I promise this is the last Easter Break post.
The next morning was our last in Rome. We packed up our things, took them to the train station for storage, and headed out for the Pantheon. One tip about storing luggage at Statzione Termini in Rome: you are not supposed to have a bag over 20 kg. I don’t think they really enforce that, but do all you can to keep it under. The Pantheon is actually a quick stop. It’s beautiful and ancient, but there is not that much to do except walk around the inside and the crumbling outside. There’s a fountain in the piazza with an obelisk shooting up from the center, but the only other thing to do in the piazza is eat or shop. We ate. I believe we ate a place with the name M. Agrippa in it, but there may be multiple ones like that since those words (the name) are on the front of the Pantheon. Very good pizza there, though.
On the way back, we stopped for some gelato, but that was it. We headed for the station and got on a train to Venice, which leaves every hour. The train is about 4-5 hours in length, so make sure you leave time for that, whether you’re doing a day trip or just traveling around Italy. I did not want to get into Venice at night since I did not know the city so we left at 1:45 and got in at about 5:30.
Luckily the tourist information desk was still open or else we might not have done so well in Venice our first night. Tip number 1: buy a map!!! It will come in handy and the money (they're cheap) was well worth it. By train, you come into Venice via Venezia St. Lucia. It's at the western part of the island which is cut somewhat in half (more of an 's' shape than an outright cut) by the Grand Canal. From the train station, we took a water bus, or vaporetto, to a pier very close to our hotel. We stayed in Hotel Alla Salute which is almost to the eastern tip of the southern half of Venice. Once Dana and I had checked in and dragged our stuff to the room, we quickly headed out in search of food.
Instead of heading into the heart of Venice, though, we headed for the southern most part of our side of the island. We saw the lovely sunset, although clouds were coming in, and we ate along the water. By the way, in terms of flooding and smells, we went at the perfect time. The only places you could actually smell the not-so-nice-smelling water was right at the edge of the walls. Sometimes you actually had to be sitting there. Also, Venice floods in the fall. We were there in the spring. Perfect. And the first thing to flood is Piazza San Marco, Venice's lowest point. Anyway, we got gelato after dinner and continued to walk down the side of the canal between the main island and Giudecca which lies across an even larger canal than the Grand Canal. Giudecca is still part of Venice, though, technically. We did turn eventually, to lead more toward the heart of the city, but we sort of weren't sure where to go from there and didn't want to backtrack. So we kept going and going and going. This is where a map comes in handy. Luckily, I was able to get us out and back to the gelato place. Once we found it, we knew where we were. However, it had started to rain lightly at this point so we headed back as quickly as possible.
The next morning, we went to Piazza San Marco. The basilica in the piazza is gorgeous. It literally just springs up almost out of nowhere. It doesn't seem to fit with the architecture of the other buildings, but it's phenomenal all the same. Next door is the Doge's Palace. The Doge was a political title and he held the same sort of powers as a president, but the Council began to diminish these powers and eventually the position was done away with. It's kind of expensive to get in, but I liked it a lot. I had just read a book called The Book of Unholy Mischief which is set in Venice. The main character is an orphan who begins to work for the head chef in the Doge's Palace so it was neat to see the places described like Piazza San Marco and the Rialto.
Speaking of the Rialto, as Dana and I headed that way to find lunch, we decided to stop by a gondolier who seemed to be taking a break on a bridge (one of many in Venice) and asked what the price would be. Average is about €80 for 40 minutes. That was for two people. We said we were just curious and were going to eat lunch. As we began to walk away, the gondolier must have thought we were trying to make him go lower in price and lower he went. We got to take the same amount of time in the gondola for only €60 total. That meant only €30 per person. We liked that. And it was neat. He gave us some interesting facts as we passed buildings:
Did you know that the Rialto bridge is the oldest on the Grand Canal dating back to 1588? Yep. Cool, huh?
Anyway, there was more but that's all I can think of at the moment. The rest of the day seemed to pass uneventfully. We ate lunch, did a little souvenir shopping, the usual. That night, we ate in a little piazza that we had stumbled across on the first night and we came back to get gelato.
The next morning, we checked out of the hotel, hopped on the vaporetto once more, and took the train to Pisa, having to first switch trains in Florence. Once in Pisa, we stored our luggage and headed back toward the tower. This time, however, we did not do quite so much picture-taking. Dana and I got some gelato (which seems to be the theme throughout this break, doesn't it?) and sat in the fading evening light while watching the other tourists take the stereotypical pictures of trying to either push the tower over or back up. We did take a couple more pictures, but that was all. There were a ton of souvenir stalls along the street by the tower and it's accompanying duomo. We had to get a few things, of course. They have shot glasses that are actually leaning over. Do you realize how difficult it would be to pour anything into one of those when you're drunk? Yikes! Of course, I bought one.
That night (late) we flew back into Pisa via Ryan Air. I have nothing good to say about Ryan Air except that it is cheap. I have been treated like an idiot by their agents at the ticket counter and they are terrible about ever starting anything on time, although they pride themselves at landing on time. Still, I do not recommend them.
One more night and day in London was all we had left of that trip. A tip when re-entering the UK? Make sure you have the correct documentation with the correct dates. If you're studying from January 2010 to May 2010 and do not have a student visa, make sure that whatever papers you have with you (and you had better have some) have the correct dates. If it says Jan. 2010 to Jan 2011, you must have a visa or they cannot let you back in! If you have to, call and ask, but please make sure you have what you need. My letter of acceptance got me through, but a friend of mine only had a paper from the school saying where she was living and what she was studying. The problem was that it said she was studying in the UK for a year. Whoever had issued the paper did not bother to check the date.
Anyway, Dana and I got to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square and made over to Buckingham Palace. We caught a glimpse of Hyde Park and saw Harrod's quickly before heading to the airport. If you're doing like we did and wish to store luggage at a train station, beware that St. Pancras International charges £8 per bag for the first 24 hours (or part thereof). Just sayin'.
May I also add that I am so glad to be back? I mean, I had a great time and the weather was beautiful and I really enjoyed the sun even with the burn I got, but I'm so tired. This vacation was exhausting! I knew I had to blog before I forgot anything, but I can't wait to go to bed. I hope I gave as detailed an account as you hoped for. For 12 days worth, I think I did all right. And now you know what I've been up to for the last 2 weeks or so. Thanks for reading! There should be more to come, but for now... Ciao!
Kilts checked to date... 118
