So I kind reached Roma termini at 11pm, and I was duly picked up by one of my not so familiar friend K. He already had metro tickets, but since the last metro was about 11, we obviously missed.So then we had to wait for the night bus, for our destination. Yes we are a group of motley students who were on a shoe string budget, but big dreams to go for a big Euro trip. A memorable journey to last for a lifetime.
After about waiting for half an hour we got the bus of our choice which dropped us off at cornelia metro station, and then after a 15 minute walk, we reached a beautiful pinewood orchard, well technically it can't be an Orchard, I always thought it applied to apples, and oranges, but I'm sure you get the picture. Right opposite to the hotel, we had our hotel. One of the best of its kind especially , when your tired after that hectic journey of the previous day. So we arrived.
The very next day at about 7, we were off to Roma termini, by a taxi. A word of warning, whenever you catch a taxi from the hotel, don't be surprised if the meter is running, as a rule, most taxi's arrive to the hotel, with their meters on, so by the time you reach your destination, your fare could be anything from 20 Euro to 40 Euro, depending on the distance of Roma termini to your hotel. We always made it in 20 Euros,which i still believe is a bit expensive, but since we traveled in a group, so it didn't hurt our pockets by that much.
We had to catch the 7am train to Venice, and we reached well ahead of time, the only disappointment was, that all of us had to travel in different coaches since we bought the tickets in different times. A word of caution Trenitalia, requires passenger reservation for all its trains. Especially the intercity, so make sure you reserved your journey, I saw a group of korean tourists utterly dismayed, that they had to pay extra charges for reservation despite having a euro rail pass and not to forget an additional fine.
But if your a last minute traveller like me, then don't worry either, I bought myself a reserved ticket from the electronic ticket machine, the previous night, so I had a reserved seat. :) :)
Journey to venice is rather beautiful, as the super fast train glides along seamlessly, you observe a wider palate of colors, from the greenish fields, to the pale pink skies, and then a touch of gloomy grayish clouds, and yellow fields. Its no wonder , why artists across the world would love to paint the country side with vibrant images. I personally believe, every country side has distinct images, with contrasting colors that would enthrall even the most pickiest traveller. The decision to travel by train has been by far the best because you discover so much on these journeys. The landscapes constantly change.
It looks magical once the golden sundays turn into crispy bright yellow, the hues play in your mind and create lasting images on your memory.
At roughly about 2.5 hours we entered Venice, and the entrance to Venice was beautiful, it was almost as if we just entered this magnificent stranded island, with isolated log binds floating around, a beautiful serene reception for the train chugging along.
Once we departed for the station , we see a sparkling green canal way greeting us and huge bill board with the latest fashion undo. (Italians and their breathtaking style). And once when you have got over the frenzy of paparazzi clicking mania over the central bridge, be sure to walk along the pathways to venice, to the main destination of St, Michael's square. The walk around the cobbled pathways are sure to lure you deeper into the city and some of the older lanes have this shrouded mysterious look, that will guarantee a second look in those quaint lanes.
You can be assured of exploring the path ways and leading yourself to the colorful open air market.
Tradidtional day to day mundane stuff, along with lovely delicate venetian masks are on display. There are chances that you will find them at a real bargain price, compared to the shops just a few meters from the train station. Every mask is bound to catch you attention, and the colors to the texture will draw you at least once to try one of those beautiful masks.
Make sure you try one of the sweet meat that are widely available in the traditional square market. I can assure you , will have plenty of choices to begin with before the heady aroma of the food tempts you to over indulge even before you reach the major tourist attractions.
After about waiting for half an hour we got the bus of our choice which dropped us off at cornelia metro station, and then after a 15 minute walk, we reached a beautiful pinewood orchard, well technically it can't be an Orchard, I always thought it applied to apples, and oranges, but I'm sure you get the picture. Right opposite to the hotel, we had our hotel. One of the best of its kind especially , when your tired after that hectic journey of the previous day. So we arrived.
The very next day at about 7, we were off to Roma termini, by a taxi. A word of warning, whenever you catch a taxi from the hotel, don't be surprised if the meter is running, as a rule, most taxi's arrive to the hotel, with their meters on, so by the time you reach your destination, your fare could be anything from 20 Euro to 40 Euro, depending on the distance of Roma termini to your hotel. We always made it in 20 Euros,which i still believe is a bit expensive, but since we traveled in a group, so it didn't hurt our pockets by that much.
We had to catch the 7am train to Venice, and we reached well ahead of time, the only disappointment was, that all of us had to travel in different coaches since we bought the tickets in different times. A word of caution Trenitalia, requires passenger reservation for all its trains. Especially the intercity, so make sure you reserved your journey, I saw a group of korean tourists utterly dismayed, that they had to pay extra charges for reservation despite having a euro rail pass and not to forget an additional fine.
But if your a last minute traveller like me, then don't worry either, I bought myself a reserved ticket from the electronic ticket machine, the previous night, so I had a reserved seat. :) :)
Journey to venice is rather beautiful, as the super fast train glides along seamlessly, you observe a wider palate of colors, from the greenish fields, to the pale pink skies, and then a touch of gloomy grayish clouds, and yellow fields. Its no wonder , why artists across the world would love to paint the country side with vibrant images. I personally believe, every country side has distinct images, with contrasting colors that would enthrall even the most pickiest traveller. The decision to travel by train has been by far the best because you discover so much on these journeys. The landscapes constantly change.
It looks magical once the golden sundays turn into crispy bright yellow, the hues play in your mind and create lasting images on your memory.
At roughly about 2.5 hours we entered Venice, and the entrance to Venice was beautiful, it was almost as if we just entered this magnificent stranded island, with isolated log binds floating around, a beautiful serene reception for the train chugging along.
Once we departed for the station , we see a sparkling green canal way greeting us and huge bill board with the latest fashion undo. (Italians and their breathtaking style). And once when you have got over the frenzy of paparazzi clicking mania over the central bridge, be sure to walk along the pathways to venice, to the main destination of St, Michael's square. The walk around the cobbled pathways are sure to lure you deeper into the city and some of the older lanes have this shrouded mysterious look, that will guarantee a second look in those quaint lanes.You can be assured of exploring the path ways and leading yourself to the colorful open air market.
Tradidtional day to day mundane stuff, along with lovely delicate venetian masks are on display. There are chances that you will find them at a real bargain price, compared to the shops just a few meters from the train station. Every mask is bound to catch you attention, and the colors to the texture will draw you at least once to try one of those beautiful masks.
Make sure you try one of the sweet meat that are widely available in the traditional square market. I can assure you , will have plenty of choices to begin with before the heady aroma of the food tempts you to over indulge even before you reach the major tourist attractions.
