Another transition day. I liked Florence but was looking forward to seeing Venice again. We spent less than 24 hours there in 2000 with the kids and I’ve always wanted to go back and see the city in more depth.
Checkout time was 12:30 at my hotel. I got up early and worked on this blog before heading to town to find an ATM machine (hotels all want cash, no credit cards) and do some shopping at the Mercado for gifts. The market wasn’t far from the hotel so I was able to do all this in about an hour an half.
The leather purses were easier to find than an ATM machine. By the way, if you are traveling in Europe don’t waste your money carrying dollars or travelers checks to change in Europe. Use the ATM machines to get the best rate and get out a couple of days worth of money. Your bank may charge a $5 fee but that is only 1-2%. Stay away from the Change offices.
I didn’t take the advice of my travel consultant (YourFriendinItaly.com) about taking the fast train to Venice. I thought the trip from Rome went to fast. So I thought I’d take the slow train (an extra hour and 20 euros less). Not a bad decision. Had to walk about 7 minutes to catch the bus and change to a second bus at the main train station, as the slow train leaves from a different part of town. Got a chance to see some of the “new” part of Florence which looks like Greece and other parts of Italy – with highways, high rise apartments, parks and concrete buildings.
Coming into Venice is cool – the train arrives on a narrow causeway surrounded by water on both sides. There were small sailboats all over the lagoon. When you step out of the train station the Grand Canal is right there.
Had to hang around and wait a couple of hours for the owner of the apartment I rented to meet me with the keys. We found the unit on Homeaway.com. It was sufficient for my needs. Location was convenient for arriving and leaving, it was located in a quiet residential area. Good enough. No charm but good enough.