Adriatic Cruise from Venice Part 1
In 2011, I decided to fulfill my old dream - to go on a sea cruise. After looking through a lot of material on the Internet, I stopped on a cruise in the Adriatic, according to reviews I chose the American company Royal Caribbean International and their cruise ship “ Voyager of the Seas”, one of the largest in their fleet . Since one day to Venice on a cruise was clearly not enough, I decided to add 5 days in Venice to my vacation (two before the cruise, sightseeing and three after, to swim). This is how the route came about. Now I will try to revive it by inserting a photo into the text. On the route Venice, Ravenna, Bari (Italy), Koper (Slovenia), Dubrovnik (Croatia).
Having bought air tickets to Venice, a tour of the Adriatic, having booked all the hotels I needed in Venice on my own, waiting for visas, we went on a cruise in May-June 2011 (26.0511 -080611).
Our journey began from the Zaporozhye railway station, where we,
crammed into a second-class carriage red-hot from the heat, with difficulty determining their place and taking it with the help of a conductor, they set off for the glorious city Kyiv among the steamed people. The car, it turns out, was even restored, but did not have the concept of "ventilation".
Kyiv greeted us with street coolness. With suitcases, we climbed the steps to the overpass and went towards the South Station, from where, according to information from the Internet, minibus number 9 should go, which will take us to the Zhulyany airport.
South Station in Kyiv
At the same time, my opinion is that if we meet Euro-12 fans in Kyiv like this, they will have memories of these steps for a long time. As I understand it, in Europe, where we are striving, these stairs would have already been replaced with escalators. But, this is Ukrainian concern for people.
Next surprise at South Station - route #9 has been cancelled.
How to get to Zhulyany" airport? Options - station taxi drivers (up to 200 UAH), ordinary taxi drivers (from 50 to 100 UAH, how to bargain), ordering a taxi by mobile phone from the train, for this you need to know the telephone number for ordering a taxi in Kyiv.
But there was another option for an independent tourist, who was suggested to me, to the right of the exit from South Station after 300 meters Povitryanoflotsky Prospekt, where ordinary minibuses and buses run, and on them to the airport. Legs in hands, suitcases in teeth and go! In half an hour we are at the airport "Zhulyany". How do you like the service in Ukrainian? ! I have no words!! ! Further - easier. Having wrapped the suitcase with a film for 30 UAH, we checked in and checked in our luggage. Finally had a bite! We passed customs and border control, we are sitting in a sump. There are several planes on the field, including our Wizzair A-320.
Wizzare Aircraft
The buses approached, took us to the plane,
loaded safely to any place, all decorously, politely, with the smiles of stewardesses. The plane is new, leather seats, legs are free, unlike the Boeings of Ukrainian airlines, on which I flew.
The flight is two hours, and already Treviso. The queue at the border control goes quickly, a look at you, a stamp in your passport, is free. Luggage is already waiting, dismantled and on the way out. Checked the Italian toilets - perfect. We go to the bus stop. They are lined up right next to the station.
Treviso Airport
ATVO express trains
Unlike Ukraine, buses in Treviso adjust to aircraft flights and therefore getting to Venice is very easy. So at the exit there was a bus of the company BARZI, about which I did not know, payment to the cashier on the bus was 7 euros per person. He took us to Piazza Roma in Venice.
From Treviso airport, you can get to Venice itself, as well as to numerous resort towns nearby, by express buses of the ATVO line, which will deliver to piazzale Roma in Venice, Mestre, Lido di Jesolo and other places.
Buses depart from a stop located right at the entrance to the airport, there are also kiosks where you can buy tickets for travel (7 euros one way or 13 euros both ways). Travel time is 40 minutes, buses take passengers to Piazzale Roma. The site ATVO has a rather complicated fare table, the cost depends on the distance. A round-trip ticket is cheaper by 12%. 10 tickets are 10% cheaper. Baggage allowance - 1 euro (sometimes included in the ticket price).
The ACTV company serves Venice, Lido and Mestre , in a complex way, both by bus,
and on the vaporetto - river buses in Venice (tickets are not valid on the Alilaguna lines, in Clodia and Fusina), which is very convenient.
Vaporetto in the Venetian Lagoon
Travel cards for water and land transport companies are available for 12.24, 36.48, 72 hours and 7 days (16.18, 23.28, 33.50 euros, respectively). Naturally, the prices of 2011.
A ticket for 60 minutes for a vaporetto costs 7 euros. Does not include the return trip, even if the validity period has not yet expired. You can buy at the box office and immediately before boarding. Although I have never seen controllers, if they catch a fine, as they say, it is very large, so I recommend taking a ticket for the number of days in Venice.
