreb but it will
feature in the next one. We landed in Treviso and managed to get on a bus going into Venice- we didn't have a ticket and got off without paying! Our hotel was just up a street off the Grand Canal, nothing flash but expensive for what it was. We didn't have a fixed plan for Venice just wanted to experience the very different feel of a city on water and see St Mark's Square.
The trip also is still in the context of COVID-19 and the rules in Italy are, masks (and they must be FFP), inside and on public transport and show your COVID-19 pass in cafes etc. The latter became a pain for just a coffee!
Our experience of food, coffee, drinks was hugely disappointing. Everywhere was touristy with high prices, poor service and not very good food. Our benchmark for the whole trip will be how does it compare to Trattoria Vongole? It was full every time we went past and it was well reviewed but the food was dreadful.
We walked miles around Venice for the two days we were there and loved the city, a very different experience. Life revolving around a
waterway system with hidden corners and bridges and stunning buildings. St Mark's square is jaw dropping and we visited the Basilica and Florian's cafe. Chris had seen it on a TV show with Fred Sirieux and it didn't disappoint. Sadly, it was too cold to sit outside but inside is beautiful. The service was excellent but one tea, one espresso and 5 macaroons were 32€. We met a lovely lady who was doing the Orient Express-bit different to our trip.
Our second day we took the Vaponeta out to the island of Burano where lace used to be made. We got off at Mazzorbo and walked round the island then over the bridge to Burano. As well as lace it is famous for coloured houses, although some had seen better days. We loved the place but the people were not friendly and at the 4
th attempt finally found somewhere inside for a coffee.
We had breakfast in the hotel and left early the next morning for our 8.02 train to Vienna. We had four trains and our first stop was Udine just in time for a coffee. When we looked our next train had a bus replacement for
part of it. We asked one of the staff and he said there is an express direct to Vienna. Chris's app said we needed reservations, the guy said just buy them on the train. We could have got on in Venice and had more time in bed! Sure, enough the train took us to Vienna and no need to pay for seats. The journey was stunning through the Alps and we got to our hostel about 6pm.
Our room was fine but cold as the window had been left open, we needed blankets, more towels and bedside lights fitting and fixing. Not a good start! The location was great, right next to the travel hub at Westbanhoff station.
We started the day with breakfast in a gorgeous Turkish restaurant then used a day travel ticket to travel on the tram system getting a feel for the city . Monday we did a walking tour seeing some of the lesser know parts of the city including “luna tower" a circular psychiatric hospital. It was led by Hannes, a very engaging guy and the only other person was Israel, a Mexican living in San Francisco. We ended up at the
new university campus with 5 stunning new buildings all in different styles. Our day finished in a great veggie restaurant.
Tuesday the weather was awful, raining and cold and we used the underground to the Schonbrunnn palace. We were an hour early and there was a dearth of cafes! When we got there for our slot at 10.30, we had arrived on the wrong day! I hadn't checked the date but thankfully we were let in, and used the audio guide to enjoy the delights of the palace. It was lavish and stunning and not quite as extravagant as Versailles. The grounds are extensive and although the rain had stopped it was cold and windy so we didn't explore it all. Our evening was at a second delicious vegetarian place.
On Wednesday we started the day in the traditional West End Cafe and enjoyed a relaxing breakfast and then went to see Hundertwasser house and museum. He was an amazing painter and architect who lived a long and colourful life. I had seen the house on a previous visit but the museum brought his works to life, he designed some stunning stamps. I then realised that he had designed a toilet block I had visited in Kawakawa in New Zealand. It is in such contrast to the stiff Baroque and Gothic style of most of Vienna's innerstade. We hopped across town on the tram to the Hopburg, the epitome of Baroque, and to the Imperial Treasury to see the Austrian equivalent of the Crown Jewels.
That is the first two cities done and dusted, quite a contrast. Vienna excels at organisation, cheap and efficient public transport everywhere clean and tidy but feels a little stiff. Venice was full of faded charm and the magic of water. On next to Croatia and Zagreb.......
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Trish
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Excellent stuff
Well written and very tidy layout. Tx