Hey, folks. Welp, it's been a while again. Not that anybody really follows this blog or cares, but oh well. I need to start scheduling a time to blog and make an effort to go find places to blog about. I wanted to post more in this post, but I wanted to get something posted while on PTO from work.
So, I recently had to go to Italy for a week for work; yes, I know, how sad for me. I had never been to Europe before, so I was pretty excited to get to see part of it and also meet some of my colleagues that hadn't been to our office in O'Fallon before. Being able to meet face-to-face even once just seems to always help the working relationship immensely.
Anyway, Italy. Our office is located in Conselve and we were pretty busy the whole week working, so I don't have too much to share from the work week, but I will share a post on the places I did visit later. I did stay Friday night and Saturday in Venice, though, which was pretty great. Friday night I went on a Ghosts and Legends Walking Tour around San Marco Island. The tour that I took was just 26 Euros, so not too bad to spend a couple of hours walking around Venice. I can't remember the tour company name (Viator, maybe?), but our guide, Sussana was very friendly and told great stories. In a couple of posts, I will share some of these stories with you.
But first, some tips for traveling around Venice.
Get a map/download the app
The hotel that I stayed at gave me a map for free. I highly recommend getting a map. Venice is a maze of alleys and streets. There is also an app available from the public transportation system that has maps and schedules.
Get a bus/water bus pass
A colleague recommended getting a day pass (I can't remember what it is called in Italian), and I can't stress enough how great it is if you are just going to be wandering around the islands on your own. The passes allow you unlimited rides on the buses and water buses, so you don't have to keep buying tickets from place to place: you just scan and go. My hotel offered one-, two-, and three-day passes for sale, so that was super convenient. A one-day pass is 20 Euros, a two-day pass is 30 Euros, and a three-day pass is 40 Euros. You can also buy the passes at the main bus station if your hotel doesn't offer them. Also, the passes do not activate until you scan them.
Wear comfortable shoes
You will be walking and standing A LOT. Comfortable shoes are a must.
Carry change for public restrooms
Apparently you have to pay to use the public restrooms. Which I guess helps make sure they are kept clean. I believe the one that I used was one and a half Euro to use it. Luckily, I had a 2 Euro coin on me.
Ok, that's all for now. The next post will be a couple of the ghost stories, ooOOOoooo.