Torturing students, pizza, coffee and a freezer in the room.

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Venice day 1: Torturing students, pizza, coffee and a freezer in the room....



Those of you who have read my blogs before may know that even small things can wind me up but today I feel sorry for the students of Venice University. It was their big day today, graduation day, which back home is a day of celebration. Here they make the students wear wreaths on their head and walk the streets looking rather foolish it has to be said. All those years of hard work and it's thorn of crowns time chaps, off round the streets you go to be laughed at so much you feel you should do some chanting so it looks like you're having a good time. I suppose you had the pleasure of living in Venice while you studied so maybe you should have to suffer at the end.



An Italian had wound me up before we even landed you may be surprised to hear. We're coming in to land, one cabin crew member has told you to put your laptop away, another is standing over you saying he has to see you put your laptop away so PUT YOU LAPTOP AWAY!! No you don't just need to copy and paste, you were warned ages ago that we were landing, PUT YOUR LAPTOP AWAY!! In my head I slammed the laptop shut on his fingers and the whole plane clapped me before bursting into rapturous applause. But I didn't even tut.



Anyway, we flew with Easyjet so, rather than paying baggage fees we decided to get all our luggage into a cabin bag. And yes that includes camera equipment. We fitted everything in though including tripods but were both soon getting stopped at the scanning point. I have had my tripod for about 18 months now so when the security lady asked me if there was a tool in there somewhere I was confident the answer was no.



I was wrong. In a pocket inside the tripod bag that I'd never seen before there was a kit including an allen key and three spikes that fit on the ends of my tripod legs. Having it confiscated wasn't such a bad thing as I never even knew I had it until today! Claire lost a tool that goes with her filter holder. She knew that existed though.



After folding myself out of the tiny space I was allowed on the plane we were soon looking for our transport into the city. I'd prebooked a return journey by water bus and we were soon crammed into a boat with hardly a view. People were struggling to find somewhere to sit but it might have been easier for them if some selfish gits didn't have their bags on the seats! Grrrrr.....



As we got into actual Venice itself the view was better and we were taking pictures out of the small windows. We were the last ones on the boat so we had plenty of room to move around by the time we got to our stop.



Google maps showed us to our accommodation, Backpacker's House and we were soon being offered a room five minutes walk away.....but we're not sure why... The guy showed us pictures of a room with two single beds which he said we could push together. So we opted for the double bed at the place we were already in and still aren't sure why he offered us the other place. The room is fine, we have a balcony and we aren't too far from anywhere including some cheap and popular pizza places. And we have a fridge.....that says superfrost on it....and looks and acts rather like a freezer.... I think the food we bought for breakfast may be a bit hard by morning.



So we've been for a bit of a wander and have been both over and under the Rialto bridge. We've meandered through San Marco although it was dark by this time so we need to go back. This was where they had brought the graduating students to be tortured earlier in the day as everything was being packed away including a gallows and a guillotine (or it might have been chairs and a stage....easily confused).



Venice is a maze of alleyways, canals and open squares all featuring some amazing architecture of various styles and colours. There are shops I can't even afford to walk past and there are shops where you can buy four glass figures for €2. There are restaurants where you have to put your mortgage deeds up as collateral and places selling huge pizzas for less than £10. Oh and places where you can get excellent gelato for just €1.50....so we did.



After wandering for a while we got some shopping in to freeze and then headed for pizza at a nearby cafe. The double espresso was strong enough to warrant an Esther Rantzen....it made your lips pull back over your teeth... Glorious it was and the pizza was good too and not too expensive.



As usual nowadays our day ends with blog writing and tonight I get to do it to the sound of my breakfast being frozen solid...

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Comments

[RENanDREW]

Venice
I really wish you'd 'tutted' laptop guy! How rude. Pizza and gelato at good prices - what more could anyone need? :)