Can't believe it's already mid-2015. What have I achieved these past 6 months? Nothing incredible I regret to say. It's been almost 2 years into my current job, not terribly loving it, but not hating it either - it kinda feels like I'm in a limbo. Sigh.What's the next step? Can't say for sure.
I just got back from a short 4-day trip to Bangkok, just an impromptu trip with Shigz because I was dying for a break. Endless shopping and eating! I needed it. The last time I took leave was in March for a short Bali trip that I won. Yes, I won a trip for two, on Singapore Airlines with accommodation also paid for. I'm one blessed girl. Thank you Daddy God! I brought Joel (he is also blessed to have met me teehee) & it was our first time to Bali. All I can say is, I will be back!
But, since we are on topic of holidays, I am going to Australia next month! Great timing because the SGD/AUD is almost 1 to 1. Well, it is a good trade off because when we were in Europe the Euro was sky high (1.8+). I'm looking forward to this trip because it is my first time spending my birthday overseas. Like after 25 years, I finally am doing so. Whuttt. #cheapthrills.
Melbourne > Tasmania > Sydney. Can't waittttt.
Anyway, my days are mostly work, yoga, home, repeat. Weekends are for recuperating. I rarely venture out of Tampines, except for the occasional meet-ups with friends in town. Good for my bank account, but not so much my social life. But as you get older you kinda start to appreciate the zen moments. Oh my gawd I really am getting old. O.o
Well, I'm in the mood to update this ol space. So here goes...onward to Venice!
*****
We took the train fro Milan to Venice. Honestly Milan was a little meh. So I was excited for Venice!
Warning: there's gonna be a lot of similar pictures of canals and buildings. Well, because that's Venice for you!
We booked an airbnb on the island itself, even though the accommodation on the mainland is cheaper. It just made more sense that way. Anyway, accomd choices in Venice are really limited so book early! If not you'll be left with expensive hotels or dubious hostels or overpriced airbnb.
So after reaching Venezia Santa Lucia train station we bought the Rolling Venice pass that granted us unlimited rides on the waterway. This pass is only for youth below 29 years old and costs €22, valid for 72 hours, which is perfect cos we were only visiting for 3 days. Since a single trip is about €5 to €7.5, we actually covered back the cost and saved even more. We took the water bus to Rialto Bridge - probably the most famous bridge in Venice. It's surprisingly quite feasible to take the water bus with your luggage. The main problem is the pebbled and uneven walkways that will sure destroy your luggage wheels. :/ Best to choose a place not too far to minimize the dragging.
View from Rialto Bridge.
After settling into the airbnb and meeting our nice host who recommended must-see places, we went out in search of food. Food in Venice is super ex at touristy prices. To satisfy our rumbling tummies we quickly settled for the first thing we saw - €2.50 pizza.
Sign of an obvious tourist trap: hordes of tourists.
Looking at his slice and missing the yummy USD 1 pizza we had in New York. LOL.
How Rialto Bridge looks like from sea-level. The Bridge itself is lined with souvenir shops.
We ended up walking to Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute which if you look at the map of Venice, is at the very tip of the southern part. Our airbnb host recommended this place to visit because we get a beautiful view of where the Grand Canal opens up to the ocean.
Vast ocean, which puts into perspective how Venice is really just a large bunch of islands all together in the middle of the Mediterranean (?) sea. And it's SINKING D:
But yes, this place is incredibly beautiful and unique. Everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime.
We chilled there for like 5 minutes before our restless feet decided to venture further.
Mini me with the cathedral.
We took the waterbus just across the Grand Canal to Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square).
Disappointed to see Basilica San Marco partially covered by renovation scaffolding. I forgot why we didn't enter the Basilica that day (maybe it was closing) but anyway we eventually did on another day.
Spotted a Balenciaga shop there, like whut! Sorry babies, mama's got no moolah to bring you back.
Spotted one of the nicer buildings here with intricate religious design while on the waterway. We headed back to the airbnb to rest a bit. Our host lives in the unit above the airbnb, so this unit he rents out to guests. We shared this apartment with two other couples, which made mornings really frustrating because everyone would fight over the shared toilet :/
The common pantry which was not too bad, quite clean but we didn't dare cook using the shared utensils.
Our cosy room. Good enough to sleep in for two nights BUT omg can I just rant about the mosquitos in Italy, especially Venice. Super relentless and they are super big and buzz really loudly in your ear. I got woken up several times at night because of the loud buzzing. Our mozzie repellent patch was not adequate enough to keep them at bay. At any one time we will spot five or six of them on the wall. And even after killing all and keeping the window and door shut always, there will always bound to be a few that manage to find their way back in. Apparently it's a problem everywhere in Venice as the weather gets warmer so all you can do is get really super duper strong repellent. But trust me when I say these tiny guys are fighters. They will NOT leave you alone.
We headed out again nearing sunset, because that is the time most visitors leave the island. Venice bathed in a different light. Beautiful tranquility. And no pesky crowds.
Setting sun reflected on the roof of the buildings at Rialto Bridge. So so much more romantic viewing this hand in hand with your loved one. (:
Ended the day with gelato! Apparently one of the more famous ones in Venice. I'm always the one convincing Joel to let me buy gelato, because he is not a dessert person & he restricts me because he thinks I always consume too much sugar. But I always compromise by choosing a flavor he likes, which is usually Hazelnut, or something with peanut butter. But what is a trip to Italy without gelato?! Or an overdose of gelato for good measure.
Till then, my bed beckons. ..
Part 2 of Venice here.
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