18,715 steps, 8.38 miles, 22 floors
We woke up bright and early to catch the bus directly to Naples, departing at 6:40am. As the sun came up, we were able to enjoy the views of the Amalfi coast again as we cruised inland. When we arrived in Naples, I thought we had a few stops left but a woman told us this was the station, and Sierra and I frantically grabbed our stuff and jumped off the bus...leaving behind her favorite earbuds. Sad face.
At the station the ladies had trouble with my card so they told us to get on the fast train leaving in 5 min. They called over to the train so they would be expecting us. This was the "Italo" company, and the high-speed train so everything just seemed fancier and more modern. They were very nice, and this meant we would arrive earlier than expected in Venice!
Having Wifi on the train is a blessing, because you have little else to do other than plan out your next few days. On the Flipside, the last thing you want to do when you have <24 hours in Venice would be to sit in your room and use the Internet.
On the train there are a group of older women (maybe early 70's) who seem to be traveling together and having a great time. One of them speaks English, and tells us how she is from Salerno (on the Amalfi coast) but lives in Trieste now. She is traveling to visit her son in Venice. She and her friends give us treats and homemade espresso, ask us if the train feels fast (it supposedly goes 300 km/hr or about 185 mph), and tell us about a famous sail boat race in October in Trieste that we must see someday. She then tells us how southern Italians are the most gregarious and friendly to strangers. It kind of seems so!
We arrive in Venice and its bustling with people and boats moving back and forth, and we find our Air BnB easily. Alessandro, our host, is a vivacious Venetian and a welcoming local. He rents out two rooms, and has a really cool style throughout every room in the house. We had planned to get out as soon as possible to see Venice, but Alessandro (and his cute little 12 year old dog, Gina) told us all about what to do in Venice. He gave us water and wine and snacks and wrote down places to go, how to get there, and what to eat. We were so happy to have his advice! He speaks pretty good English but is clearly a perfectionist, and asks many questions as he wants to improve his English. It was nice to see such enthusiasm!
We take his map and decide to hit the 4-5 top recommendations. We got to a little bar called "la Cantina" and order Mortadella on Pan Nero (black bread).
We are supposed to have them slice with a knife, not the big machine. We have a couple of glasses of wine (still pretty inexpensive here) and I love every bite of the sandwich. The little cafe was pretty quaint, but it's on to spot #2. We go to a place to cross the main canal by gondola, and follow Alessandro's advice to go to the right and get on the one for locals. We act like we know what we're doing and are able to ride for €2 each. We try some Cichetti, which Alessandro raves about and thinks Americans need to start serving. It's basically like Tapas but you just order 1-by-1, and it's usually like 2-3 bites of toast with meat or fish or veggies on top. I have some swordfish...but Sierra declines the fishy options for now.
We walk all through the town and stop for gelato on our way to San Marco's square. I had warned Sierra about dive-bombing pigeons and advised that they can sense fear and don't let them see that you're afraid of them. I manage to catch a video of a pigeon stuck in a women's clothing store, and the use of a push broom to nudge him outward. Meanwhile, Sierra captures a nice photo of three gondola captains (?)...and then proceeds to tell me that while I was filming this ridiculous video and laughing like a little boy, she was getting some actual memorable shots. Haha. Touché. Her pic is at the top of this post.
Meanwhile, in the most romantic city in the world...lotsa lonely selfies:
Selfies with a peace sign
I call this one "double selfie." Apparently if you're a witch, you can take a selfie with a smartphone and tablet simultaneously.
The scene at San Marco square is a familiar one, consisting mainly of:
- big groups of Asian tourists, each with a camera out taking many, many, many pictures
- pushy salesmen
The fascinating thing was that while they had selfie sticks, they didn't really push them. One guy stuck a rose in Sierra's arm and refused to take it back, then followed us asking for money. Sierra nearly had to throw it back at him because he wanted our money. Then we noticed that even when Sierra took a selfie, all they did was throw birdseed at her feet. Great, buddy...just what we need is to lure these lovely Venetian pigeons even closer. Brilliant sales pitch. While I can't speak for Sierra, my feelings were a little bit hurt that they no longer wanted to sell me a selfie stick. I feel like chopped liver. :(
We wandered around on the waterfront area looking for a rooftop, but the one we'd been told about was closed. Then we couldn't find the pizza place on the waterfront that Alessandro recommended, but we saw a beautiful sunset for such a cloudy day.
We enjoyed being semi-lost on the way back to the north side of Venice, then decided to hit up the two restaurant recos. The first place was called Al Timon and had a boat in the canal that people sit on when the restaurant fills up. We let the bartender choose a few Cichetti and a glass of wine, then go out and sit on the canal.
The tapas-style apps were fantastic, and somehow apps and wine in the touristy city of Venice came out to €10. Score one for having a local guide! Then we went to Ai 40 Ladroni (Alessandro says "it means 40 theives, but don't let the name fool you they are nice guys") and had some pasta and a nice veggie side. Dinner was good, and we were ready to head in for the night.
You make me laugh. Can't wait to see the pigeon video!
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