Blogs from Venice, Veneto, Italy, Europe - page 144

After a very quick flight from London Standsted (1 hour and 40 minutes) we arrived at the Airport in Treviso which is about 16kms from the centre of Venice. Buses chartered by RyanAir take passengers onto the station in Venice where you can catch a train, bus or ferry to wherever it is you are going. Waiting at the wharf for the next ferry I briefly felt like I was back in Sydney. I guess it was the peak hour vibe with its mix of local workers all desperate to get home after a tough day mixing with an increasing tide of newly arrived tourists also keen to get to their destinations. The hotel I am staying at is old (like everything here I guess) but very comfortable and very very quiet. It is squeezed in ... read more

This morning I woke up with a bunch of red bumps on my legs and feet. The first thing I thought of was bedbugs!!! It wouldn't have surprised me if it was indeed bedbugs as this hotel on the outskirts of Venice was by far the worst hotel of the trip. After a very sub-par breakfast, which was very typical of our Italian breakfasts, we all headed back on the coach for our full day in Venice. Since Venice was an island, we had to catch a water taxi which took about 15-20 minutes. It was a very quiet ride as it was still a bit early in the morning but yet people were still filled with the quiet anticipation of seeing Venice. Once the first views of the Camponile Bell Tower came into view, ... read more

The 51st Venice Bienniale-International Art Exhibition Steps from my apartment. A 10 minute walk, in fact, to the gardens near St.Elena. During the year, the architectural structures called pavilions, built by various countries decades ago to host their artists every year here in the summer months of the Bienniale, are empty. But these months this very famous international art exhibition attracts people from all over the world. Among the trees and connected by sandy and pebble pathways are the distinctly different pavilions by such countries as Hungary, Uruguay, Romania, Korea, Iceland, Belgium and Russia. (In other parts of the city, in various palazzi and host sites, are countries such as Afghanistan, Croatia, Republic of Armenia, Ireland, Thailand and Argentina.) Each pavilion has the name of the country written on the front and is built in ... read more

The rims light by warm white lights, like the entrance guided by candlelight. Upon water. The horizon is constantly waving and firm ground is not a constant. Slightly nasal, but warm-sounding Venetian dialect. Unusual silences. Lack of cars, buses, motorinos and bicycles. Lapping of waves Up and down, and up and down, the rhythm of my journey over the small sets of marble stairs that cross over the canals, as often as I’d stop for a traffic light or a cross in the road. And the rhythm repeats on the water. Green like jade. Calming. Margins of the city a big sidewalk and the canals are secret entrances into the depths. Distant islands. Even number vaporettos go inland to the right, odd numbers to the left. Tall towers and huge, heavy marble facades. Pastels and moss. ... read more

Got up early to make it to breakfast and to watch us coming into the port of Venice which was very beautiful. We were all happy to get off the boat and cheered when we saw Ryan drive our faithful Contiki bus off the ship. Our Tour Manager made an announcement on the bus and said that there had been rumours on the boat that it wasn’t the right boat, but it was and that if we have issues we should come to him and he will tell us the truth, even though he said people would say he wouldn’t… it was a straight out lie again. The Greek employees on the boat told us that they normally carry Contiki but not on this boat and yes, the one that we normally go on was better. ... read more