Carnival in Venice 2012
After a cruise in May-June 2011 across the Adriatic on "Voyager of the Seas" we got sick of cruises and started thinking about how to relax at the beginning of 2012. Previously, the issue was resolved very simply - this is the Red Sea with its underwater world, Sharm or Hurghada. But now, due to the instability of the political situation in the Arab world, I did not really want to fly there. The idea arose about the Persian Gulf, especially since there is both a beautiful “Brilliant” from Royal and a new ship from Costa. But, the Arab countries have already become boring to my wife and we turned our gaze to the west.
The first condition is, as always, to leave the winter and bask in the sun, swim in sea water. For some reason, the Canaries came to mind. The Canary Islands are the dream of the "new" Russians and not only. We looked - there are options. And "Norwegians", and MSC on "Fantasy". Even asked a question on the forum, who will help to compare. At the same time I was looking for flights, I found a promotion from Wizz Air - Kyiv to Venice (95 euros for two round trip) - MSC from Genoa remains, moving through Milan by train, at the same time you can allocate a day for the Venice Carnival. While I received confirmation for the reservation from Wizz-Air, I blew the budget cabins on the Fantasia (there was an action, and all the cabins were crushed like delicious pancakes). But her sister "Splendida" goes on a short cruise to Morocco (Casablanca), where it's warm, the Atlantic Ocean and all the Western Mediterranean, where we have not been. That's what they decided on. Booked an inside cabin on deck 8 at the stern. From a little experience, we decided that a cabin with a balcony in February, although it is the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic, is not necessary, because it will be cold on the balcony, which was confirmed by fellow travelers, and only spend the night in the cabin. Yes, I almost forgot. Considering that the Canary Islands left us, and I had time left, we decided to compensate for this with a 3-day stay in Rome. Further worries about visas, booking hotels along the route, fees. My wife was especially concerned - after all, from 20-degree frosts we left for Italy where it is warm and, again, the ship with its requirements for clothing in restaurants and at receptions (eternal women's problems! ). The result is a heavy suitcase + travel bag. My threats to slowly lay out more than half and leave, as in a joke, one jersey, did not bring results. In the summer, after all, suitcases are lighter!
02/19/12 at night from Zaporozhye we go by train to Kyiv. Again, unobtrusive service: heated in the evening, in the compartment - that in the bath, in the morning you need a blanket; the cashier included tea in the tickets without my request, in the morning the conductor, after my reminders and checking my tickets three times, came down and brought it. By the way - a good shop, who did not notice this when buying a ticket, the profit is clean to the conductor. We are in Kyiv! Nothing has changed regarding the transfer to the Zhuliany airport over the past six months, there are no minibuses to Zhuliany. The options are as follows - either station taxi drivers (minimum 100 hryvnia) or an order by mobile phone. Armed with knowledge, that is, with a number in a mobile phone to order a taxi in Kyiv, I dial, I order - the answer is "Wait at the bus stop, the car will come there. " In Kyiv, the frost is -12 degrees, we are in light jackets, because. we're going south! After 15 minutes of standing, a new call from the dispatcher - there are no free cars, the call is canceled. Thanks for the hardening! We walk proudly past the station taxi drivers, who shout after them “Let's drop ten”, towards Povitryannoflotsky Prospekt. After about 50 meters, the leftist stops, seeing us with a suitcase, for 50 hryvnia and 15 minutes we are in Zhuliany. he sat down at the steering wheel in 1944. Unique, there are Cossacks in Ukraine!
For your information, a taxi from the South Station is 35 hryvnia, from the Central Station -45 hryvnia, light - from Povitryanoflotsky Prospekt, city minibuses - 2-50 hryvnia.
Further, check-in, baggage check-in, customs and passport checks without any problems and at 10-25 we are in the air, the A-320 plane is new, the smell of leather in the cabin, friendly flight attendants, European prices for buying something in the cabin, because. for low-cost airlines, all services on board are paid, except for the toilet, of course. Exhausted by the "comforts" in the train compartment, we had a great sleep before landing in Treviso. The formalities quickly went through and, after receiving the luggage, we went to the parking lot of buses that were going to Venice. There are many buses, payment can be made both through automatic cash desks and at the controller before boarding the bus (7 euros / person). We are in Mestre, the Delfino hotel. Hotels were selected along the entire route near the railway. stations, as we continue to travel by Italian railways. We got off at the Mestre bus station, from where it took no more than 10 minutes to walk to our hotel (the route was worked out using Google maps on the advice of Kuskov - it’s better to sit at home over the maps than to mess with your suitcases). The hotel is in a convenient location, one of the central streets of Mestre, a bus stop to Venice No. 4.4L right in front of the hotel (15 minutes to Piazallo di Roma). A modern building, a lot of cafes nearby, right on the first floor there is a market where you can get groceries for dinner if you want to eat in your room with wine. Would recommend to anyone who needs to stay overnight before a cruise.
