Around the World with Hardy(T)

Italy - Venice

Unfortunately, Belinda and I are unable to escape Mark in Florence and so we all make the 3-hour journey up to Venice together. I spent most of the journey trying/pretending to read the Corriere dello Sport - well, football results are the same in any language aren't they? (Hmmm, maybe not - remember Corfu). The landscape is pretty dull until we reach the outskirts of Venice. There is a huge industrial estate just outside the city, then you cross the causeway into Venice 'proper'. We decide to head straight from the station to the Hostel - nothing really prepares us for that "wow" moment we get when we first step out into Venice. We literally step out from the station onto the Grand Canal with its gondolas, water taxis, ferries and beautiful buildings lining each side of, and almost leaning into, the waterway.

Still in awe, we make our way through the labyrinth of crowded streets: crossing canals; passing busy local vegetable markets and fruit stalls; resolutely ignoring the many gelaterias; until we get to the Ostello Foresteria Valdeze. On the plus side, it is a magnificent former catholic convent - one half of it is still used by trainee priests - with a huge courtyard and a grand entrance which opens out onto the local canal. On the minus side, in common with just about all Italian hostels, we check in our bags and are promptly thrown out until 6pm! Still, at only L25,000 a night, we're not complaining.

After check-in, we explore the streets of Venice by foot. We take in all the major sights: the Rialto Bridge; the Grand Canal; the Accademia Bridge; San Marco Square; the basilica; the Doge Palace; the Bridge of Sighs and the waterfront. Venice's beauty exceeds even my expectations. The Byzantine architecture is beautifully framed by the canal and the clear blue sky. The impressive domes and towers of the major churches dominate the skyline but even the ordinary buildings have an appeal, as much for the ramshackle appearance the city's subsidence has given them as for their design and construction. It's interesting to watch the ordinary Venetians going about their daily business - buying fruit and veg from the markets or bread from the panninerias, and disappearing down little alleyways or loading their shopping onto small boats and chugging off down the canal. Fascinating stuff.

Next we hop on La Vaporetta and head across to the island of San Giorgio, from where we enjoy a waterfront picnic looking across towards San Marco and the Venice skyline. There's an even better view from atop San Giorgio's campanile - from up there you get an excellent feel for the way Venice is laid out on many islands, separated by a maze of waterways. Next stop, another island, Guidicci - much quieter and very pleasant to explore on foot. We then get another ferry across to the main island and up the Grand Canal to the station again. At first I'm convinced the ferry is full of tourists but, in fact, it's got quite late by now and we're actually surrounded by commuters - what a bizarre concept! Again we pass under many famous bridges, past the Guggenheimer Gallery, the casino, many old buildings leaning into the canal - I even get a chance to flick the V's at the Marconi Hotel... Marconi being my previous employer! A lot of the waterfront buildings also have stunning glass sculptures overlooking the canal - balloons, icicles, water drops, all in wonderful shades of blue and green.

Budgets dictate that dinner comes from the local market, but we manage to rustle up an excellent pasta meal from fresh, local ingredients in the excellent kitchen back at the hostel. The sumptuous meal is enjoyed in the courtyard and is washed down with some excellent (and cheap) Slovenian beer - 5.9% ABV and only L1100 for a 66cl bottle! Having saved so much on dinner, we treat ourselves to an after dinner gelati and then we take a moonlit cruise on the Grand Canal - the glass sculptures are lit up at night. Like Florence, Venice isn't much chop for night life, so we finish off the evening having a quiet beer in San Marco Square listening to the various string quartets and sundry other musicians playing out on the street.

The following day is my last in Italy and so, for the last time, I "enjoy" being thrown out of a Hostel before the 9am curfew! I deliberately lose Mark, but accidentally lose Belinda, and end up spending the day with a Canadian girl called Lisa. Neither of us particularly wants a very touristy day, so we have a leisurely breakfast in a lovely little cafe on the canal next to the Hostel and then get a ferry out to the Lido and spend the day just lazing on the beach. I get the impression it's not a very Venetian thing to do, since we have the pretty much beach to ourselves all day, but what the hell, I'm on holiday! Lisa and I get along like a house on fire... unfortunately tonight I'm headed for Munich and she's off to Budapest - why does this always happen to me?

Back at the Hostel, Lisa, Belinda and I have another fantastic pasta dinner before I rush off to the station and only make the overnight train to Munich with about five minutes to spare.

Arrivederci Italia...