We went to Venezia (Venice) on a day trip, like many other visitors. But even a day made us realise the magic of this famed city.
This article is no. 9 in a series of 10. The 25 days long journey was on an InterRail train ticket a long time ago, in August 1991, to Germany, France and Italy. What follows are transcripts from my travel diary at the time. I have changed or added very little.
Tuesday 20.8.1991, Venice
We got up very early in Florence to catch the train to the city on pillars. I was feeling it would be nice to see it before it disappeared into the sea. And it turned out very nice indeed.
We managed to put our backpacks in a staffed luggage storage room for 1500 lire per bag.
In Venezia (Venice) we took a boat down the Grande Canal. There were many tourists everywhere, but it was fabulous to experience all the houses which stood with steps into the water. Some of the houses had sunk so much that water was inside, while others had a clearing of only 20-30 centimetres.
We aimed for the Piazza San Marco with all its resident pigeons and visiting people. The Bridge of Sighs was for us a sigh of disappointment, but fine to have experienced.
After this we left for a walk around the city: Into an alley, across a bridge, around a corner. Infinitely. Without a map and the municipal signposts we would still be walking around in there.
In the end we became very content and went back to the railway station for a side trip to Padova (Padua in English), where there was nothing in particular to see. The return train was heavily delayed and we were running out of time. We made it, but were only able to have an unromantic meal at the railway station restaurant.
Money spent in Italy: 358 NOK per person per day, approximately 53 USD.
Our journey on a map
This is the map of our journey through parts of Europe, on this InterRail. It includes all published articles, both travelogues and the World heritage sites we visited. There are also markers indicating links to articles with pictures from a particular country (including pictures from other trips).
We travelled by train, however the lines on the map show what a road trip by car would have been. Unfortunately, it is not possible to draw train lines on Google Maps.
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All chapters in this series from 1991:
(1) Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany: Here is my diary from an InterRail train journey through Sweden, Denmark and Germany, to France and Italy.
(2) Paris & Versailles: Sightseeing in Paris and a day at Versailles.
(3) Normandie and Bretagne: A famous tapestry and D-Day beaches in Normandy and a strange mountain in the sea in Brittany.
(4) The Loire Valley and its palaces: Grand palaces and parks in the Loire Valley.
(5) Provence and the Cote d’Azur: The papal city of Avignon with an unfinished bridge, picturesque villages in Provence and a first look at the French Riviera.
(6) Monaco: A short stop in Monaco before continuing to Rome.
(7) Roma and the Vatican: In Italy we went to Roma (Rome), several cities in Tuscany and a final day in Venice, before returning to France. Here is first the account of the Eternal City of Rome and a visit to the Vatican.
(8) Toscana: A few hectic days in Tuscany, in the old cities of Florence, Lucca, Pisa, Arezzo and Siena.
(9) Venezia: Venice on a day trip, like many other visitors. But even a day made us realise the magic of this famed city. (THIS ARTICLE)
(10) French Riviera: Lazy, lovely days on the Cote d’Azur… and the long way home.