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- Tue, 19:52: Back @ hotel shortly after midnight on Christmas after nice dinner with L's host family.
- Tue, 19:53: Up at 5:15 am, checking out w non-English speaking clerk @ 5:50. New credit card doesn't work, but then neither does R's. Paid cash.
- Tue, 19:53: Clerk made cappuccinos, we walked 5 min to train station, validated 5-day rail passes, waited 4 train to wake up--V. is end of line.
- Tue, 19:53: Got to Roma Trastevere station only a few min late, caught 2 taxis to Termini. Paid the 1€ for toilets, killed time until train was posted.
- Tue, 19:53: Frecciaargente "Silver Arrow" to Venice via Florence, second fastest Eurostar trains. First class seats, not a lot of leg room, though.
- Tue, 19:53: Successfully dealt w conductor on RailPasses, we stamped wrong page & hadn't filled in passport numbers. All OK now, though.
- Tue, 19:53: Drinks cart offers free drinks and cookies a la airline. Ears are popping at almost every tunnel--much worse than plane.
- Tue, 19:54: Bought sandwiches crudo/mozzarella & speck/Edam @ station, unsure abt train food or prices. Nice sandwich, outstrips McD choice nearby.
- Tue, 19:58: Private water taxi to hotel on Grand Canal, arriving @ private dock. Ca'Sagredo is next to Ca'd'Oro--ritzy. Very spacious Jr Suite rooms
- Tue, 20:00: We're underdressed and under aged for Ca'Sagredo's clientele, I think.
Dec. 26th, 2012
Day in Venice
Dec. 26th, 2012 11:21 pmWe started out with breakfast in the hotel, as usual, and it was the most elaborate spread yet (though not exceeding Hotel Mascagni a great deal, I'd say). The usual cereals and milk, yogurt, and bread rolls, then what I think were two variations on panettone (Christmas bread), and a flat ricotta cheesecake-filled pastry. Two types of scrambled eggs, soft and hard-boiled eggs, two sorts of small sausages, and bacon. I should have paid more attention when I read up on bacon styles during the recent Bujold list bacon discussion, but all I can say is it was one of the meatier styles, smoked, and not crisp. :) And very good. Then there was a selection of fruit, sliced and whole. Drinks included blood orange juice and prosecco, and the usual options of wonderful Italian coffee.
After that great start, we headed out into a gray day with light mist to go back to Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square), to get the daylight view and to explore over to the waterside--we only got halfway into the piazza last night.
( Veddy long post, no time to make it shorter.. )
I've now mostly repacked my suitcase, including the socks and underwear I washed out last night and let dry on the towel rack in the tub. Unfortunately the rack is only heated when you have hot water running in the shower or tub--we think the hot water is piped through the rack as it goes to the shower head. Tomorrow we'll catch the same Frecciaargente train we came in on, at around 2:30 pm, and go back south to Florence. That will be a 5-night stay, so we'll be able to settle in a little and not live totally out of suitcases.
After that great start, we headed out into a gray day with light mist to go back to Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square), to get the daylight view and to explore over to the waterside--we only got halfway into the piazza last night.
( Veddy long post, no time to make it shorter.. )
I've now mostly repacked my suitcase, including the socks and underwear I washed out last night and let dry on the towel rack in the tub. Unfortunately the rack is only heated when you have hot water running in the shower or tub--we think the hot water is piped through the rack as it goes to the shower head. Tomorrow we'll catch the same Frecciaargente train we came in on, at around 2:30 pm, and go back south to Florence. That will be a 5-night stay, so we'll be able to settle in a little and not live totally out of suitcases.