Travelogue Venice
[07th to 13th September 2014] I took a break for a few days in Venice, so there's no route on the map this time. From above, the city looks a bit like a fish, right? That's been manifested in the local ferry company's logo. And here's a nice satellite pic for reference.
Venice, the "pearl of the Adriatic Sea" with its enchanting canals also often gets called "queen of tourist traps". Which is not surprising: This city in the sea is completely unique and world famous, everyone wants to see it. Each year Venice is being plagued by about 30 millionen tourists, even though it doesn't even have 60.000 inhabitants. So space is limited. And everything is quite expensive here, it's profitable after all.
But if you tone down your standards and know where the supermarkets are, it's possible to get through quite well.
Sunday, 07th September 2014
Getting up, it's a sunny day! Last night I slept on the bridge leading to Venice, a bit hidden. Only two more kilometers and I'll finally arrive.
The asphalt road doesn't continue for too long: Where the red line on my map ends there's Piazzale Roma, final destination for all buses. Nearby there are Venice's train station and a car park. Another road is branching earlier and leads to the cruise ship terminal San Basilio, where I'll always leave my bicycle for city exploration tours later. All the rest is pedestrian area only.
Today I haul my bike right into the city, up until I get to the Accademia Bridge. From there I want to watch Venice's historical regatta, called regata storica. Someones always spontaneously helps pushing up the stairs when I have to cross the bridges...
There's still enough time until they kick it off, so I leave my bike for a while and go scouting around the district.
Then at 4 the regatta starts. Boat races and historical parades. Details here:
Blog entry: The Historical Regatta of Venice
After sunset I'm sitting/lying down for a while on the southern promenade, somewhere nearby live music is being played.
One passersby talks to me because of my fully packed bicycle, which certainly isn't a very usual sight here. Officially bikes aren't even allowed in the city, as it seems. Didn't know that before. But pushing should be okay... He's quite excited about my plan to cycle all the way to Sicily. Asks if I'm blogging or have a Twitter account. At this point I didn't really have anything to offer yet, though...
After that I exit the city via Liberty Bridge again, because I have some stuff to do tomorrow.
Monday, 08th September 2014
Sitting in a McDumb in some business park (you know, electricity and internet), finishing my bachelor's thesis. To be exact: Polishing phrasing, grammar and all that regulated design stuff until it's ready to be printed. I'm lucky to have someone at home who takes care of that part. My camping place is hidden behind some bushes in the center of a large roundabout.
Tuesday, 09th September 2014
Work is done. Back to Venice!
Today I want to visit Poveglia, an abandoned island in the Venetian Lagoon. On first sight it only has a decaying old sanatorium and plants growing rampant, so there's no ferry connection. Normally you can't visit the island as a tourist, which of course makes it all the more tempting to go there.
Fortunately I got to know a Günter who's living in Venice for years now and likes to bring people over to Poveglia now and then. Where I got him? Not telling you. You just need the right hobbies. After one or two phone calls we agree on meeting in the late afternoon.
Near Piazzale Roma a young couple in their car stops next to me and asks, visibly confused, for the way to St.Mark's Square.
"But you can't get there by car..."
"Really? ... Are you sure?"
"Very sure."
What kind of jelly do some people have in their brains? I always thought Venice is best known as the city where streets are made of water. The cars are called boats over here...
And I tell you: Seeing Venice from the water is an extraordinary experience in itself. Everything seems different and some of the canals you'll never see as a mere pedestrian. I think you only have a real picture of this city when you've seen it from both perspectives - labyrinth of alleyways and labyrinth of water.
Protip: If you're passing one of the less wide canals in a boat, just lie down for a change and look up to the sky. Let the facades go past you left and right. It's splendid.
South of the city Günter finally can speed up a little on the open sea. Just his usual shortcut isn't possible at the moment, since we could run aground thanks to current low tide. He has a tiny device telling him this.
Günter shows me around the island until long after sunset. More about this peculiar place whith its creepy past over there:
Blog entry: Poveglia - Nightfall on a Ghost Island
Back to Venice in the evening we're chatting a bit more in a vine bar. Among other things we talk about Slovenia and Günter also says Ljubljana is worth a visit. It's the second time now someone tells me that so probably I'll have a look over there after all...
When I finally come back to my bike, everything's still there. Looks like this place near the cruise ship terminal really is a good one to leave it. I'm sitting down below one of Venice's few trees, munching on some rusk.
"If you want to sleep, here is no good. It's going to rain today."
"...?"
I turn around. There's a colorfully clothed vagabond with long hair and a guitar, pointing up to the clouds. Rino is his name, he's originally from Croatia and living in the streets for quite a while now. He's an expert for Venice.
Since it should still be a while until the rain starts, we sit together and he shares some of his knowledge.
