Getting to Salzburg, Austria - Via the OBB Train

Riding the OBB Train to Salzburg, Austria

It was hard to leave Venice and moved on to our next destination, Salzburg, Austria. We just loved Venice and vowed to come back for a longer visit in the near future.

The biggest regret I had was not able to buy and bring back the beautiful Murano handmade chandelier back to Canada with us.

We had a lot of luggage and I was afraid that the chandelier might be broken on our way back and that we would get upset at each other.

We have had such a fantastic holiday in Europe, I wanted a beautiful ending coming home and would not want a lost or broken expensive chandelier to ruin our trip at the end.

Bike Rack on the OBB Train

We left the Venice hotel and boarded the bus to take us across to the Austrian border and from there we transferred to the OBB train.  We had a couple of hours to kill before boarding the cross border bus, and with luggage in tow, we went and sat by the harbour and had a drink

As we sipped our drinks and had our last pizza in Italy, a large group of passengers, just got off from their cruise ship, were waiting around for what to do next.

 That was exactly what we did not want to happen on our trip. What could you do and see in a few hours off the cruise ship in a new city? I kinda felt bad for the tourists from the cruise ship because they would not be able to experience many of Venice's beautiful scenery and unique atmosphere in just a a few hours.

View of the Alps from our OBB Train

The train fare from Venice to Salzburg was around 70 Euro each, the most expensive fare of our numerous land transportation in Europe so far, but  this leg of our land travel in Europe was also the longest in distance.

Passing by the Alps

It was about a 6 hour journey from Venice to Salzburg.

The Alps were majestic and the houses were neat and just like the scenery we saw in the story books.














Capturing the views on our cameras was not easy as the train was going too fast for us to take any decent pictures.

View from Our OBB Train

It was a real challenge for us during the entire train ride.

We were glad that we had a few hours to catch up on our blogs. We were a little behind on our writing and glad to have this opporunity to do them.

When we were busy writing, time went by very quickly. Before we realized it our train pulled into the Salzburg train station around 9pm. The train station was wide open and space age looking. We knew we had arrived in Austria.

Since it was a little too late to go out for dinner, we visited the supermarket at the train station and bought our dinner there.

The Jufa hotel, a decent hotel with modern design and furnishing, was where we stayed for the night.  The two single beds in our room could be put together easily in a flash. There was a third bed hanging flat against the wall above the two twin beds that looked like a headboard but could easily be pulled out to sleep a third person. The bedroom was small in North American standard but comfortable and sufficient.

We looked forward to a night of good rest in Austria.

R. & S. T.
August 24, 2012

Murano - Venice

Venice – second day

In order to save us sometime, we paid 5 Euro extra  to have breakfast at the hotel. It was disappointing. So far all the breakfasts we had on this trip were very good.  ( Some breakfast were included like Inn Giovy while others we paid extra as in Vienna .)

View from Our Venice Hotel Balcony

The entire street where we were staying were lined with restaurants and shops. We went into a shop located right under our hotel and took a look at the many glassware art pieces. There was a beautiful  chandelier produced by local Murano  glass artisans and I loved it.

We have been looking for a unique fixture for our dining room and it is not easy to find something neither too old fashion nor too space age looking. This is one that would fit perfectly in our dining room. We thought of it for sometime but decided against it because we would not be able to bring such a fragile item home given the luggage we already have to carry.



St. Mark Square, Venice

We bought the 12 hour travel pass and hopped on the waterbus that took us to Piazza San Marco.  


The huge Piazza is flanked by a museum in the middle, a national library and a shopping plaza on both sides. 

At the back is the magnificent San Marco’s Basilica with wall paintings and sculptures at the front and multiple domes. 

Classical Music  Provided by the Florian  Restaurant Musicians

  While we were fascinated by the architecture in the Piazza we heard nice piano music accompanied by a man playing an accordion and another playing a double bass.

We walked by another outdoor restaurant and there was classical music played by a team of musicians including a pianist, violinist and couple others. 

The Florian Restaurant, Venice

 We liked the music so much that we decided to pay the music charge, 6 Euro/ person plus expensive charges on beverages, 8- 12 Euro for tea or coffee, and  sat down for something to eat.

Enjoying the Music & Scenery at St Marcos Square

Though the temperature was in the 90’s, the waiters serving at the restaurants in this piazza all wore neat white shirts, blazers and black dress pants. 

