As beautiful and historic as a city may be, it’s the people who make it special. When travelling as a couple, especially when staying in hotels, it’s usually the hotel staff, tour guides, restaurant staff etc., that you meet. When we used to stay in youth hostels we would meet all kinds of people but hotels are much less social.
We met some lovely people on trains too. Next time we’ll catch more trains. People on planes tend not to chat. Thank goodness.
Shout out to the staff at the Nyx Hotel in London, the Nox in Utrecht, the Cortile in Budapest (wow), the Appartement-Hotel An Der Riemergasse in Vienna and Boban Suites in Split who went above and beyond and always with a smile and a sense of humour. Being in the tourism sector can no doubt have its moments of frustration but these hotels have got something right in the hiring and training process.
I won’t mention the hotels with the disinterested staff but a special mention must go to the new hotel in Salzburg for hotel-room shaming us.
We booked the high-level extended room (they only had a junior suite above that) and when we asked for a kettle (there is a small free mini bar but no tea/coffee making facilities) we were told ‘the better rooms have Nespresso machines’ and ‘people go out for coffee.’
Well we don’t drink coffee, Hans, and I want a cup of tea first thing in the morning so, no, I don’t want to go out for tea in my jammies, HANS. Sorry we only booked the $300 a night room.
Sorry, where was I?
Yeah, the people you meet can colour your impression of a city.
The train through the Dolomites from Salzburg to Venice is a mix of rolling farmland, the occasional castle-topped hill, and long tunnels interspersed with gaps providing spectacular glimpses of the magical landscape of the limestone mountains.
And proof that the Italians can make mistakes. Udine train station is only an hour (and a world away) from Venice is quite ugly. I thought everything the Italians did was beautiful!
We finally arrived in Venice mid afternoon. Hubby asked whether we needed to catch a bus. ‘No, you just walk out and there’s Venice,’ I said. We walked out of the station and the Grand Canal was right in front of us. Other than by boat, or maybe helicopter, there’s no better way to arrive in Venice.
Our accommodation was an apartment on the main street heading from the station and on a small canal with a gondolier right outside. It was old-school Venice with cool terrazzo floors and windows with views over to the Grand Canal. It was right above a Lush cosmetics shop too which was a bonus because I desperately needed moisturiser. We unpacked and headed out to find some urgent supplies i.e. wine, bread and cheese, and headed to the jetty and watched a fashion shoot while we waited for our friends to arrive.
The evening started strong with nibbles then dinner at a tiny restaurant around the corner and ended many hours later with us being ejected from a jazz bar. I’m not sure why it was called a jazz bar, because they played classic 90s rock. The next day was sultry and our sore heads and dry mouths took us to a cute little bistro. Hubby took a side quest and headed back to the apartment with the help of our waiter from the previous night’s dinner. I dragged the others all over Venice and much oohing and aahing later we dragged our asses back to the apartment for a well-earned nap.
After a much quieter dinner and we took a wander around St Mark’s with gelato before an early night.
The next day was just as bright and hot so we set off for the beach! Vaporetti Line 6 takes you out to the Lido and a short walk across the island finds you at Blue Moon Beach. We paid 45euros per couple to hire lounges under an umbrella and access to bathrooms. We hired paddle boards and had lunch and generally lazed in the shade or in the water all day. Coming from Australia, I rarely spend even an hour on the beach. We ride our bikes, have a dip then get out of the sun.
It was a magic day.
We had pasta again for dinner… what else would we have?
Our last day in Venice was dark and stormy. Such a huge contrast to the days that preceded it. We packed up and stowed our bags in the corridor, a rare moment of trust for me, and set off to the Doges’ Palace and St Mark’s Basilica. I have been to Venice before but had never been to either and I will have to return as they wouldn’t let me in with shorts on. Usually I carry a sarong for such situations but I didn’t have it with me this time.
We were lucky enough to see some flooding in St Mark’s piazza but it wasn’t too bad, a combination high tide and storm surge. After an entertaining lunch in a tiny cafe it was time to set off on our next adventure. A flight to Split, Croatia, with an hour to transfer between flights in Vienna. It had been raining intermittently during the day, but it set in while we were traveling to the airport. The place was packed and one after the other, flights were cancelled. We decided not to panic and headed upstairs for a drink.
When it was time to board, we trudged down to the gate and crammed ourselves in with the other nervous people as the storm raged outside complete with lightning and thunder. Our departure time came and went and we tried not to be too nervous. Even as we were taxiing on the runway I was certain they would cancel the flight but soon enough we were in the air and on our way to Split. Bu
But first we had to make our connecting flight in Vienna.
