21/11/24
Though we had plans to leave early we still found time for some pancakes in the morning. They were quick and easy and they even had some bicarbonate of soda in the cupboard for some slightly fluffier wheat. Banana, apple and chopped almonds for the toppings.
The bus from Mestre to the island left from directly outside the flat. The first issue was that while a ticket is €1.50, it doubles if you buy it on the bus. So after asking a local, we went to the ‘tabacchi’ to buy tickets. We needn’t have bothered. Like most European cities we’ve visited, everyone gets on at any of the doors. Nobody scans a pass or ticket. We did though, it’s just not worth the potential hassle for €3.
It was a very busy bus, as was every bus arriving in the bus terminal. Even in November on a Thursday. We’d read online that you can get a good view of the city from the horrible looking car park. We went up to the top, but it wasn’t particularly useful. Not quite tall enough. It did have toilets though.
We set our first destination as the San Marco Piazza. When we’d browsed the night before for the best things to see on a budget they were mostly on the way or on that side of the city. It was an enjoyable walk. Most people caught the vaporetto (water bus) it seemed. There were few people in the streets we went up and down over the little bridges above the canals. Although it feels like a maze, there aren’t many different routes you can take, as you need to cross the channels of water.
On many of the bridges people were stopped chatting, they seemed to be natural meeting points. There were often gondola pilots too. It was €90 for a 30 minute ride. We passed on the offer of course. On every street corner were little arrows pointing to ‘S. Marco’. We arrived at the Rialto bridge soon enough. A destination in itself, but also an important thoroughfare across the Grand Canal, which winds its way through the islands.
Soon everything was called San Marco, we had to be close. It was a beautiful sight to walk out onto, it’s undeniable. Lines and lines arches overlooked by Saint Marks Basilica and the dominating tower of the cathedral. The latter is a completely separate structure. We observed the sights and the floods of people arriving. There were boardwalks stacked up ready to be utilised when the ‘acqua alta’ (high water) arrived. The piazza is famously one of the lowest points of the city and will likely be flooded by water too soon.
The only place on the island to still roast coffee is a cafe that’s been doing so since 1930 called Torrefazione Cannaregio. It also happens to sell vegan croissants and tarts. It’s in the ‘hip’ part of the city too. We enjoyed our walk over there, and the fig croissant & hazelnut chocolate tart but not the vegan tax of 60c a drink they tried to sting us with. We say tried, because you pay at the end by telling them what you had. So we told them the name of our drink and ‘forgot’ to mention we had oat milk. Oops.
To travel by vaporetto round Venice you need a ticket that either costs €9.50 for 75 minutes, or €25 for 24 hours. You can also get one for €35 for 48 hours. It’s obvious to see what they’ve done there. These give you unlimited travel on the buses and boats and trains, even onto the mainland. As we were wanting to utilise the pass more the following day, we decided to wait until the afternoon before purchasing 24 hour tickets.
So we walked some more. It’s more than just a very walkable city. There are no cars, bicycles or even scooters. It’s very relaxing. We made our way to some (free to enter) churches and popped into some exhibitions that were advertised on the pavement. After a while we got more peckish. We found a Coop supermarket tucked behind the hospital. The hospital was actually in a ridiculously beautiful building and it’s hard not to find the rows of ambulance boats moored outside novel. Even more so when you see them speeding around the water with their sirens on.
We got extremely lost trying to make our way back to a ticket machine. Not all the vaporetto stops sell tickets and we couldn’t get through a large exhibition hall that was hosting an art event. Another woman was trying to get into the hall but couldn’t find her way either. By half 2 we’d boarded a water bus to Murano. The place famous for glass. It was very quiet and not very interesting. Lines of shops selling pieces of glass, that to be honest it was hard not to question the origin of. It seemed likely they were made in Asia when they only cost a €1.
When we were walking around the islands of Venice it was hard not to notice how rundown a lot of it was. The buildings all in disrepair, the brickwork lacking mortar, many of them unoccupied. We wondered if the reliance on tourism, there is nothing else here anymore, or the anticipation of being underwater, was the cause. The MOSE project is an idea to protect the city from further flooding. A cynic could think it was mainly to protect the tourist industry. It is a series of inflatable barriers that would rise to keep the level of water lower in the Venetian Lagoon than the rest of the Adriatic Sea. It’s been plagued with corruption and therefore cost far more than it should have done. The problem is, that as sea levels rise the barriers would need to be up more and more. And if they stayed up the lagoon would be prevented from mixing with the incoming waters leading to a stagnant pond.
It was getting dark and as we boarded the boat back to the mainland we met an English couple who were also overwhelmed by the ferry system and numbers. They were nice people with a lot of travelling experience, and they told us of the cities in the Middle East before they had become mega metropolises. We chatted away the journey back to San Marco and then, bidding them farewell, we jumped on the boat back to the train station.
It was now completely dark and we ran to grab a fast train back to Mestre. But it didn’t leave on time anyway. We hadn’t been on a train in Europe yet and it’s hard not to envy what they have. Beautiful big carriages, with comfortable seats, two stories and clear displays with a map even. Two stops later we back on the mainland and went to a local supermarket to get pizza supplies. Again. We are crazy after all.
We had a relaxing night and even enjoyed a chocolate pizza for dessert. If you haven’t had one you should. We were going to cycle to the island of Venice tomorrow. Well kind of.
Surly They Won't Make It 