We left Tracy's house around midday and started heading towards Venice in Italy. We predicted the drive would take about 5 hours which included a short break in between. We'd decided to take the Gotthardpass because the views were mean't to be spectacular however we probably should've known better. Throughout the whole trip our built-in GPS was great. Then as soon as we arrived in Switzerland it decided to get us lost on pretty much every drive.
The Gotthardpass was no different. It took us halfway up the mountain, then back down, then around to a village nearby, then through it, and around it, then back up the mountain. In the end I had to just ignore the GPS for a good half hour until we'd reached a place we knew was in the general direction we wanted to go. We finally reached the Swiss / Italian border which was a great relief. Until we realised that the GPS was actually taking us to Milan first … a massive detour from where we were actually heading.
Without going into detail, this drive turned into the most stressful one of the trip. Whether they're in cars, busses, trucks, on scooters or motorbikes … the Italians are crazy drivers! Road rules seemed to go out the window as soon as we crossed the border and they got even worse as you get closer to the major cities. I thought the Autobahn would be hard but THIS was my European driving test. I'm happy to say I passed. The trick? Drive like you're not afraid to die and you'll do fine.
After nine and a half hours on the road, we made it to Venice. We got in at 9:30pm and were absolutely wrecked. We should have been able to sleep like logs that night. Unfortunately for us, our campsite was right next to the Venice airport!
We took the shuttle bus to Venice the next morning. We got there about 9am and were scheduled to catch the 11:30pm bus so we had plenty of time to see everything. We decided to walk around for a bit just to get the lay of the land. The first thing we noticed was the number of shops selling masks for Masquerade Balls.
The Gotthardpass was no different. It took us halfway up the mountain, then back down, then around to a village nearby, then through it, and around it, then back up the mountain. In the end I had to just ignore the GPS for a good half hour until we'd reached a place we knew was in the general direction we wanted to go. We finally reached the Swiss / Italian border which was a great relief. Until we realised that the GPS was actually taking us to Milan first … a massive detour from where we were actually heading.
Without going into detail, this drive turned into the most stressful one of the trip. Whether they're in cars, busses, trucks, on scooters or motorbikes … the Italians are crazy drivers! Road rules seemed to go out the window as soon as we crossed the border and they got even worse as you get closer to the major cities. I thought the Autobahn would be hard but THIS was my European driving test. I'm happy to say I passed. The trick? Drive like you're not afraid to die and you'll do fine.
After nine and a half hours on the road, we made it to Venice. We got in at 9:30pm and were absolutely wrecked. We should have been able to sleep like logs that night. Unfortunately for us, our campsite was right next to the Venice airport!
We took the shuttle bus to Venice the next morning. We got there about 9am and were scheduled to catch the 11:30pm bus so we had plenty of time to see everything. We decided to walk around for a bit just to get the lay of the land. The first thing we noticed was the number of shops selling masks for Masquerade Balls.
After wondering around for a while, we took one of the famous (and yes, slightly cheesy) gondola rides. Our guide was pretty average so we didn't actually learn anything but the views from the water were great. It's hard to imagine how someone could look at a swamp and decide to build a city right on top of it. And it's tidal too so the water rises and falls by considerably each day. Quite impressive really.
Around lunch time Alice suggested we catch a ferry to an island close by called Burano. The place is awesome! Every building is painted a different colour from its neighbour making it a remarkably bright and cheery place. It was still a bit touristy but no way near as much as Venice. I guess it's because it takes over an hour to get there by boat. We walked alongside the canals, ate some amazing pastry sweets, did some window shopping and then just chilled out in the sun.
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| Although we didn't make it to Piza, it turns out we didn't have to ;) |
We got back to Venice in the afternoon, saw the famous cathedral and then just wondered around again.
At about 9:30pm we caught the ferry back to the bus. I highly recommend anyone who goes to Venice to hang around until at least sunset because you'll see the place in a totally different light. It's beautiful.
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