Our train to Venice left Interlaken early in the morning and took about six and a half hours after switching trains in Spiez and Milan. When we arrived we were surprised to find that our hostel was a mere five minute walk over the Ponte degli Scalzi and down an alley. Considering it was a scorching day out and we were sweating bullets the walk couldn’t have been any easier. After settling in to our room (which was actually four blocks away from the main hostel) we decided to spend the rest of the day exploring the Sante Croce Sestiere region where our hostel was located. The Absolut Venice hostel is on the complete opposite side of Venice from the famous landmark of Piazza San Marco, so we decided to leave that until the next full day.
After exploring for a while and stopping in a market to buy ingredients for dinner, we stumbled upon a little wine store that was selling wine from barrels. We could get a liter of various types of wine from reds, whites and prosecco for as little as 2 euros. They fill the wine into plastic water bottles which made us feel like we were drinking bootleg wine. We decided to get a liter of prosecco to go with our dinner.
After dinner, we decided to head out and explore with the locals and catch the World Cup games. We caught up with the hostel run pub crawl after the game and decided to join them for their trek to a beach for the late night beach party. However, this trip turned out to be quite the adventure. After what seemed to be a 45 minute water ferry to an island on the outskirt of the city, we walked for another 15 minutes across the island until we reached the Adriatic Sea. After making this trip we decided it would be a waste to not go in.
The trip back was even more of an adventure as we were now soaking wet, with no towels, and it was almost three o’clock in the morning. Our guide must have taken us the longest possible route to get home because we got off the wrong exit on the water ferry and walked almost 45 minutes through various neighborhoods and alleys of Venice. For anyone who has never been to Venice, the city is a labyrinth that even the locals get lost in. Ally and I felt like Hansel and Gretel, needing to leave bread crumbs to help us get back to our hostel.
Good news about traveling in Venice is that every major landmark is posted with an arrow on almost every single street corner. You’ll never know exactly how long it will take for you to get there, but at least the locals are giving the tourists a chance by pointing them in the right direction.
The next morning we checked out of our hostel, put our bags in storage and headed out to explore the rest of the city before our 9:20 train to Slovenia. We took the water taxi around the outside of the city to Piazza San Marco instead of walking the maze through the middle. When we got there we decided to go up the bell tower for a panoramic view of the city that cost us 8 euros each, not exactly a cheap choice. Afterwards we wondered the streets searching for the Rialto market and the Rialto bridge and got to do some shopping.
Then it seemed like someone turned up the heat on the oven because we began to roast. I never thought that I would want to be out of a city so quickly. After exploring every major site in the city, despite not being able to travel to the surrounding islands to see the glass-making, we searched desperately for something to take up some time before our train. We went out to eat at a little restaurant that our hostel recommended. We thought it was going to be a cute little family style place and the looks of it disappointed. However, the small portions and fairly high prices made us second guess the advice.
We made it to the train station with plenty of time to spare for our four and a half hour journey to Ljubjana, Slovenia.
Wow – how much can two people pack into two days in one city?? You guys are amazing. Not many people can say they have swam in the Adriatic Sea in the middle of the night. This whole adventure sounded a bit dangerous, swimming in the dark and walking through the city in the middle of the night – be careful!!! Come home in one piece!!! Love, Mom