The last stop - Venezia!

European Trip - May 29, 2002

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Well, the 15 or 16 day adventure was finally winding down to its conclusion. Florence was our last big hurrah, but we had to go to Venice in order to get to Aviano AB (and Pordenone), so we had planned to spend the afternoon in Venice. After our Eurostar train got us quickly and smoothly to Venice, we exited the train, left our bags in storage, and set out for a superfast expedition to catch the sights of Venice. What is cool about Venice is the fact it is one big island in a huge bay/marsh. I didn't realize that was how it was situated, and in fact, when you take the train to get there, you spend a long time on a bridge just to get to Venice. And once you leave the train station, you're immediately on a canal. Sweet! We bought tickets to get on the water taxi and rode in the 'Venice bus' to get to St Mark's square (like everyone else and their mother). We arrived, took pictures, explored the St Mark's cathedral (and avoided paying to see the 'treasure', which you could see from the non-paying section. Hmmm...), and braved the pigeon-infested courtyard. Seriously, Alfred Hitchcock would have a holiday filming that square. We ate a great lunch on the square, then walked a little bit more around the town, getting a feel for the numerous canals and small bridges over them that are everywhere. I would like to have spent more time there, and I hope to one day properly visit the city. Shelly & Roger Garcia spent a few days there and said it was their favorite city. I can see why. And it didn't smell like I was told it would. Maybe you have to be there a little later in the summer. Then, it was time to head back to the train station, as we had to catch the 2-hour train ride from Venice to Pordenone, at which we'd take a cab to the area outside Aviano AB, stay at the Duomo hotel, and catch our Space-A ride the next day back to Lajes. We didn't have ANY problem getting on board the plane, as we had signed up 16 days previously. No stress at all on this part. An uneventful flight later, we were back safe and sound on the tiny island of Terceira. What an amazing vacation! But it was nice to finally be home though.

Anyways - I just want to say that I think everyone needs to take a vacation like this at least once in their life. It is an experience and a half to train through Europe, observing all sorts of different types of people, seeing the scenery (well, sometimes - most of the time we were traveling at night) from the train, and just seeing tons of stuff! I heartily recommend the following books for anyone wanting to go on this type of adventure. They are what we used, and helped immensely! A hyperlink to the book on Amazon.com is provided, free of charge! Additionally, you also want to weigh the pros and cons of traveling alone or with others. I totally loved traveling with Jason and Wendy, as we all got along except for when we all got bitchy. But those times were fortunately few and mainly me. After doing this trip and then the London one (during which I was alone for a few days), I liked them both for different reasons. I like to be able to do things that I want to do (as in London), but you don't share it with anyone (as I did in Europe). So it's something to think about.

	Rick Steves' Best of Europe 2002: This book was the bible. Seriously. We three became converts to the Rick Steves religion before, during, and after reading this book. Now he doesn't write on EVERY city in Europe, so make sure to browse the book first to see if the city you are wanting to go to is covered in it. It just may not be - he may have dissed it in there or in the book below, which is how we talked ourselves out of going to Zurich ("like going to Cleveland..."). Reading this book before the trip helped us plan the trip, as well as helping us change course mid-trip (as when we dropped Monaco/Monte Carlo in lieu of going to Florence for a few days - we weren't even going to Florence originally!). He gives very opinionated thoughts on what to see and do in Europe, and he rarely leads you astray. The book is thick, but it is well worth the space in your backpack or suitcase. Without Rick Steves, we might have missed the chocolate and churros in Madrid. The thought of that makes me cringe. Oh, I miss those things! And Restaurant Bibo, and Giotto's Tower, and.....well, you get the point. He lists hotels he likes, not EVERY single hotel in a city, and that helped immensely too. I highly recommend his books.
	Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2003 (2002 when I bought it): The book above is mainly focused on various cities throughout Europe, including his thoughts on hotels, restaurants, sights, etc. This book complements the one above by devoting almost the entire first half of the book on HOW to travel in Europe. He breaks down how you should best pack for a journey through Europe, the best clothes to wear, appropriate etiquette, good attitutes to have while traveling - MILITANTLY OPTIMISTIC or MILOPTY is the one lesson we learned the most. Things are definitely going to go wrong while traveling. Such as the 'no hotel' thing in Barcelona. You've just got to grin and bear it, and press on. If you can get over the small hurdles, you'll realize you're still having the time of your life. The second half is sorta like the Best of book above, but he gets a little bit more 'dishy' in which cities aren't worth the effort, what is the most overrated parts of Europe, good 1 week, 2 week, 1 month, etc. journeys, etc. I definitely recommend this as well.
	Rick Steves' French, Italian & German Phrase Book & Dictionary: A great phrase book is an indispensable tool for traveling effectively in Europe. ESPECIALLY if you're going to countries that don't speak the same language. Obviously you'll notice that Spanish is NOT included here. That is a bummer, but fortunately for me, I had Jason and Wendy for that. Your results may vary. Now what is good about this book is that it's divided in thirds between the languages, and then into sections based on the situation. And instead of overwhelming you with every possible permutation of phrase, he gives you the most used and important phrases. One thing I noticed that wasn't in there was how to say You're Welcome. I guess he doesn't think a European will ever be thanking a tourist. But I was in the situation sometimes where it was the appropriate thing to say, and I had no idea how to say it in French or Italian. Luckily for us, I have mad dope German skills, so I took care of Germany and Austria for us. Also a major BONUS on this is the menu breakdown. VERY helpful. This book is very good sized and fits in your pocket for easy access.