"Listen, Frendo!" Rino tells me, where there are some bargains at the moment and that I should look for a supermarket named Prix, apparently the cheapest place in all of Venice. 100m straight and 200m left or something. And I should ask for fondamenta rossa.
He also gives me some hints where one could sleep more or less unnoticed in case of rain. He doesn't like to lust lie down in the alleyways, you don't want to upset the locals after all. So early rising is a must-do as well.
And he tells me about his dream to go to America one day, following Elvis Presley's tracks. That one's his idol, he's mostly playing Elvis songs himself. He snatches his guitar and sponaneously sings Blue Suede Shoes for me. Sounds really good.
Finally we part ways. Rino wants to sleep somewhere further north, I stay here. He was right by the way: It's raining tonight. Quite intensely even. I flee to the closest waterbus station.
Wednesday, 10th September 2014
I search for this strange Prix supermarket and actually find it. After that I look for the local McDumb hotspot and of course I continue to explore the city. One of my bike's large panniers can be modified to be worn as a backpack, so I always carry the most important (and most expensive) things with me.
Those yellow signs are everywhere, leading the way to Venice's major hubs.
And there's advertising for Casino Venezia, which happens to be the oldest casino in the world.
Blog entry: The Tide is High - St. Mark's Square Under Water
Back to the cruise ship terminal. No Rino in sight today, instead there's a young Korean sitting on the statue's base and talking to me.
I can just call him Paul he says, since an ordinary European can't pronounce his name without getting a knotted tongue. It's his dream to explore Europe on a bike as well. At home they're thinking he's crazy. So for starters he's traveling by train from one major city to another. Tomorrow he wants to go on to Vienna.
We also chat a bit about South Korea. It seems Seoul really is the most modern city in the world: There's free WLAN for everyone in the city's whole area, as natural as breathing air. Other topics are Jeju-Do (a Korean island) and the East Asian's funny bloodtype superstition.
Thursday, 11th September 2014
As it seems I lost my great seppel hat from Allgäu somewhere on the way to my sleeping place yesterday. Meh. Since weather isn't that great, I hang out at the hotspot most of the day.
And in the evening I get talked to by another crazy traveler yet again: Rafael from Marseille is hitchhiking around Europe and killing some time at the laptop until his pal Arnaud arrives in Venice as well. Both have the same route planned, but Arnaud is traveling by train instead. He already noticed me earlier today and we get along very well. But for now I bid goodbye. My plan is to buy some food before the shop closes and to see off Paul at the station. But I want to be back in two hour's time
In a shop window on the way: Looks incredibly tasty and is incredibly expensive.
Unfortunately I underestimated how slow you're moving in the Venetian pedestrian area, I don't arrive right in time neither at the train station nor back at the hotspot. Scheiße.
Well, can't be helped. I proceed to stroll around at night for a while.
Friday, 12th September 2014
Curiously walking around the city all day, thus the picture spam is quite long here. Today I go a bit further east. It's a bit rainy but whatever, with an umbrella (the one I found earlier in the Italian Alps) it's no problem. Better than cycling in the rain.
Somewhere I hear a very familiar German dialect and meet a Dresdener wearing wet trousers.
"He just dropped in there", says his wife pointing to a nearby canal. The edges can be quite slippery after all.
Off to the touristic area around S. Mark's square again, having a look at some art shops...
Left picture: Flood protection at the front door.
Sometimes you can find seashells in the building stock.
At evening time I 'm having a short look at the hotspot, maybe Rafael is here again. And indeed, he is! His pal arrived to the city as well by now, so we team up.
Both of them having an evening snack on one of the typical wells.
Rafael is student of fine arts and quite excited about the Venetian masks
And he's happy I brought a tripod.
The Rialto-Bridge crossing the Canal Grande. There are some tiny shops inside.
I lead the Frenchmen to my great mighty sleeping place and we're happily crashing there. Good night.
Saturday, 13th September 2014
At night it started raining again so we fled to the closest roof. Nobody noticed all that dust, though.
Arnaud is going to have a look at the Venice Biennale of Architecture, I stay here with late sleeper Rafael. Later we go to Prix together and watch funny Hitler videos online at McDumb.
Since there's still the presentation of my bachelor's thesis to be done, I unfortunately have to be back at home end of the month. But as soon as that's out of the way, I'll go back to where I left. My bike can stay in Günter's garden in the meantime. I'm booking my tickets online, there's even a cheap long-distance bus to get back to Italy.
I want to use the remaining time for a side trip to Slovenia, so in the evening I'm on my way again. Ciao Venice, I'll come back later...
One cone of gelato just was necessary. That on the right is the Prix shop, quite unremarkable.
When I came to Venice I didn't know anyone here and I didn't have any specific plans aside from somehow staying for about a week. Then somehow nice and interesting people were showing up everywhere, didn't really expect that.
So... I might be traveling solo, but that doesn't mean I'm getting lonely. Not at all.
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