Venetian Follies

Venice!!! The city where canals are more common than paved roads and picturesque bridges outnumber the local population. There is a lot of hype surrounding this sinking cita, and all I can say is that it is totally, justifiably earned. The city sparkles like the sun on it's glistening waterways, in every aspect... well, except for some of the reeking water/fishy scents, but that just an unavoidable reality, methinks.

All did not go as planned on our little Venetian outing, however. This should not surprise you. Kjelsie and I are never ones for textbook approaches or experiences. :) For the sake of time, and our sanity, we are cutting this blog down to a bullet-style outline of all the high (and low) points. Are you ready for Venice? Here it comes!

• The regional train to Venice(aka, the "free with pass" train) leaves from a different station and at a different time than the ones listed on our Eurail-provided timetable.
• Thus, we got a very late start.
• We resolved to spend only 5 touring hours in Venice, enabling us to make it out on the last train and therefore use only one day on our pass... or so we thought.
• Left at 11:35am bound for Venice
• 2:55pm arrive in Venice. Mikayla is like a 5 year-old waiting outside the gates of Disneyland.
• The posted timetable is checked to verify time of departure: 21:09... this does not match up with our previous information from Milan rail workers, but hey, we're in Venice now.
• We ventured into the streets, up/down the bridges, taking in the sights with the greatest sense of fulfillment.
  
• We decided that 5 hours in Venice is infinitely better than 5 hours not in Venice.
• While (still) our way to the San Marco Piazza. We got thirsty.
• Kjelsie has genius idea to by a wine juice-box along with our water.
• We continued in merriment. The wine was gone by the time we got to the Grand Canal... for some reason it went faster than the water. :D
• We were pigeon ladies--check one of the ole "List of necessary cliched activities"
• We forced pictures upon gondola navigators and swindled.
• We ate our cold, pre-cooked pasta in tomato cream sauce for dinner by the Duomo
  
• We decided that it would be best to be safe rather then sorry so we turned back around 7:30 and worked our way back to the train station.
• Cue fun-time!
• Having not seen Milan on the departure board when we got to the station at 8:30, we inquired.
• We were informed that the 21:09 train only ran on Sundays and that the next train Milan-bound left at 5:14 am
• Shit
• Kjelsie's and my mood immediately drops and we are vexed--our 5 hour trip to Venice has turned into a 14 hour trip to Venice.
• Bus? Not possible. Hostel? Absolutley not--unnecessary expenditure. Does the train station close? Yes--1am. Shit x2
• Our Barcelona-Gerona time-passing practices were reborn.
  
• We had coffee in a cafe for an hour after rumors of a 24hr. McDonalds turned out to be false.
• We sat in the train station.
• We met Oregon friends who were in the same homeless boat as us, and hung out.
• We sat in a 24 hr. vending machine room, because it was warm... I kid you not. It was creepy.
• Unfortunately for us, a homeless man got first dibs on the less-creepy of the two 24 hr. vending machine rooms.
• We showed back up on the stairs with the Oregonites and waited a couple of minutes for the train station to open again.
• We walked the length of the platform, therefore isolating ourselves from everybody, and were followed by obnoxious, schizophrenic and/or drunk and/or homeless guys to the end. And in not so many words told them to f*ck off.
• We boarded the train (yay! somewhere to sleep) and passed out for the first hour of our journey.
• After being awoken by conductorman, sleep was just never the same, because we became conscious again for the ungodly cold air being pumped through the trains vents.
• We proceeded to freeze, having lost the battle of the fetal-position.
• We arrived in Milan over 20 minutes late, and expected to miss the metro because of the "strike" (it's is a mystery as to whether it even took place or not)
• By some miracle, we made the metro to Maciachini.
• We bought tomato sauce for dinner on our way home, started some laundry, showered, set an alarm, and passed out.
• Slept through alarm. It was 2:45 at time of wake up. Shit x3.
• We attempted to go get our package... because of the incredible length of this process and because of the inconceivable stupidity of this whole damn situation, that's all I'm going to say on this topic. Oh, except that it was also raining at this point... :/ no jokes, please.
  
• Clarification: we're still packageless.
• In an attempt to possibly salvage the package out of our situation tomorrow, we're cutting Switzerland out of our day-plan but still going to arrive in Munich tomorrow night. :)

That's about it, I suppose... I think that bullets list is wayyyyyyy longer than I intended, but whatevs. There is great potential for Kjelsie and I to be computerless for up to 5 days, so there may not be any new blog posts for that length of time... we'll do what we can though.

Please keep us in your prayers. We will need them if our past experiences are any sort of a glimpse at what the next month is going to be. We're so poor. Viva couchsurfing! Like my mom says though, "there's worse things than being poor" and that backpacking (or doing anything, really) in such a state only allows it to become more memorable and meaningful in the long run. Thems some wise words, folks.

Whew. this is way longer than I intended. oops. My eyes are burning with the fire of a thousand suns. Please send us all of your good vibes, and we'll keep you posted!

Salaam