The Florian Restaurant, where we had a bit was a classy place established since the eighteenth century.  We felt that we went into a time machine and were transported back to the 1920’s. Though  expensive,  we enjoyed sitting down on  the wide patio out at the Piazza for two hours listening to soft music playing waltz and 20’s music.  

At one point the violin lead player broke into a Chinese and other folk songs which were played nicely.  It was pure enjoyment taking refuge from the burning sun, watching people go by and massive numbers of pigeons pecking on the ground. (


I just realized that this was the famous square where numerous scenes were filmed whenever they talked about Italy or travel  in Europe.)   

We also saw performances by a couple of expert dancers demonstrating tango  dances in the walkway.

To take full advantage of our 12 hour unlimited travel pass, we hopped on a few more rides on the water bus and went to a few more places.

Murano, Venice

One of the places that we enjoyed a lot was Murano which was at the last stop of one of the water bus routes.

 ( We found out later that a one way ticket to Murano would be 7 Euro on the water bus because of its distance.)



Murano is famous for its glass artisans and the glass work that it produces.

Unfortunately, we got there a little after 5pm and all the workshops were closed.

A number of shops were still opened so we were able to see some samples of work produced by local glass artists.

The pieces of work displayed were colourful, creative, and beautiful, Some glass pieces were traditional in design while many were modern and interesting.  

Comet Glass Star, Murano

I bought a Murano  made watch and some small souvenirs and we enjoyed looking at the traditional crafts and houses at Murano.

The secret recipe and techniques of Murano glass making has been carefully guarded for centuries.

Our visit to Murano gave us a tiny glimpse of one of the traditional Venetian arts.

An Artistic Wrecking Yard 

 We wished we had more time staying on this quaint little place but we must take a water bus back to Santa Lucia as the water taxi service ran on limited services after 8p.m.
 By taking the water bus everywhere in Venice, we came across some beautiful scenery and artistic art work, such as the gigantic hands at one of the auto wrecking yard we saw while we were on the water bus. What a marvelous creative idea!

 I wish more people could come up with artistic ideas such as this one for demolishing sites and wrecking yards.

Bridges, Bridges Everywhere in Venice

While we were trying to figure out how to read the schedule, an Italian gentleman, without being asked,  volunteered to help us figure out which water bus we should take to get to our destination.

Another  nice and helpful Venetian ready to help out the lost tourist!

Beautiful Architecture Abound in Venice

 This was the last night we were in Italy and we felt a little sad leaving these wonderful and warm people.


We tried to make the most of it and enjoyed the Italian cuisine in the outdoor restaurant  one more time.  Good bye, Venice!

Murano

Venice is a magical place; Venetians are extremely friendly , helpful and tolerant.  

They should be credited for putting up with the invasion of tourists overtaking their city for a few months a year.

On more than one occasion, Venetians have stepped up to the plate and volunteered to help us whenever we looked a little confused.

We are grateful for their hospitality and they have made our stay in Venice a truly memorable experience!  We have fallen in love with Italy, especially Venice; we will be back for a  visit  again in the near future!

R.T. Venice
Aug. 2012

Venice - An Enchanting City Indeed!

Venice – An Enchanting City Indeed!

Venice , Italy

Years ago, when  I was a young girl studying in high school, I learned about The Merchant of Venice. Since then I have the desire to visit Venice one day. That day was today! Some forty years later after secondary school.  

Venice did not disappoint us.  Personally,  I think it’s the most beautiful city in the world! It’s unique, different from any city we have ever visited.

Instead of cars, Venetians have boats dock outside their houses

We had to take the train from Assisi back to Florence, then caught the 3:45 pm train to Venice and arrived there around 5:50pm.

 A one way train ticket from Florence to Venice – 48 Euro. 

We could have taken a later train and save about 20 Euro each person but that would mean arriving in Venice around midnight.

 We wanted to have as much time as possible in Venice so we took the earliest train possible.

From our hotel, we could walk everywhere.

We stayed two nights at Hotel Adua, a 5 minutes walk from the train station.


  I must thank my husband for researching and booking a hotel within walking distance to everything again.

Buying a 24 hour travel pass would allow visitors to see much more in Venice 

Venice has practically no cars; the main transportation is by boats , mostly city water bus. Tourist could buy a 12 hour travel pass ( 18 Euro ) which allowed us to go everywhere within Venice.

For 2 more Euro, at 20 Euro, a visitor could get a 24 hour travel pass, which is a much better deal if one is staying here for more than a day. We could have used a 24 hour pass and seen more places.

Ever wonder what happens when Venetians Open Their Doors to Their houses?

