Venice

Another overnight train - this time Vienna to Venice. This was due to be a slighter better journey as i had booked a 1st class sleeper with shower and wc. Unfortunately.................. when the train arrived there was only 2nd class carriages and my seat number turned out to be a couchette in a six berth carriage - albeit all to myself. The guard was very apologetic explaining that he had only found out 10 mins before time that the train was not its correct set up - whether they had not sold enough 1st class tickets or there was some form of mechanical breakdown i guess i will never know. Anyway you dont buy these tickets for the quality of the accomodation - it was somewhere to sleep, coffee and breakfast was provided just before arriving.

Transfer to my hotel was by bus, boat and then brief walk to hotel which is just off St Marks Square- so i arrived around 9am to drop off bags. Then spent sometime seeing some of the sights - my ticket gave me free travel for 24 hours so i decided to get boat to Lido to get my bearings, one stop back and then a walk back to hotel to check in properly.

 I am staying at a old fashioned (non chain) hotel - Hotel Montecarlo. You benefit from more interesting rooms, old fashioned service from a more mature staff and a more unique experience. You also find areas where the hotel is a bit tired, so there are pluses and minuses. 

Afternoon was some more wandering and a stop at Peggy Guggenheim which had some excellent modern art and a specific Surrealism exhibition.

Tuesday was my only full day in Venice, so spent the morning on another walking tour. Once again a small group and an interesting guide who provided details on the main attractions but also went "off piste" a bit to some more unique areas. I seemed to have been very lucky with my guides this trip, like today's host Valentina, they have been informative, enthusiastic and all provided personal observations/perspectves. After that i had a general walk around - its an interesting city where its easy and pleasurable to get lost (with google maps saftey valve when required). You see both history as well as how modern life goes on across its unique infrasructure. It truly deserves its title as "Birmingham of the South".

Photos of Venice - be warned they are not edited so may contain multiple/poor photos

Podcast of the day : Parenting Hell

Currently reading :  Agent in Berlin by Alex Gerlis