Wednesday – November 2, 2011
The only compensation for leaving Paris is the idea of going to my other favorite city: Venice! The flight time between these cities is only one hour and 20 minutes, however it took us all day to arrive at our hotel in Venice. By the way, all the photos in this entry were taken with my iPhone because my camera was packed away.
We waited almost an hour in the lobby of Le Relais du Louvre Hotel for the airport van to pick us up. It’s a warm and inviting space and we were patient.
Lobby of Le Relais du Louvre
It takes about an hour, depending on the traffic, to go from the center of Paris out to Charles deGaulle Airport. We had made reservations from New York to fly on Easyjet between the two European cities. This is a relatively new British economy airline and we didn’t know what to expect. We had read horror stories about Ryan Air and opted not to go with them.
Charles deGaulle Airport
We arrived more than two hours before our flight. There are no “reserved seats” on Easyjet but rather “first come, first served”, so we thought it was better to arrive early. Typical of a British Airline, we were hassled with our carry-ons and had to cram our usual carry-ons into one bag each. Once past security, we could divide the bags again.
Flying Over the French Alps
We cued-up with the mostly European passengers and were able to get seats together near a window. The airplane was clean and the boarding was orderly. Everything on the plane is for sale: food, drinks, snacks, shopping, etc. The flight attendants worked the aisles like hawkers in the Turkish markets trying to sell their goods and services.
Passing the Italian Alps
Then we arrived in squeeky-clean and modern Marco Polo Airport which is located on the land side of Venice. We picked up our luggage and went through Passport Control. We easily found the ticket booth for the boat-bus called Alilaguna and purchased a one-way ticket to Venice for 15 Euros. A round-trip ticket would have been 25 Euros, but we wanted to keep our options open. There are many ways to travel across the lagoon.
Marco Polo Airport
We waited about 40 minutes in the floating and rocking station-house for the boat. When it finally came, it filled up with mostly older American tourists like us. It was after 4:30 in the afternoon and the sun was low in the sky.
Across The Venetian Lagoon
I had read that the best way to arrive in Venice is by boat across the lagoon. You arrive slowly and calmly, in all weather; watching the light play on the water, in the same way that people have been going to Venice for thousands of years. It looks like endless water until the towers in the distance become more distinct and grow taller as you approach.
A Lone Gondolier
It’s fun to think that Marco Polo and all the other adventurers arrived in Venice by boat, across this beautiful expanse of water. The Alilaguna boat-bus made many stops along the way to drop off tourists. It was a nice slow leisurely ride to see the outer islands and the outer Foundamenta Nuovo. It took well over an hour to finally arrive at our stop: San Marco.
Piazza San Marco
We finally arrived in Venice!! Beautiful magical Venice!! We disembarked with our suitcases and rolled them to our hotel nearby. It was a journey to get here; it took the whole day, but we finally made it!!
Ahhhh…… Venice……
We had made reservations to stay at the Concordia Hotel just off the Piazza San Marco across from the church. We were a little worried about noise from the crowds of tourists and the bells of San Marco and the Clock Tower. The reception desk of the hotel was on the second floor because of the frequent “alta aqua” and we successfully checked in.
The Concordia Hotel
We had a welcoming glass of prosecco and were shown to our room on the third floor. We freshened up and went out to see Venice in the evening. It was still early, restaurants were opening, and most of the shops were open.
A Mask Shop
A Gondolier At Night
Another Mask Shop
We explored the narrow streets of Venice for a little while. We found a good place to have a relaxing dinner and returned to the hotel, happy to be in Venice again.