(Continued from the previous post)
Day 3:
Arrived in Venezia Santa Lucia station around 9pm, and checked into Hotel Arlecchino near the Bus station. Not sure which idiot designed the new bridge from the train station to the bus station, it consisted only of steps and was a pain to watch many folks having to lift their rolling suitcases. If they had instead put a ramp for half of the bridge, it would have benefited both the folks who wanted stairs as well as rolling bags.
Came back to the train station and took the water bus (or Vaporetto as it is called) at around 10pm to see the grand canal by night. – Highly recommended by Rick Steves and I agree. On our round trip to St. Mark’s square, we saw the palaces and buildings of the Venetian merchants and their brightly lit chandeliers. Even at 11pm, it was standing room only on the Vaporetto (No. 2) back to the bus station.
Retired to bed past midnight after another hectic day.
Day 4: Venice gondola ride, losing my phone and on to Rome at 300kmph in Club Class.
We were all very exhausted to get up that morning and by the time we had our breakfast in the hotel and got out it was 11am. We had to catch the train to Rome at 4pm so had to short cut our plans to visit Murano (and its glass factories). 
Decided to take care of the most important – Venetian must experience – gondola ride and took one from our hotel to the Rialto bridge to save time. (usually, they only do round-trips)
Our plan was to walk from the Rialto bridge to Doge’s palace and take the Vaporetto back. Had a great Gondola ride (the gondolier was not a singer though) but as we were getting off the gondola, I slipped and my iPhone fell off into the 
canal. (from my hand – but the good news is that I did not fall into the canal). For the next hour or more, we tried “fishing” the phone out of the silt where we thought it fell with the help of a net attached to a long pole – Thanks to the help of a few gondoliers there. But could not find it and gave up. We made a rule that no matter what happens the trip must go on as all the other train and hotel reservations were made. Got some quick salads and juices for our lunch and came back to our hotel to pick our bags and get to the 4 pm train.
This was a train journey we were really looking forward to. It is the new breed of Italian high-speed trains NTV or Italo which go at 300 kmph. 
One of the promoters of Italo is the owner of the Ferrari. If you are a party of 4, you get to book the Salotto or the executive club ambiance (your own private saloon of 4 seats) for a special price of 50 euros each. It is usually on the first Carrozza (coach) right next to the driver’s cabin. This was my first experience (and a 30-year long dream of mine) to travel on land at 300 kmph. Reached Rome, a distance of 531 km (with stops in Padova, Bologna, Firenze) in 3 hours 45 minutes. Teja’s suitcase handle broke off, so we bought a new one at the shops in the Roma Termini station. It was both scary and assuring to see Security/ military personnel armed with machine guns at most major Italian and French train stations. Took a taxi and headed to our hotel Piazza di Spagna Suites in front of the historic Piazza Di Spagna (Spanish steps). We took a superior suite (essentially the ones with a view of the Spanish steps) and it was great. Breakfast was served in the room per our choices we gave the previous night. The front office person who checked us in was of great help explaining several things around that place and also calling around to find vegan restaurants. 
That night we went to nearby Via Margutta to Margutta RistorArte, a vegetarian restaurant, and art gallery. It was pricey and they took very long to get us the main course, but the food was good. On the way back we took a leisurely stroll around the area and window shopped the famous brands (and brands /designers that we never heard off) and amused ourselves at those price tags. Tried our best to imagine who would pay 14,000 euros for a handbag. The interesting thing was that all those shops (and even our hotel) were in 400+-year-old buildings but with ultra-modern interiors. 
The glass showcases with these high price tagged goods were left open with bright lighting late into the night (probably all night) so we felt very secure walking around. Booked tickets online for the next day to Colosseum and also a guided tour to Vatican – the only one available as direct online tickets were all sold out.
Another hectic day, getting to bed well past midnight.
Day 5: Rome, Vatican City.
This was one of the two occasions where we spent two nights at the same place. Headed to Colosseum as early as we could (around 9:30am) and already there were huge lines. 
