The Venetian Masquerade

There were many good things about our flying stop in Lienz. The mountain views, the flat to ourselves, the hammock...but possibly the best thing about Lienz was the peaceful nights sleep we finally got after spending the previous nights in hostels with noisy tenants. Praise being halfway up a mountain! Not a good environment for drunks, but an excellent environment for two exhausted girls.

After spending a lazy morning packing, lounging in the hammock (and being scared by Emily), and having some wifi time, we trudged back down the mountain to the train station to continue our journey south to Venice. Amazingly, we'd managed to come to Lienz in the middle of their festival, and so we had to fight through the crowds and the entertainment before finally finding our destination.

The six hour journey down through the mountains was once again breathtaking, and we found ourselves in awe of the sublime beauty of what we could see all around us. After an hours stop at Fortezza (a station where there is literally nothing), we found ourselves once again on a Hogwarts Express-esque train and amazingly found an empty carriage! No mean feat for a train that had come all the way from Munich. After congratulating ourselves, we settled in for the four hour train journey to Vemice that, surprisingly, felt so much longer than the previous day's ten hour journey. But eventually we'd made it to Venice Mestre, a stop away from the island and two minutes away from our hotel. Or, as it turned out to be, slightly dodgy feeling B&B on the third floor of a residential building. Nonetheless, the staff were lovely and the place was clean, so we set about creating the shit pit. I swear it's not intentional! It just, well, happens. 

Food was the next priority, and luckily there was a supermarket on the next road over. Tuna sandwiches and snacks achieved, we headed back to the room only to find that we'd picked up possibly the most disgusting sandwiches ever made. Seriously. The only place these belonged was the bin. We faced the prospect of a long and hungry night until I remembered that there was a McDonalds back at the train station! We ended the night with happy tummies.

The next day dawned under the blistering heat of the Italian sun, and after a much needed lie in, we prepared ourselves for a day of wandering by the canals of Venice and exploring the pretty tiny streets. We got the train there, and stepped out onto a crowded street by the Grand Canal. Apparently every man and his nan had decided to visit Venice at the same time as us, and we fought our way through to the quieter side, before setting off through the winding maze.

First stop was a souvenir shop, where I bought two Venetian masks. Can't go to Venice without buying them, after all! It's like going to France and not eating baguettes. The next few hours were spent trying to work out how to get to the main square and church. Venice, as we soon found out, is literally like an old maze lined with beautiful building, and tourists and street vendors everywhere. Luckily though, it's also a beautiful place, so getting lost a few times isn't really an issue. Lunch was spent sat by the canal eating rolls, before we headed off again, eating gelato as we went. Pistachio for me, banana for Emily. Along the way, we discovered the shopping street of Venice, which contained two of our favourite shops. Kiko, and the Disney Store. Well, it would have been rude not to stop!

Finding the church was worth the trek. Towering above us, the old architecture just begged for a picture in front of it. The background was perfect with the water behind it, and I once again found myself speechless that places and buildings like this do exist, and I can actually visit them, they're not just pictures or paintings. After wandering by the water and taking more pictures, we decided it was time for a sit down and a coffee. But could we find a little cafe anywhere? Nope. So instead, like true tourists, we made our way to McDonalds where we knew we could at least sit down and have a coke.

Feet rested, it was time to wind our way back through towards the train station, stopping off in Sephora and Lush along the way. I literally fell into Sephora, and the staff in Lush were the loveliest I've ever come across. Interested in where we'd come from and what we were doing, and so helpful. They couldn't do enough. Spirits buoyed by this, we ended up in a pizzeria for lunch, before making our way back to the station and Venice Mestre (doing a bit of Kiko shopping on the way!)