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By Vicky Wells, on November 1st, 2010
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
|
Nov 01 ~ Day #175
|
Budget to date
|
Spent today
|
Total to date
|
Daily average
|
|
Total
|
$17500
|
$102.34
|
$15647.88
|
$89.42
|
|
Miles by Road
|
Miles by Sea
|
Miles by Air
|
Miles by Train
|
Total Miles
|
|
15551
|
8185.5
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7662
|
168
|
31566.5
|
Current Location: On Board Celebrity Century En Route to Miami
Today’s Total Expenses: $102.34 (cruise cost includes transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment)
Miles Traveled Today:
We will record the miles for the Atlantic Crossing on November 8th when we arrive in Miami
First Day of Atlantic Crossing
Yesterday we visited our last port of call in Europe and we will now be at sea until we get to Miami on November 8th.
The ship has lots of activities, so I’m sure we won’t get bored. I expect it will just be a pleasant, relaxing week at sea.
A Little Too Relaxed?
As we’ve mentioned earlier, we are traveling with just one laptop. So, when one of us is using it, the other one has to find something else to do.
While Geoff was using the computer, I settled in to read my book and promptly fell asleep. That wouldn’t be so bad, I guess, but for the fact that we were in the Hemisphere Lounge on Deck 12 Forward. It’s really a lovely lounge with wrap-around windows so you can see the whole bow of the ship and, of course, a great view of the ocean.
So, here I was sound asleep, with my feet up on another chair. I think I slept for almost two hours. I sure hope I didn’t snore!
More Great Entertainment
The cast on this ship, both singers and dancers, are very good. The production numbers are well put together and very professional.
Tonight’s entertainment was called “Liverpool Knights” and treated us to a lot of songs we remember from the 60s as well as some incredibly “tight” dance numbers.
We thoroughly enjoyed it.
By Vicky Wells, on October 30th, 2010
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
|
Oct 30 ~ Day #173
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Budget to date
|
Spent today
|
Total to date
|
Daily average
|
|
Total
|
$17300
|
$102.34
|
$15443.20
|
$89.27
|
|
Miles by Road
|
Miles by Sea
|
Miles by Air
|
Miles by Train
|
Total Miles
|
|
15551
|
7702.2+324.5=8026.7
|
7662
|
168
|
31407.7
|
Current Location: On Board the Celebrity Century visiting Tenerife, Canary Islands
Today’s Total Expenses: $102.34
Cruise: $102.34 (cruise cost includes transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment)
Miles Traveled Today:
Sea Miles: 324.5 (282 Nautical Miles – Madeira to Tenerife)
Tenerife
Geoff and I have been to Tenerife before but that was a very, very long time ago. I think it may have been around 1989 or 1990. And, we were at a different part of the island than we are now.
So, it will be like discovering it for the first time and that’s true for this part of the island, anyway.
Getting A Replacement Camera
While exploring we stumbled across and electronics store and checked out the items they had in their windows.
We noticed a Sony digital video camera that seemed like a good price so we stopped in to check it out.
Actually, Geoff checked it out. They also had watches and jewelry in the store, so I browsed those things while a salesman demonstrated the camera for Geoff.
No, I didn’t buy anything, I just browsed.
After the salesman had finished showing Geoff the camera, we discussed it and then plunked down some plastic and bought it. We were just so tired of not having a camera with us.
As this was our second-to-last stop before heading back to Miami, it may seem like an odd time to actually break down and get another camera, but we did it anyway.
Next thing was to get it charged so that we could start recording video.
So Many Shoes, So Little Time
While exploring the town further, we also found a shoe store that was simply unbelievable. Really.
There were stacks and stacks and stacks of shoes and most of the prices were €1.00, €3.00 and €6.00! There were very few shoes priced higher than that.
Geoff actually said, “With prices like that, get as many as you want.”
I was in shoe heaven!
I didn’t know where to start, but I was certainly trying to pick out several types of shoes that I would like to try on.
I had only made a few selections, and hadn’t even tried any on yet, when one of the sales clerks indicated that we had to leave – the store was closing. What? I only just got here.
We had arrived just a little after 1:00pm and apparently the store closed at 1:30pm.
Okay. Closing for lunch is pretty normal in Europe. I asked what time they would re-open. After all, we were in port for a while, so we could come back.