The Traghetto turista ticket is valid for one stop: line 1 (cross on the Grand Canal gondola), on sections S. Zaccaria-S. Servolo S. Zaccaria-S. Giorgio, Lido-S. Elena, Certosa - S. Elena, Murano Colonna - Cimitero or F. te Nove, F. te Nove-Cimitero or Murano Colonna, Zattere-Palanca, S. Basilio- Sacca Fisola.
At Piazzale Roma there are vaporetto piers and ticket offices. Landmark-look at the channel, berths on the left.
Another way to get from Treviso airport to Veniceis to take city bus number 6 to Treviso train station >. Buses depart from the airport every 15 minutes. Then take the Treviso-Venice train to the last station Santa Lucia.
Since our hotel was located on the Murano island, we took travel tickets for two days before leaving for the Adriatic cruise, boarded vaporetto No. 42 to Murano pier Museo (Murano Museo), then search for a hotel Locanda Conterie where we spend two nights. Since we plan to mainly be in Venice, the hotel on Murano arranged for us.
We sail to Murano
Murano Island
The islandMurano, inhabited since ancient times, has become famous,
when, out of fear of fires, all Venetian glassblowers were evicted here. They enjoyed enormous privileges and could even count on the indulgence of the court, no matter what crime they committed. On Murano they were able to make things that were inaccessible to anyone in Europe until the 18th century - primarily mirrors and glasses. During the Renaissance, when it became fashionable, aristocrats built themselves dachas on Murano. At the end of the embankment stands the church San-Pietro Martire, interesting with two paintings by Bellini ("Ascension" and "Our Lady Enthroned with Saints"). Veronese's works were completed by students. In the sacristy (€2) there is a funny wooden carving in the naturalistic northern baroque style. Opposite is a square with a tower that looks like an ancient castle. Next to the hotel is the Museum of Glass (
€4) in the 17th century Palazzo Giustinian, worth a visit even if you hate Murano glass.
Here, with great tact, a collection of Roman funerary vases is exhibited, as well as very good designs from other eras - Renaissance, Baroque, Art Deco.
Church Santi Maria e Donato is one of the oldest in the lagoon; it was founded in the 7th century, rebuilt around 1100, and in this form it has come down to us, but it was restored too diligently in the 19th century. Inside is real Byzantium: a mosaic floor of the 12th century depicting animals and birds, carved capitals and a gold-colored mosaic of the fragile Our Lady of Oranta. The church was dedicated to the Mother of God, but in the 12th century the relics of St. Donat, a bishop from the island of Euboea, were brought here, along with the bones of the dragon, which he valiantly destroyed (the saint simply spat on him) - the latter, like trophies, now hang behind the altar.
Basilica of Santi Maria e Donato
On the western edge of the same island where Santi Maria e Donato stands,
there is also a convent Santa Maria degli Angeli - Casanova recalls her adventures there with a nun and abbess at the same time.
Our hotel LOCANDA CONTERIE-
A standard cozy hotel, which used to be just part of a large house where the family of a wealthy glassblower lived.
Located 2-3 minutes walk from the pier Murano Museo, go to the pier to the left to the first lane, go along it to the corner grocery store and to the right to the hotel (sign above the door) .
Hotel entrance
Small but comfortable rooms are equipped to modern standards, including shower and toilet in the bathrooms, air conditioning / heating, safe, minibar, TV, telephone and hairdryer. Some rooms are decorated with mirrors. The hotel only breakfasts in European style (egg, sausage, ham, pastries, machine with coffee and tea).
Our attic. The hotel has many mirrors and Murano glass lamps.
The ceilings in the room are on old oak beams, but it doesn't look like a stylization.
Address hotel Locanda Conterie
Locanda Conterie, Calle delle Conterie 21 - MURANO, Italy 30141
Hotel facade. In the foreground is an ancient Roman well
From here we made our trips to Venice, a beautiful old decrepit lady, about whom much has been written and I do not want to repeat myself. I am writing about what I encountered from ignorance, from self-conceit and from lack of knowledge of the language.
We walked around Murano, a lot of places where there are interesting sculptures and other little things made of glass, even looking into glass-blowing workshops, had a bite to eat, washed our arrival in Venice with a little Crimean cognac and decided to see What is Venice in the evening.
View of Murano
Murano canals
And for a snack - glass figures on Murano.
This is such a Murano glass miracle
Here is a glass druse near the bell tower of the temple
Glass courtyard
Venice walks
It was about to get dark. We went to the pier, a vaporetto approached, sat down, crossed the lagoon and it unloads us
on the dock, called Fondamento Nuove.
Fondamente Nuove
Having learned that it is not far to go to San Marco Square from here, we decided to take a walk along the streets of Venice in the evening.