We absolutely enjoyed walking around Venice.

 It is a unique city unlike any other we have ever visited.

Bridges, Bridges, Everywhere!

The entire city has been built with most buildings, houses and old churches  fronting water.


There are obviously few drive ways or garages but docks for boats and bridges everywhere to help its inhabitants to get from one place to the other.

Looking at these beautiful houses surrounded by water everywhere and accessible by bridges only, we couldn't help but being amazed at how well these houses have stood the erosion of water throughout the centuries.

The first evening, we strolled around in our neighbourhood getting ourselves familiarized with the city. Night life is always interesting in Italy especially famous cities where tourist frequent.

The night view of Venice is breathtaking. It was just beautiful walking around, coming across small bridges every few steps, watching lights reflecting on the water,  passersby ( we were one of them)  pausing to admire the beauty of the night scenery by these bridges, being lost and totally enveloped by this surreal setting contented to just let  time go by and wishing this magical moment could be frozen and last till eternity.

Venice at Night

Tired from walking, we sat down on a bench under a tree. There was a gentleman sitting close by and we started chatting. I asked him if he could speak English and yes he replied. It was nice to meet a fellow traveller and exchanged information and experience about our travels. Ron, from Holland, was the one who told us about the visitor’s pass.

Ron enjoys travelling in Italy so much that he has been coming here every year for the past seven years, staying a month in Florence and a week in Venice. ( That’s a great idea! I would like to stay in Italy for a month in my next holiday too! ) 

It was a lovely night and we talked about travels, different cultures in different cities and discussed the economic crisis in Europe and everything. It was simply an enjoyable conversation. In fact we had such a good time that Ron invited us to visit him in Holland and we exchanged email address.   It is positive experience such as this, i.e, meeting people and learning about different cultures and people that make travelling one of our most favourite things to do!

R.T. Venice, Italy
Aug. 2012

Assisi - A Beautiful Medieval Town

 Assisi, Italy

City Gate, Assisi, Italy

From our hotel, we took a bus at the town square to Assisi. ( 1 Euro / person)  The ride took ten minutes and we found ourselves in the middle of a medieval town!

Thanks to my husband who is passionate about history and insisted that we should visit Assisi on our European trip. I was glad that we did. I learned a lot about European history and that Assisi is the town where St. Francis was born and died.

The Basilica of St. Francis - World Heritage Site since 2000

The Basilica of St. Francis which was built to honour St. Francis who gave up his wealthy life style and dedicated his life to helping the poor, also a patron saint of Italy,
has been a World Heritage Site since 2000 and it is a sight to behold!

The Basilica sustained heavy damages in the 1977 earthquakes, but it was restored and re-opened after two years. The restoration was a  hefty $50 millions.

The small, compact town is surrounded by a completely intact city wall with gates. When we looked up, we saw a fortress occupying the highest point of the town which is dominated by two castles. The larger one called Rocca Maggiore, with its massive presence meant to intimidate the people of the town. It was built in the 1300's.

Within thirty minutes of walking, we could go from one end of the town to the other.





We admired the Gothic architecture everywhere, including this little cafe where we took our lunch break.

Enjoying the scenery by a hill side cafe 

Assisi is a city built high on the hill that offers  beautiful view of the towns and fields below. We had dinner by a hillside cafe, soaked in this spectacular scenery and took numerous pictures at this fairy tale location.

We attended a lovely evening concert - started at 9:15p.m.  in the courtyard of the Basilica of St. Francesco.

The title of the concert was Ave Maria and no less than fourteen different versions of this song by various composers throughout the different periods and sung with gusto by the choir.

It was a hot night with hardly any breeze and we had to fan ourselves constantly.

Night View of an Assisi Street

After the concert, we strolled around the streets of Assisi, taking in the scenery and experiencing the quiet life of a small Italian hillside town.






 

The street corner where St. Francis slept

We even saw the corner where St. Francis called home after his decided to give up his wealthy life and lived like one of the poor people in his time.


I was so glad that my husband arranged  for us to visit  this exceptional well preserved beautiful town and allowed us a glimpse of what a medieval town looked and felt like during the medieval ages.


R.T. Assisi, Italy
Aug. 2012

Climbing the 500 Steps of the Tower at Duomo, Florence

Before we left Florence for Assis, we did do one thing that was really cool - climbing the steps of the Campanile Bell Tower at Duomo.

We only had the morning here in Florence, so we made sure we went to visit the Duomo which was just a few minutes’ walk from our hotel. Morning starts early in Italy; the sky starts getting bright around 5:30am and by the time it is 10ish, you could really feel the heat and scorching power of the sun.

