Day 8
Venice, Via Alps
Train through the Alps
Today we have our longest train trip, from Vienna to Venice. It will also be the most beautiful, offering us an intimate view of the Alps of southern Austria and those on the Italian border. The train left Vienna at 6:30 a.m. and will get into Venice at 1:30 this afternoon. It was a pleasant trip—the trains here are excellent.
Mountains in the southern part of Austria from our journey through the alps on our way to Venice.
White table linens for breakfast on the train to Venice.
The train from Vienna to Venice offered some wonderful views of the Alps. Here, we're very close to the Italian and Slovenian borders.
Arriving in Venice
It was my choice to come to Venice. I’d fallen in love with the city on the screen (mainly in David Lean’s Summertime), which I realize is a fantasy, but it is a unique city—there is no other place like it on Earth. Of course, the canals and the architecture are distinct, but what really sets it apart is the fact that there are no cars. You can walk the streets without the sounds of traffic, and this gives Venice a slower, more relaxed pace.
Our train crossed the lagoon to the train station, and from there we boarded the vaporetto, which is essentially a water bus. We took the vaporetto through the Grand Canal to San Marco, which was near our hotel. How amazing it is to finally be here!
Houses along the Grand Canal in Venice.
A lovely home on the Grand Canal.
A narrow canal near the Rialto Bridge.
The view from the Rialto Bridge, only one of three that cross the Grand Canal.
We explored a bit today and ended up back in San Marco area early. Everyone was tired because we were all up before six this morning, but I was running on my Venetian adrenaline high. I stayed up and absorbed the Piazza San Marco and all that was happening in it.
A family photo in San Marco.
A windy evening in Venice, and gondolas move with the waves.
San Marco Basilica in Venice, with just enough flooding to yield great photos.
The side of the San Marco Basilica with the Palazzo Ducate.
A dark canal in Venice.
A band plays outside the famous Cafe Florian in Piazza San Marco. This cafe has been operating here since 1720.
The basilica and its bell tower in the Piazza San Marco.
A couple having a romantic moment outside the Cafe Florian.
At midnight, the bells of San Marco tolled, just as they have in all those movies I’ve seen and for the hundreds of years before that.