People sit in pizzerias, trattorias and other cafes and restaurants,
shops are open, the closer to San Marco, there are more and more people, a festive atmosphere, orchestras play Italian and other music, in general, amazing.
In the San Marco area
You can’t push through San Marco, we took a walk, decided to ride along the Grand Canal at night, and out of ignorance, we swam in the wrong direction (to the Lido).
Night Venice
Since vaporetto No. 1 is circular, I decided that it’s okay - we’ll return through the channels to Roma Square
Glass bridge near Piazza Roma
Everything seems to be correct. But it was right in my head. It turns out that No. 1 is the slowest vaporetto, walking and we only got to Roma Square by 24 hours. Further, it turns out
as for Muranovaporettos go only until half past eight in the evening, and then only night from Fondamento Nuove . And to Fondamento nothing goes from this square either. One Italian said - a water taxi will take you, but for 80-100 euros, since it is night time.
So what to do? A vaporetto approached, we decided - it would take us to San Marco, then we would look for the way back and hope that the night vaporettos run at least somehow.
We sailed to San Marco, deserted, no people. One cafe is closed. You can see in the window, the waiter is cleaning up something. I knocked, I was lucky - I responded, I was lucky that I was Russian, showed me where to go - across the bridge and straight ahead. And so we go... to the first fork. And then - a question!
There are no people, all the windows are shuttered. Not a soul! Somewhere in the distance a person will appear, we are following him, we are walking, as if we are catching up - and he is gone. In short, we got lost in Venice, you walk along the canal along the sidewalk - a dead end,
you come back in the other direction - again a dead end.
Lucky again! Well, what would we do without Russian tourists! There are two on the canal. I come up, I speak a mixture of Italian - English swear words - tell me how to get to Fondamento, and he tells me in pure Russian - I don’t know how to get there, but now we’ll find out. He takes out a navigator, determines our location, says - stick to this channel, he will display it. It became easier, a couple of times we bumped into different dead ends, walked several streets where you can’t walk side by side and came to this Fondamento. And there a boat appeared on the horizon, took us to Murano, where I already felt at home. And we were at home at half past four at night. What an evening walk!
Calluses and dropsy on the legs, but how much adrenaline!
The next morning greets us with a clear sun. Light European, aka Italian breakfast (egg, sausage slice, croissants,
coffee).
Forward for new experiences! Vaporetto No. 41 is waiting on the pier, I am now arming myself with a map of Venice, an orange guidebook, it contains a lot of information, every sight is described (it has nothing to do with our orange ones). My wife is putting on a band-aid for dropsy, and we are ready for new Venetian routes.
The drive across the lagoon from Murano is also interesting. Boats, boats and boats, small boats are scurrying about. Everything is carried on them - people, food, bricks, a boat with a sofa passed, but they brought a coffin on a boat, since the cemetery is also on a separate island. There are two rows of piles with lanterns on top! It turns out - it's like a fast lane on a freeway, speedboats rush along these mossy piles. In general - life on the water.
Venetian lagoon, in the distance City of the Dead - Venetian cemetery
But here is Roma Square, from where you can go around Venice and from Venice anywhere. The task is to pass over bridges and footbridges from Piazza RomatoSan Marco, seeing all the sights along the way. It is impossible to get lost, because the stream of tourists shows the right direction. And the whirlwind of basilicas, palazzos, canals and bridges, shops and shops, pizzerias and trattorias, gondolas and boats, Italians, Germans, Japanese, blacks... cafe tables.
Santa Lucia Station
Tired gondolas
Houses in the water
Here is the Rialto Bridge.
Rialto Bridge
Obligatory filming of the Venice Grand Canal from the bridge, cross the bridge (you can cross the canal on a gondola, this option costs 1 euro, unlike an hour walk along the canals - up to 100 euros) and follow the signs slowly, once with his wife,
View from the Rialto Bridge. To the gondolas, on the right
when entering the shops, we move towards San Marco. The temple, the door is open, we look in - the beauty is indescribable, we quickly click the camera several times and go, suddenly it’s impossible to shoot.
The altar in the temple
We approach San Marco, the crowd increases, the surrounding beauty also.
San Marco is described repeatedly in all guidebooks, we captured ourselves against the background of these beauties and decided to have a bite to eat somewhere away from tourists
Let's go home to Murano
Let's go to the side of the Bienale, there is a park there, it's very beautiful, they didn't eat pasta in the trattoria, they managed with sandwiches and coffee. In Venice - a siesta, people sit in cafes, rest - some at home, some in parks. Only tourists wander around, take pictures, watch something, such a Brownian movement. We decided that we had enough sightseeing, as there is still a whole day to Venice in the cruise program and three days to Lidoafter the cruise. Home to Murano, pack up and prepare for your Adriatic cruise.