Well, as it was Saturday, 1:30pm was their closing time for the day. They wouldn’t be re-opening until Monday! By Monday we’d be in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
I was devastated. I hadn’t even tried anything on yet. But, they didn’t care, they just wanted us out of the store so they could close.
So, I left this amazing shoe store, where I was told I could buy what ever I wanted, without making a single purchase! Waaahh!!
Doing the Tourist Thing
As the Canary Islands were our last stop where we would need Euros, and we still a few left, we did the touristy thing and actually bought some t-shirts with Tenerife on them.
They were actually a pretty good deal and we liked the quality of the t-shirts, too. They weren’t those awful thin shirts but a good weight and very soft.
We bought three of them at €3.75 ($4.94) each. Two for Geoff and one for me and that all but used up our last Euros.
Even though there is VAT (valued added tax) in Europe, I like the fact that it is already included in the price of things. So, the price you see if the price you pay. The tax doesn’t get added on on top of the price like it does in Canada and the U.S.
That made it easy to figure out if we had enough money to buy the t-shirts and how many we could afford. As we only had about €12.00 left, we were able to buy three t-shirts.
Again, we have not added this into the daily expenses as this is a discretionary expense and not really a cost of traveling. Other people may not find the need to make such a purchase.
Entertainment
Tonight’s entertainment featured two performers – Sideshow Bert, who we’d seen earlier in the cruise – and Mario D’Andrea.
Mario D’Andrea is billed as a mixed up Italian from Australia. He has a great voice and does wonderful impersonations of such celebrities as Dean Martin, Tom Jones and Englebert Humperdink.
Let’s Do The Time Warp Again
Tonight we turned back the clocks another hour. It’s something that will be happening a lot on this cruise.
We also find it much easier to deal with the time change this way. When you fly you have to deal with the time changes immediately.
I guess that’s why there’s “jet lag” but I’ve never heard of “cruise lag”.
By Vicky Wells, on October 28th, 2010
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
|
Oct 28 ~ Day #171
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Budget to date
|
Spent today
|
Total to date
|
Daily average
|
|
Total
|
$17100
|
$102.34
|
$15206.88
|
$88.93
|
|
Miles by Road
|
Miles by Sea
|
Miles by Air
|
Miles by Train
|
Total Miles
|
|
15551
|
6923.2
|
7662
|
168
|
30304.2
|
Current Location: At Sea On Board the Celebrity Century En Route to Madeira, Portugal
Today’s Total Expenses: $102.34 (cruise cost includes transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment)
Miles Traveled Today:
At sea all day, will record mileage at next port – Madeira, Portugla.
Lazy Days on Board
The days at sea seem relaxing and unrushed, yet seem to go by very quickly nonetheless.
Today consisted mostly of relaxing, reading and wandering the ship.
Entertainment
We had, once again, chosen the late seating for dinner, so we were going to the early entertainment at about 7:00pm.
Tonight was an act from Las Vegas – Sideshow Bert.
While it was fun to watch, we didn’t think it was what could be considered “A List” entertainment. I suppose it must be difficult to get entertainers on a transAtlantic cruise. After all, once we leave the Canary Islands, it’s sea days all the way to Miami.
Repositioning Cruises
You may think that we’ve got the daily expenses wrong on these posts. After all, $102.34 seems like an awfully cheap price for a transAtlantic cruise.
That’s a two-week, all-inclusive vacation. And we do mean all-inclusive – food, accommodation, entertainment AND transportation all rolled into one.
One reason for the price is that this is a “repositioning” cruise. What that means is that the ship had been doing Mediterranean cruises for the summer season and was now being moved to the Caribbean for the winter season.
Although some people actually flew over from North America just to take this cruise, we found that it was the most cost-effective way for us to get back home from our European adventure.
We checked the airfare from Barcelona to Miami and it was over $1100.00 for the two of us. This cruise, which offered us a two-week, all-inclusive vacation, like we said above, and also got us home, only cost us $1432.76 – total – for the two of us!
It was a simple decision. With only a $300 difference, who wouldn’t go for the cruise?
