25-Aug-12 (London -> Venice)
The long-awaited European trip finally started today, and I'm so excited！ We arrived at London Airport around 5:45 am. Immigration wasn’t as long as I had imagined, and by the time we got our luggage and took the subway to the hotel, it was only about 7:30. There was a fairly fine drizzle outside, and the temperature of around 16 degrees made it a bit hard to adjust to — luckily we brought a jacket.
Since it was too early and we weren’t familiar with the area, we decided to have breakfast at the hotel. Though the breakfast tasted good, it was definitely not cheap. We arrived safely at Gatwick Airport, and then a dramatic scene unfolded！ We had managed our timing well, but due to stomach trouble, we ended up having to run to catch our flight.
Finally, we arrived in Venice. We waited for our luggage for a long time, and once we got it, we immediately took a water bus to the island. The water bus stop is quite far from the airport — it took us about 7 minutes to walk there with our luggage.
(The water bus we took)
After arriving at the hotel, we couldn’t wait to freshen up — after all, we had been on a plane for over ten hours. Feeling both hungry and thirsty, we didn’t go sightseeing right away but instead sat down at a restaurant we passed by for dinner. The mussels were very fresh. Although the texture wasn’t as tender as blue mussels, the flavor was still good, especially with the local-style sauce (tomatoes, olive oil, pepper, and basil)... we just couldn’t stop eating. Even the not-so-great bread was dipped in the sauce and eaten.
The pizza was also delicious — crispy crust, thick cheese, mushrooms, and black truffle oil that almost made us swallow our own tongues. The mushrooms weren’t dry at all, and the amount of truffle oil was just right, not overpowering the other flavors.
The final dish, Bigoli pasta... = Shanghai chow mein? And the taste was a bit off, so we only ate a little. After dinner, we went back to the hotel to rest because we were all exhausted after more than 30 hours of traveling...
26-Aug-12 Brief sunshine, intermittent strong winds and heavy rain (Venice)
We woke up around 8 am, had breakfast at the hotel, then went to the train station and took a boat to Murano Island to watch glass-making. It was drizzling today, but it didn’t matter — we were just going indoors to watch the glass-making and browse the glass shops.
(I blew... whoosh!)
(Pretty exquisite glassware)
After that, we originally wanted to walk to the museum and church, but it was windy and rainy outside, and my girlfriend was feeling a bit cold, so we just sat down at a nearby restaurant and ordered two hot chocolates. What a surprise — they were amazing！ The chocolate flavor was super rich, not too sweet at all (the owner even asked if we wanted sugar!), it felt like drinking chocolate sauce but wasn’t the least bit greasy. After drinking it, we felt warm and energized. By then the rain had stopped, so we continued walking. We actually really liked the tranquility of this little island.
(Super delicious chocolate)
When we got to the church, we happened to catch a mass, but since we’re not religious, we didn’t go in.
At noon, we took the boat back near the train station and saw a very bustling street, so we went in to have a look around.
As we walked, we started to feel a bit hungry, so we picked a random roadside restaurant for lunch. The Italian waiter there enthusiastically introduced us to local specialties. In the end, we ordered a squid ink pasta and a lobster seafood pasta, along with a juice and a beer (which was huge!). Although the taste was good, when we later saw that the prices on the bill were different from those on the menu, we felt they were a bit dishonest, so we deducted some points.
(Lobster seafood pasta)
(Squid ink pasta)
After lunch, we continued walking along the main road and saw many street vendors selling masks, souvenirs, and lots of gelato shops. I ordered one with pistachio flavor... a long-lost taste that reminded me of my student days in the UK, when there was an old Italian couple’s homemade gelato shop near Bayswater — the aroma and authenticity were great. Even though I had gelato, the weather was really too hot. By the time we got to the Rialto Bridge, the heat and the crowds made us give up on taking photos. We ended up sitting in a small shop on a side street near St. Mark’s Square to rest. This place gave me an expensive vibe！ There was a 2.5 euro cover charge, and the service was arrogant... although the tiramisu was good, the overall experience wasn’t great.
(Good tiramisu)
Finally, we arrived at Piazza St. Marc (St. Mark’s Square)! The cathedral is magnificent！ With intricate carvings, gold everywhere, and a grand atmosphere. After walking through the cathedral, we followed the Doge’s Palace to the southern shore, looking at various historic buildings and arched bridges — it felt almost unreal.
(St. Mark’s Basilica)
(Doge’s Palace)
(The Bridge of Sighs behind the Doge’s Palace)
(The small island facing St. Mark’s Square)
(Gondolas by the shore)
(Stalls by the shore selling masks and other souvenirs)
I was feeling a bit tired, so we decided to take a boat ride. Who knew that just then, a sudden storm hit outside, with the temperature dropping from 30 degrees to around 18 degrees. Luckily, I had brought a fairly warm jacket. I had originally planned to get off at Rialto, but due to the weather, we ended up riding all the way to the train station before disembarking. Then we went back to the hotel to change into warmer clothes before heading out for dinner.
(The Rialto Bridge after the rain)
It was my first time trying Fine Dining abroad—a five-course meal with five glasses of liquor. I sampled several authentic traditional Venetian dishes. As it turned out, tradition doesn’t necessarily suit our taste. Though I wasn’t quite used to the traditional cooking style here, the pairing with the liquors was outstanding. The chemistry between the food and the drinks was remarkably impressive—it was my first experience with such excellent pairing. The service here was also top-notch as well. (Of course, money makes the world go round!!)
(A rather romantic restaurant)