I got up pretty early the next morning, packed my things, and high-tailed it out of there as soon as possible. I caught the bus back to Florence (again, I´m not sure why I did just do a day trip, since I had to come back to Florence anyway) and then hopped the train to Venice. This time, everything went wonderfully smooth. I just hopped on the train, settled in, and read my Venice guidebook.
Arriving in Venice was sort of like a fairytale. You step off the train, walk out of the station, and you´re met with this incredible city on the water. What´s that? I have to take a boat to get to my hostel? Oh, okay.
I took the vaporetto, which is a water bus, to the hostel. Following their directions, I found the place just fine. (Although that was probably the last time I found anything "just fine" in Venice. More on that later.) Walking into the hostel was shocking. The place was called "The Museum," and with good reason. The hostel was in a palace that was built by the Morosini family more than 400 years ago. I am kicking myself for not taking more photos of the place, but here´s a shot of the ceiling in my room.
Incredible, right? So, upon arrival I realized I didn´t have enough cash to pay for my room, so I asked the guy at the desk where the nearest ATM was. The first thing he asked was, "Do you have a map?" And with good reason. He pulled out a map to loan me, and for the first time I realized how confusing the city is. There are probably a thousand tiny little streets that turn and curve and often the street names are different than they are printed on the map. It is basically a labyrinth, designed to get you as lost as possible. And I was up for the challenge.
I went out and found the ATM ok following the directions Sam had given me. Then I decided to just wander around for a while. And yes, I got lost. But its actually not as bad as it sounds. As long as you know a landmark that is near your destination, there are signs all over the city, both official and graffiti, that point you towards various locations. Typically, once I was at the Rialto, I could find my way back to the hostel. With a map.
The hostel provided a free pasta dinner, that night, which I gladly participated in. There was also banana cake. After dinner, a group of people from the hostel set out to the Rialto in search of alcohol. We found it. It was a fun, and ultimately pretty laid back evening involving several bottles of cheap red wine. (And there may have been some shots that you set on fire in your mouth.) It took us about four times as long to get home as it did to get there. Alcohol and labryinths do not mix.
Arriving in Venice was sort of like a fairytale. You step off the train, walk out of the station, and you´re met with this incredible city on the water. What´s that? I have to take a boat to get to my hostel? Oh, okay.
I took the vaporetto, which is a water bus, to the hostel. Following their directions, I found the place just fine. (Although that was probably the last time I found anything "just fine" in Venice. More on that later.) Walking into the hostel was shocking. The place was called "The Museum," and with good reason. The hostel was in a palace that was built by the Morosini family more than 400 years ago. I am kicking myself for not taking more photos of the place, but here´s a shot of the ceiling in my room.
Incredible, right? So, upon arrival I realized I didn´t have enough cash to pay for my room, so I asked the guy at the desk where the nearest ATM was. The first thing he asked was, "Do you have a map?" And with good reason. He pulled out a map to loan me, and for the first time I realized how confusing the city is. There are probably a thousand tiny little streets that turn and curve and often the street names are different than they are printed on the map. It is basically a labyrinth, designed to get you as lost as possible. And I was up for the challenge.
I went out and found the ATM ok following the directions Sam had given me. Then I decided to just wander around for a while. And yes, I got lost. But its actually not as bad as it sounds. As long as you know a landmark that is near your destination, there are signs all over the city, both official and graffiti, that point you towards various locations. Typically, once I was at the Rialto, I could find my way back to the hostel. With a map.
The hostel provided a free pasta dinner, that night, which I gladly participated in. There was also banana cake. After dinner, a group of people from the hostel set out to the Rialto in search of alcohol. We found it. It was a fun, and ultimately pretty laid back evening involving several bottles of cheap red wine. (And there may have been some shots that you set on fire in your mouth.) It took us about four times as long to get home as it did to get there. Alcohol and labryinths do not mix.
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