Good evening from Marghera/Venice.

The night in Rijeka was hot and noisy and only bearable with air conditioning. Our room in the low-budget hotel, or actually a student residence, was pretty cool.
If you spend a bit more money, the rooms aren’t as small and spartan as we thought. We had 2 large workstations and even a small kitchen. Top!

One last time refueling in Croatia – we really liked it and should set a precedent: no matter where and which petrol station – the prices are always the same, no price wars and no searching for the cheapest fuel. Back on the road, the journey continued with all kinds of confusion. At the forefront: tolls. The ticket system from Croatia also exists in Italy and we rolled from one station to the next. It wasn’t quite clear to us why the navigation system had sent us through – in the end we just used the highway again to save time.

The next source of confusion was the route through the beautiful hinterland – fields, dense forest, winding narrow mountain roads, but where are we actually here?
Is that Slovenia already? There was a sign there, wasn’t there? Or is it still Croatia? Romania? (we’d love to go back, we still have treats for a few dogs!) There, another sign. Croatia. Okay. But wait, not so fast, there’s more to come, ahhh, but Slovenia. My goodness, that’s a twisty corner 😀 You could also call it “country hopping”, take a look at the track – then you’ll know what I mean. 🙂
But it’s really beautiful here. The mossy white boulders reminded us all the time of the stone roll from the movie “frozen” 🙂
After just 15 km, we had crossed Slovenia and arrived in the city of Trieste via a small, equally unspectacular border to Italy. The road wound steeply and windingly through the districts down to the sea. We were treated to fantastic views again and again.
Again, the schedule (and lack of beach) didn’t allow us to dip our feet in the water, but we were able to take a break. After a small snack and a brief rescheduling of the route, we arrived in Venice around 2 hours later.

Now comes the real challenge – the big city and people. Lots of people. Use public transport and visit tourist hotspots. What must be done, must be done! We won’t be back here that quickly. While we were still discussing whether a day ticket still made sense, the bus was already there. When we asked if we could pay the driver, he gestured towards a small terminal and waved his hand, urging us to continue our journey. So I quickly put my smartphone on it and paid somewhere. 😲 Great confusion. What have we paid for now? And why didn’t we get a “physical” ticket? What if someone checks now? 🤔😵‍💫 At least the bus route and the direction it was going in were correct.

When we finally arrived in Venice at Piazza Roma, we walked through the many alleyways, corners, squares, over bridges and took a gondola towards San Marco. My Marco took care of the pictures for the blog, while I tried to capture the many impressions in my own way. Not easy at all. By now it was 6 pm and certainly not as crowded as during the day, but at 30° you think everyone else is too crowded. *eyes closed*

The atmosphere on St. Mark’s Square was something very special. Live music from the surrounding bars could be heard between the impressive historical buildings. The atmosphere was romantic and relaxed, almost like something out of an old movie. Unfortunately, this charm came at a price. A quick glance at the menu of one of the cafés quickly made us realize that an Aperol Spritz here cost more than a whole meal in other parts of the city. Nevertheless, we couldn’t quite tear ourselves away from St. Mark’s Square and enjoyed the music and the hustle and bustle around us before venturing further into the narrow streets of Venice.

After a long walk and some marveling at the magnificent facades of the buildings, we felt the need to fortify ourselves with a small snack. We found a tiny pizza stand in a narrow side street, just a few steps away from the famous Rialto Bridge. The pizza was simple but incredibly tasty and the perfect source of energy for fighting our way through the crowds on the Rialto Bridge. However, it was almost impossible to get a view of the bridge; tourists were blocking the view, trying to get the best photo spot like us.

After getting some space on the other side of the bridge, we set about snapping a few photos of the iconic structure. It was a brief moment of peace before we made our way back. Thanks to Google Maps, we fought our way back through the winding labyrinth of the city towards Piazza Roma. Without the digital helper, we would probably have lost our way mercilessly – in Venice, every path seems to lead to a new adventure and it’s easy to lose your bearings.

But that wasn’t so bad. We kept stopping to capture the magical corners and squares, which were bathed in a very special light at dusk. There is something magical about Venice that is hard to put into words, so we were constantly distracted by new photo opportunities.

When we finally arrived at the bus station, the big question was: which ticket is the right one for the return journey? After our chaotic introduction to the world of Venetian public transport, we weren’t sure whether our previous ticket was also valid for the return journey. But thanks to Google, this question was quickly answered. Fortunately, the return journey was uncomplicated and soon we were back on the bus on our way back to Marghera, tired but happy about the eventful day in one of the most fascinating cities in the world.

Conclusion: Although we usually prefer the tranquillity of nature to crowded tourist hotspots, Venice captivated us with its unique charm and historic atmosphere. The beauty of the winding alleyways, the majestic buildings and the magic of dusk made the day an unforgettable experience. Venice is a city that you simply have to experience, despite the hustle and bustle. We are impressed and will take many wonderful memories back home with us.