Benvenuti in Italia

We took the "bus" (turned out to be a passenger van) to "Venice (turned out to be Mestre). Our first steps onto Italian soil were into a fist fight breaking out at the bus stop. We found wifi for advice about Venice/Mestre, which was "Whatever you do, do not get off at Mestre." So, we boarded a 10-minute train to actual Venice. (Trains are easy here; just learn the Italian name for your city and validate your ticket in the little machine before you board.)

 

We spent a few hours in Venice. It was packed and stuff was expensive. The canals were riddled with gondolas. While sitting at a cafe, a group of Hash House Harriers (a self-declared drinking club with a running problem) paraded through, singing and apparently ready to start/continue drinking.  For 7 Euros a person we could have ridden a boat taxi back to the train but we opted to walk and see more of the city.

 

 

 

 

On Monday, lines for the cathedral were exhausting so instead we explored the city, including a pit stop at a well reviewed gelato place, La Carraia. The line was nearly as long. The day's menu also included Jason getting a lampredotto panino at Trippaio di San Frediano. He spotted one when we first arrived. That is cow stomach, in case you are curious and eww is right. (ok, it isn't that bad. Just tasted like a sandwich to me.) 

 

 

 

 

 

On Tuesday, we took a train to Cinque Terre, a collection of five coastal villages built on steep cliffs. Unfortunately, the main coastal trail was closed so we could only hike to the second city before catching the train to the rest. It was 2.4 Euro per ticket per person or you can buy one ticket to all the cities. It was the best hike and the best view yet. I wish we had more time to hike between all of the cities. (More trails are open but took 3+ hours.) Below are several shots from the afternoon (before the rain set in).

 

Next up, climbing the duomo!

  

 

 

 

alternative transportation!

 

 

 

Ljubljana, the city of dragons

We took a 6 am bus from Budapest to Ljubljana, Slovenia, via www.orangeways.com. We met a friendly but drunk Swedish gentleman who continued to drink and spill beer on the bus, much to the driver’s dismay. The bus stopped in Zagreb, Croatia. We may or may not have left someone behind; the bus left but returned to the station honking and looking for a rider, but we never found out for sure if someone got stranded. Not surprisingly, at subsequent stops no one wandered too far from the bus!

 

The first thing we noticed about Ljubljana was graffiti and interesting statues line the streets and random and abstract structures litter the skyline. Including a building our Googling skills suggest is a series of condos but we thought it looked more like half a sandwich. Our hotel, the Emonec, was right off the main street up from the Triple Bridges. We dropped our bags and headed back to the bus/train station to book our trip to Florence. A train to Florence was approximately 9 hours.  The information guy told us our best bet was to book a bus to Venice as trains to Florence run every hour from there. 

 

 

 

Next, Jason grabbed a burek, a croissant-like pastry stuffed with mince meat, on our way to Metelkova. Metelkova is an “autonomous social center” and cultural art spot located in former military barracks in Ljubljana. It was pretty empty, sans some teenagers/hooligans drinking in the park area. The art work on the buildings was incredible but the graffiti was even more intriguing. Allegedly the area has (or at one time had) a happening night life with clubs and cheap drinks but we didn’t make it back to find out. Next door is the popular Celica hotel, built out of an old prison. It had no vacancies during our stay.

 

 

 

Friday night there was a street fair packed with vendors with tastes from around the world. Jason settled on octopus risotto and a glass of sambuca juice. We walked along the river, which is lined with restaurants and bars. We settled on a pub blocks away where we got drinks and played cribbage. An older gentleman stopped and watched us play for a while, and we explained some of the rules.

 

 

The next morning I was eager to hike another hill to another castle – unfortunately the rain was nearly as bad as San Sebastian so I gave in and we rode the funicular up the mountain. For 8 Euros a person, you get a round trip (or “return”) on the funicular and entry to the Ljubljana castle. It was my favorite castle, mostly because of the architecture (with parts built deep into the rocks) and the prison. There are also several busy event centers; we saw two wedding parties cross each other in the courtyard.

 

 

 

Back down the mountain, we visited the Saturday market, which is mostly produce and flowers. For lunch, we stopped at Vodnikov Hram. I had the vegetarian medallions, and Jason had a small farm. I mean, he had a plate with pork, turkey and beef lung. For dessert, we went to Cacao, the #1 rated restaurant in Ljubljana on Tripadvisor, for Twix and Tiramisu ice cream. For just 1.4 Euros per delicious cone, it’s not bad for the budget.

 

 

After the rain stopped, we ended the night at a pub. Or a pub/night club it seemed - sometime during the evening the club lights and Latin beats started bumping. On the late-night walk home, we hit Nobel Burek, a 24-hour kebab place. There was a line, which is always a good sign. Kebabs run 2.3 Euro in Ljubljana.  Not quite as cheap as Budapest but definitely the cheapest Euro currency country we visited.

Had we had more time (and less rain), we would have liked to have seen the Škocjan Caves Park, the Predjama Castle built into a cliff, and the city of Bled – these came highly recommended to us. Unfortunately, now it’s time to board the bus for the last leg of our tour. Onward to Florence, Italy!