Since I had the tickets (got them printed at the hotel front office) we were able to get in 30 minutes. They added an elevator in the Colosseum to get to the top floor, we went around, took pictures spent about 30 minutes inside. Got out on the south side and Palentine hill /forum is a short walk. But we were too tired to go up the hill, and hungry too, so took a cab to the nearest “Universo Vegano”, a vegetarian restaurant chain. The Veggina Inca and Bio Panini were really good with the extra spicy sauce. Headed out to the Vatican for our 2:30pm tour. It was a bit expensive but worth it as the guide explained several nuances around the masterpieces in the Vatican museums and Sistena Cappella (or Sistene Chapel). Ended our tour around 5:30 in the St. Peter’s Basilica, which I had only seen earlier in live telecasts back in India on Christmas eve’s.
A couple of interesting observations: St. Peter’s basilica is east facing as are most Indian temples and there is an Obelix in front of it with a cross atop– approximately the same height as the main temple – very similar in concept to the dhwaja sthambam’s in front of Indian temples. Is it just a coincidence?
From there on, we went to the Pantheon, the oldest fully surviving structure in Rome. Then we settled down at a small gelateria in front of the Pantheon, enjoying the street performer’s music. One guy performed oldies and recent hits on a guitar which was amazing. Later on, another guy started with his accordion. It was a great atmosphere.
Another observation was there were Bangladeshi’s everywhere, from street hawkers to small convenience store owners, waiters, etc. Upon inquiry, a couple of them told me they are being encouraged to migrate by the Italian Government with liberal issuance of visas.
Again had dinner at Universo Vegano and ended our trip at the Trevi fountain, very crowded, but another electric atmosphere. Returned to the hotel and soaked in more window shopping around Piazza di Spagna.
Day 6: Florence:
Our planning waned towards the later part of the trip, did not have tickets for the morning train to Florence. Tried booking on the internet and my card was rejected, not sure why. So it was an interesting experience calling the Italo phone operators. Firstly they don’t have 24/7 service like we have in the US. Secondly, the lady who answered at 7am (when they open) said the English operators would not be available until 10am. When I explained I had to catch a 9:45 am train, she helped me in broken English with my booking. Got the Salotto again for the 1:30 hour journey from Rome to Florence (Firenze Santa Maria Novella). Requested for a visit to the driver’s cabin and they did not allow me, but only allowed the kids to go in. The engineer/driver apparently visited Amarillo, TX USA and explained the stuff to the kids who were thrilled with the driver’s view going at 250 kmph.
Upon arrival in Firenze, we checked our bags into Hotel Roma (in Piazza Santa Maria Novella)- in an old building but with ultra-modern facilities. Their amenity kits are really good.
We had Lunch at Brac, another Vegan restaurant near the Uffizi. Asked the chef to surprise us and here is what they gave us. Pretty filling for about 15 euros a plate.
We got the 2:30pm tickets to Accademia (mainly the David statue). Accademia is overrated and we did not find it worth the effort or money. The only real thing there is David who is bare naked and it might not appeal to all. (though if he was clothed it would have been the greatest depiction of the perfect man).
From there we went to the Duomo, (Cathedral), bought some wall paintings and headed to Uffizi the largest collection of Art in Italy, In order to get tickets we had to take a guided audio tour, but after an hour we handed off the audio equipment to the guide and went our way. Spent some time looking at the key collections in rooms 66, 79, 83, and headed out.
Took a cab to Piazzo de Michelangelo, a hill outside Firenze from where there are excellent views of the Arno and the city. After taking some pictures headed back for dinner. The drive was very scenic passing by some really expensive villas.
The dinner at Universo Vegano was Pizza (yes, finally pizza in its birth country of Italy).
(Continued…)
Switzerland: Zurich, Lucerne, Brienz, Interlaken, Spiez, Visp, Zermatt, Disentis, Samedan, Pontresina, Poschiavo, (Glacier Express & Bernina Express)
(The European term picnic is used for getting your edibles and eating anywhere you like, often in very scenic places). Traveling first class helped as it was more spacious with fewer people, some portions of the journey we had the entire coach to ourselves.
