It was a weekend unlike every other weekend — we woke up before noon (gasp!) picked up our suitcases, and headed to the station! Alas the direct train to Gatwick wasn’t running this weekend, so it took us a couple of changes to get to Gatwick. And since we weren’t flying QueasyJet we took our own sweet time — we’d already picked seats and checked in online (aaaah, much more civilised this way!) … My air tickets were bought using some of the BA Frequent Flyer points I’d been hoarding over the years, so all I had to pay were taxes. We had a snack at EAT (I had a chicken pho — not very authentic, but pretty good!) before boarding and departing on time! :O
Our bus from the airport
Parmesan cheese ... my favorite!
We arrived at Venice airport, and the crowds were nowhere to be seen … our luggage didn’t get lost, and wandered straight to the bus. We caught the ATVO— there were only 4 other passengers in this nice luxurious coach, and 20 or so minutes later, we arrived at Piazzale Roma.
We walked across a bridge, through a garden, and then we were in our hotel …
I loved Hotel Papadopoli — it didn’t feel too much like a chain hotel, the bar, lounge and restaurant area were pretty relaxing.
Here’s our room …
Our room at Papadopoli Venizia
We had fluffy bathrobes, slippers, green-tea scented bathroom toiletries, and there was even a present! :)
Muffin turned on the telly and we were transfixed … had a nap, then woke up to join our friends for dinner. We wandered to Dorsoduro, which was a university area, therefore there were more locals than tourists. We had dinner at Osteria Alla Bifora, which was one of our favorite places to eat in Venice — they served only cicheti (small plates) instead of mains.
After dinner, we wandered around to see what we could eat the next time, and found a window display of live seafood! We vowed to return to eat here the next day …
The live lobster was calling out to us
Coffee at Chichetteria Al Vecio Marangon
We continued to wander around until we stumbled upon a small cafe (Cichetteria Al Vecio Marangon) with an interesting coffee machine … and the coffee was delicious!