Venezia

The transition from Swiss Alps to Italian Alps was predictably noticeable. Carbinieri checked (the existence of) passports while the engine was changed up front. We were running behind schedule after the first italian stop, because italian stops are one cigarette in length, not the swiss two minutes.

Changed train in Milan, an industrial wasteland as everybody says. Forgot to weigh bananas in the fruit area of supermarket so had my first yelling-at experience at the checkout. Train to Venice was unremarkable: hills, villas, the odd turret.

Arriving into venice is as spectacular as it must have been for the past 500 years. These days across the causeway, but if you think of Shakespeare and ignore the parked cruise ships you can almost see the fleets arrived with spices from the east.

Despite my hostel being just across the canal from station, it still took 20 mins to find. Streets in Venice have a few different names with multiple doors at one number. Eventually got it, and what a hostel it was. €35 gets you air conditioning in your room, fridge, great bathroom, and a real bed. Met Americans Dave (just finished PhD molecular genetics) and Daniel (masters biomedical science, just finished military service in Taiwan) and we went for dinner at a good cheap place where the pasta fresca is cooking in front of you with ample oil...delicious.

Back at hostel we met Americans Alex and Irene, originally from Ukraine and Belarus, now in LA doing programming and family therapy. And Laura, an Aussie over from London just for the weekend. Walked around for ages trying to find a not-too-trendy not-too-touristy bar. Ended up at an Irish pub! Alex outdrank me 3 to 2, proving he was in fact Ukrainian.

The next morning Daniel, Dave, Laura and i began our super-trek around Venice, taking in all the sights and trying to avoid other tourists as much as possible. Alex and Irene had given us the name of a mysterious photographer/boatdriver called silvio, who'd taken them on a three-hour boat tour for €100 total, cf the same each for a slow-as 40 minute gondola ride.

Sadly when we found the spot we got a thunderstorm and downpour instead of Silvio. So we soldiered on towards San Marco and weren't disappointed by the spectacle. By now pretty hungry, lunch was at a small corner cafe serving great foccaccia sandwiches for €3.50. Then across the street for the darkest chocolate icecream ever. The old adage stands true: trust the locals' choices and you can't go wrong...the tourist traps are so obvious. They're the ones with 'menu turistico' on the board outside. The locals are obvious, anybody with a newspaper and/or walking stick and no camera. I wonder what they must think of their city's invasion by the rest of Europe (and the world).

Several times we railed against the presence of so many tourists. But thats like railing against all the other cars on the road. In the end a night and a day in Venice was the perfect length of stay. I'd visit again, but outside peak season.

We got back to the hostel about 3pm, then up the road for a quick beer before jumping on the train to Florence.