Our Swiss pass allowed us to board all buses, and boats in addition to all trains (except funiculars and some mountain trains) in Switzerland. We boarded the boat cruise from Brienz to Interlaken Ost and it was a highlight of our day. 1st class is the upper deck with better views. It was interesting as the boat called on several villages along the way. As we got out of the boat at Interlaken and boarded the train to Spiez (on our way to Zermatt), I realized my pocket was empty of my wallet. (So it was either picked while I was disembarking the boat or fell off my pocket somewhere between the last point I used it on the boat to buy some hot chocolate and coffee to keep us awake from jet lag). We returned to the boat dock to realize it just left back to Brienz. I tried contacting the boat folks but due to the language barrier, we decided to head back to Brienz by train to catch the boat and search it in case it fell off. Long story short, we could not find it. However, it was not a disaster in that it only had a couple of hundred USD – I had not yet changed any money to swiss francs yet (which is the major currency used in Switzerland). Also lost my main credit card(s) and my bank debit cards. Spent the next couple of days calling the credit card companies. Fortunately, we had few other cards and the rest of the cash along with our passports in my hidden neck pouch (It is a ‘must-have’ when traveling overseas – yes, it ruined most of my pictures as it stuck out from under my shirt, but worth the peace of mind), so it did dampen our spirits and we lost about 3 hours, but we did not have to alter our plans. Another thing I learned is that the Police Station at the Interlaken Ost station closes at 6pm (it was a Friday) and does not reopen till Monday morning, surprised to note that there is no coverage during that period. When I called them, they asked me to either report later at any other police station or email them. A silver lining is that this anxiety wiped out our jet lag/ sleepiness :).
No automobiles (cars /buses) are allowed except electric vehicles in Zermatt (Fossil-fuel vehicles are only allowed up to Tasch which is 5 km down), so took an electric taxi to the hotel. A family apartment in this mountain lodge with a view of the Matterhorn from the balcony awaited us. It was about 5 days before the full moon and was a clear night, so the view of moon-lit Matterhorn was surreal. No, this picture from our balcony does not even begin to capture that beauty. The picnic supplies we bought in the morning lasted us for dinner as well.
Woke up before sunrise to catch the different hues of Matterhorn as the sun rises and after a good breakfast at the hotel, headed to the train station on the hotel’s electric shuttle. Again, we did the picnic shopping at the Coop in front of the train station and boarded the 9:52am 
dining room (erstwhile ballroom), we were dropped at the station in the hotel shuttle. Even though we booked the reservations for the first Bernina express of the day (a train with panoramic windows, similar to the Glacier express), we decided to take the earlier Regio express train from Pontresina for two reasons, a) it gave us an additional hour in Milan and b) It had windows that open so we can enjoy the fresh air and take pictures without the reflection from the windows. (Alas, I lost most of those pictures along with the phone) In hindsight, it turned out to be a great decision. I can unequivocally say the 2 hours from Pontresina to Poschiavo provided the best views on the entire trip. Initially, the train ascends to 2,253 meters at Ospizio Bernina, the highest point on the track and then descends to 441 meters at Tirano on the Italian side of the Swiss-Italy border. An amazing 2-hour train journey where we saw Glaciers (in August), melting into waterfalls, to lakes, to streams and rivers down to the Italian plains.
This 1800+ meter descent makes one wonder why don’t they layout similar trains across the Himalayas which also has immense tourism potential. I must say we were extremely lucky to have a sunny day which made it all the more beautiful. In fact, the RhB runs two coaches that are almost open top (obviously standing room only) to enable unobstructed views, usually at the south end of the train. Hopefully, someday I get to repeat this journey.
This is the water dripping contraption we saw with most hawkers in Italy to keep Coconut slices wet, fresh and cool. Reminded me of street vendors in south India sprinkling water on coconut slices. It was a really hot day and we wanted to buy water but did not have time to cash some euros and there were long lines at the food trucks as well. So went into the Galleria mall (up to 7th floor where there is a food court) and had some juices to drink where credit cards were accepted. Also strolled around the mall for a bit before reaching the station (Milan Galleria is apparently the grandmother of all the malls in the world, which took the Galleria name). Just made it in time for our 6:05 pm Frecciabianca train to Venice. Important stations in Italy are now implementing security checks where they are verifying tickets to ensure only bonafide passengers get into the stations and it took some time for me to get the ticket on my phone, so we barely made it to the last coach. It was an experience walking along the length of the train to our reserved coach at the other end of the train. Hey, but we accomplished Milan in 4 hours, safe and sound!!
tvprasad 