Candle stands in the church

We visited the beautiful church and then

 climbed up the Campanile Bell Tower which has a narrow staircase made up of about 500 steps. The admission charge to climb to the top of the tower was 8 Euros / person.

I, in particular just loved walking these steps. By accident, I discovered that walking up steps did wonder to my aching hamstrings.  So I took every opportunity to walk these steps.

 The steps were narrow and deep, at times, only 1 person could go through so we had to negotiate our way with other climbers before we continued. 

The View Through one Those Peek Holes in the Tower

 As we climbed higher, we were able to peek through a little opening inside the tower and marvel at the clarity that we could see much of Florence and its immediate area.  

View of Florence after we climbed up the 500 steps to the Bell Tower

We huffed and puffed our way higher and higher in the steamy heat taking breaks at each platform available. The heat was intense and we were sweating like pigs. Some older people were not having an easy time.


Finally we reached the top of the tower and from that vintage point we could see Florence all around us in 360 degrees. 

Florence - Looking through one of the windows

  



Looking from the top of the Bell Tower, we noticed that all the buildings below were quite uniform in the style and construction.  No modern buildings were in sight. There must be some very strict building codes in certain part of the city limiting the construction of new buildings.






 We were glad that at our age, we could still climb all the way to the top without great difficulty; once when we got there we had the feeling of exhilaration of being on top of everything.

With God's blessing, we may be able to walk the Camino in Spain again!

S. & R.T. 

Our Third Day in Florence 

Assisi - A Pleasant Surprise

Assisi, Italy

Assisi - A Town full of Medieval Buildings

I have no idea why my husband wanted to go to Assisi. Since he is the one who knows a lot about history and geography, and the one planning our trip, I trust him and go wherever he has planned for us with a few suggestions form me here and there. His efforts have really paid off because everyday on this trip has been a wonderful and new experience for the both of us. Visiting Assisi was another example of a great pleasant surprise!

Train is a marvelous way of traveling in Europe. It is comfortable, convenient and often can be very inexpensive.  We traveled to Assisi from Florence by train at 13.50 Euro per person. What a great bargain! We could not even buy gas at that price!

13.50 Euro/ person to take the train from Florence to Assisi ( there is no bus to this city )






 The train left at 6:15pm and we arrived at the Assisi Train Sation around 8:30pm. This time we did not book a hotel in the old town because we wanted a change. Since we arrived in Europe, we stayed at hotels that were right in the old town or within short distance to the railway station. This time, we wanted to experience what the suburb was like in Italy. The taxi to the hotel was not a long ride and it cost about 10-11 Euro.

Outdoor dining area at our hotel

We were in the village Santa Maria deghli Angeli and stayed in the Hotel Frate Sole.  The village of SMA is the first Italian small modern town which is planned around  the highway.  All other towns and cities which we have stayed are old settlements which are geared for walking  S.M.A. is a town dominated by a huge church with a golden statue of the Virgin Mary on top.





Since it was about 9 ish p.m., we ate dinner at the hotel restaurant. I ordered risotto and Stan ordered pasta. The menu was all in Italian so we took a gamble, ordered our dish but not exactly sure what would be served to us. I always like risotto but this time both of our dishes were a little too salty for our taste.

Full of Activities at the Square in front of the Church

After dinner, we went out to explore the town. It was only a five minute walk from our hotel to the town square where the church located. In front of the church,  we found young people playing balls, kids running around while others were sitting and talking to friends. We did not think that the church would be open at this hour. But it was.

We went into the church and it was dark inside with only a few candle like fixtures lit on the walls. Most of the people were sitting silently in darkness. We saw some fervent worshipers praying in a special enclosed sanctuary in front of the alter. I went up and prayed at that sanctuary. Everyone was very quiet, being respectful at a place of worship.

We came out after a few minutes and strolled along the town streets. We saw lots of people relaxing and talking to their friends or families in the town square.  Families, young kids, young people in groups, pilgrims in robes walking around. I was surprised to find little kids running around, riding their bikes, following their  parents while their parents, grandparent and the whole family were relaxing in the park at well past 11:00p.m. at night.   I personally know a few Canadian parents who are really sticky about their children's bedtime being at a certain time, e.g. 8 or 9 p.m and they would not go anywhere because of this.)

 It was a nice picture of people enjoying a night out in a peaceful little town.

 
S.& R.T., Assisi, Italy
Aug. 2012