Venice

Trip: Copenhagen > Venice > Naples > Copenhagen

Happy couples walking hand-in-hand or laying comfortably on long boats (gondolas) would consider this island a heaven. Venice is not for loners. Even the fascination of sauntering through congested alleys and artful bridges does not compensate for the loneliness a bachelor feels in this ancient city of romance. 

Waterbus system@Venice

I reached Venice on a wet November evening and it took me some time to figure out that youth hostel was at the opposite end of the island not reachable by foot.

Footmap@Venice

The waterbus system in Venice is amazingly convinient with a frequency of 10 minutes at most. Youth hostel was on La Giudecca and I had enough time to check-in, settle and take a bite at a nearby restaurant. Next morning I woke up early to see the Venecian sunrise. It was a treat.

Venecian sunrise

I spent a couple of hours exploring this isle which had its share of architecture Venice is famous for. A swift breakfast followed before I was ready to move on.

Campanile@Venice

I checked out of my bed and took a waterbus for Basilica di San Marco, one of the most magnificent structures in Venice  The crowd moved on planks that were put for high tides which had filled the vast ground in front of Basilica. 

Santa Maria@Venice

A number of tourists were climbing up the tall structure tagged as the Campanile. The tickets were not accomodating in my budget although I could imagine a top view of Venice would have been something. 

Island of Saint Giorgio Maggiore@Venice

Moving with the crowd through age-old market places I was in front of Santa Maria. A wide serpentine aquaduct dissects Venice which I had to cross via a newly constructed bridge to reach this place.

Gondolas@Venice

Moving further towards the station end I could see the youth hostel on the other side. There was a series of confusing turns and keeping a track of direction was really difficult. Somehow I managed to reach the landmark Ponte de Rialto bridge. This is basically the centre of Venice and from here it is much easier to navigate.

Ponte de Rialto@Venice

I realized that taking a 24 hr waterbus pass for 18 Euro would hav made much better sense. Not that trudging through the maze was any less mesmerizing. Taking lunch at Burger King nearby, I moved further towards the station as my train for Naples was scheduled at 6 in the evening.