Throwing luggage, we have already rested on the plane, went to Venice for the carnival. We had a carnival program, routes were laid along the canals and squares of Venice, where there are some carnival events. For convenience, we took Actv travel cards, which are valid for all vapporetto routes and buses in Mestre and Lido. The weather, however, did not please us, about 2-5 degrees, but very damp and cold wind from the lagoon. Is this the reason, or because it was already about 4 p. m. , but many were already winding down, so the Music and Chocolate event at Campo San Giacomo - no music, no chocolate, at Campo San Polo, where there should be a theater of light, only illuminations on the trees and several tents where one could drink wine and have something to eat. Therefore, we moved across the Rialto Bridge to Piazza San Marco, where the main carnival action takes place. The closer to San Marco, the more the city becomes the carnival that we imagined. More and more masks and carnival costumes. On the square, ensembles play modern, classical, and Italian music. A sea of colors, costumes are getting more beautiful, apparently there are already professional actors who pose for onlookers like us. The Fountain of Wine is also in the spotlight, where streams of wine merge, but no one scoops up anything for free, they decorously stand in line for warmed wine or grog. We, chilled, also stood in a short queue. It's a pleasure 3.5 euros for a plastic cup, a bottle of good wine in the supermarket is the same. But at the carnival and from the fountain!
After a photo shoot, huddled in a mass of people, we decided not to wait for the fireworks and return to the vapporetto along the Grand Canal to Roma Square and to the hotel. Here, the main thing, as I remember from the previous voyage to Venice, is not to confuse the direction and not to sail to the Lido (read the direction on the boat and find the right berth). All right, we're in Mestre. Our hotel, shop downstairs - mozzarella, tomatoes, Parma ham (prosciutto), wine (a wonderful dinner in the room). I didn’t write about the room, the room is very good, all the amenities, a huge bed, who needs this service.
In the morning we were delighted by the bright sun, not a cloud in the sky, everything was in a completely different light. It was gloomy, now it's a real holiday. We decided that we would leave Venice after 13-00 and we were again at the carnival. Both the gondoliers and the gondolas were transformed, and Venice itself was transformed in the rays of the bright sun and sparkled with the colors of the carnival. The time flew by until 12-00 and we left the Delfino hotel, walking, but with suitcases, reached the Ferrostazione Mestre, where, as expected, there was a line at the ticket office for those leaving the carnival (the last day). I went to the information kiosk to clarify the time of the trip (after all, the plans have changed a little), and in response to me - “You need a ticket, I’ll make it for you now. ” With internal doubts that it will suddenly prick, I agree. And he looked through something in his, I don’t know what to call it, “handheld computer” (I later saw them at the controllers on the trains) says you pay 152 euros for two, how to pay by card or in cash. In short, I received tickets in the form of a piece of paper, as we give tickets on buses, a little larger. The car and seats are written by hand. True, the price is exactly like at the box office. I ask what else is needed. "Nothing. Go, the train is coming. " And we get into car number 5 of the Venice-Rome Express. Our places are free, no one claims them. A train is a plane on wheels, and this one turned out to be from last year, everything was new and the most modern, as it turned out. The controller came up, shrinking internally, I show our paper, he returns it to me, thanks and goes on, without even punching it. If you are interested, from observations I understood and saw 4 ways to pay bills - a) tickets from the box office, like ours, but the paper is denser. The date is punched in yellow machines and stamped by controllers; b) printouts from the Internet, based on them, controllers issue the same ribbons as I had; c) showing in mobile phones that are connected to the Internet, the booking number, people received the same pieces of paper from the controller; d) my version, I don’t know how widespread it is.
And after slipping through the tunnels through the Apennine Mountains - the mountains were still covered in snow, there were more than 15 tunnels (I lost count), the places are very beautiful, those that we saw between the tunnels - the train arrived at the station of Rome - Termini, where we were waiting for new impressions from the eternal city of Rome.
But that's a completely different story.
