Trieste to Venice

We enjoyed our time in Trieste but we had covered the town pretty well. We had reservations in Venice so after a leisurely morning we hopped a train. The ride there was a bit marred by two loud, annoying Americans (it’s no wonder we get a bad rap in Europe). We arrived late morning and quickly found our hotel in the Mestre section. We eventually hopped on a local bus and got to the famed city. But what an eye opener! We had read that it had become mega-touristy but it was a bit beyond our expectations. Don’t get us wrong, it’s a neat city but it’s dirty, graffiti-covered and not the romantic city that it’s portrayed in the media. We wandered, as we do, and took in the normal Venesian sights of canals, narrow streets, and people eating pizza, pasta and gelato. When we got to the Rialto bridge the throng of people grew exponentially. And when we got to San Marco square it was mayhem (and it was hot). We actually signed up for a tour (don’t laugh) to see the San Marco Basilica and the Doge’s Palace with a guide that would actually get us in areas with few or no people. Not really in our wheelhouse but we put on our tourist microphones and gave it a whirl. We have to say, it wasn’t bad and the basilica was very cool with it’s golden mosaic glass ceilings so all in all we’re glad we did it (could have been a bit shorter). At this point it was getting late (for us) and we snaked our way back through the streets to catch a bus back. The bus was packed and hot and we were so glad to get off and back to our room. Now we are rethinking our plan for tomorrow. Stay tuned!