By Vicky Wells, on October 22nd, 2010
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
|
Oct 22 ~ Day #165
|
Budget to date
|
Spent today
|
Total to date
|
Daily average
|
|
Total
|
$16500
|
$33.73
|
$14403.99
|
$87.30
|
|
Miles by Road
|
Miles by Sea
|
Miles by Air
|
Miles by Train
|
Total Miles
|
|
15263
|
6378.9
|
7662
|
168
|
29471.9
|
Current Location: Ogisaka Gardens, Dénia, Alicante, Spain
Today’s Total Expenses: $33.73
Accommodation: $28.14
Entertainment: $5.59 (€4.00 – Dénia Castle)
Our Last Day in Dénia
Sometimes we’re just not sure where the time goes, but this was our last day in Dénia and so we decided to visit the Dénia Castle.
We had planned to visit it earlier in our stay but just never got to it. So, today, we made it our top priority.
It was an easy walk from our hotel and we arrived there mid-morning.
It is an impressive structure and we spent lots of time walking around the ruins and up on the walls and ramparts. It has a pretty impressive view over the ocean and the whole town of Dénia. The archaeological museum that was housed in part of the castle, was small but informative.
Time To Pack – Again
The rest of the day was spent just relaxing and then packing for our trip to Barcelona tomorrow.
By Vicky Wells, on October 21st, 2010
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
|
Oct 21 ~ Day #164
|
Budget to date
|
Spent today
|
Total to date
|
Daily average
|
|
Total
|
$16400
|
$44.59
|
$14370.26
|
$87.62
|
|
Miles by Road
|
Miles by Sea
|
Miles by Air
|
Miles by Train
|
Total Miles
|
|
15263
|
6378.9
|
7662
|
168
|
29471.9
|
urrent Location: Ogisaka Gardens, Dénia, Alicante, Spain
Today’s Total Expenses: $44.59
Transportation: $6.98 (€5.00 – bus)
Accommodation: $28.14
Food: $9.47 (€6.78)
Miles Traveled Today:
Zero
Costa La Calma
Today we decided to take the bus in the other direction along the coast.
This trip was much, much longer and the end of the line was at a small river emptying into the ocean. There was only a footbridge across this little river.
More Walking
We, again, did lots and lots of walking. Some of it along the beach, some along the sidewalks when we thought there might be interesting things to see in the small towns.
Some of the beaches are groomed, some are not and I’m really not sure what the criteria would be for the beaches that are, or are not, cleaned.
Checking Out Real Estate
We passed many, many real estate agents along our walk but most of them were closed.
We did stop by one that was open and the lady there was very, very helpful.
We explained that although we are looking to move to Europe, we haven’t actually decided where. And, on top of that, we will probably rent for at least a year before we buy anything.
This did not deter her enthusiasm at all and she was happy to give us all the info we wanted. She also suggested that she show us a rental property to give us some idea of what was available in the area.
She showed us a lovely 3-bedroom house on a decent piece of land that was only steps to the beach. It came furnished and with all the dishes and linens as well.
It was, however, a bit out of our budget at about $1200/month (€850/month) if you rented it for a year. If you rented it for just the winter months then it would be only $1050/month (€750/month) because the high season here is the summer. You see, the get about $10,000 (€7000) for just July and August. So, often it’s more profitable for them to let it just sit empty during the low season than lower the monthly rate for a year long, or six month long rental that includes those months.
But, all this did give us some idea of what we could expect to get for what we’re willing to pay.
What Is It About Me and Insects?
It seems that no matter where I go if there are any biting or stinging insects in the area they will find me!
And, today was no different.
While we were walking along the beach a felt something on my thigh and brushed it away. Wrong thing to do!
OUCH!
I saw the wasp that I had just brushed away on the ground at my feet. But, he somehow had plenty of time to sting me!
I immediately headed for the ocean and splashed the sting area with salt water. It didn’t seem too bad – at first. After the next few days it would get much worse, with the read area spreading across quite a large portion of my thigh and swelling as well. Not to mention it got quite itchy for a few days, too.
It seems I just can’t escape this kind of thing no matter where I go. Sigh.
It’s Melting … Melting
On the way back to the timeshare unit we stopped and picked up a few more groceries.
We were both in the mood for some type of dessert and we bought what we thought was simply a frozen cake.
You see, we didn’t have a freezer in the tiny little fridge in our apartment.
Any way, when we took the cake out of the fridge for dessert we found that it was, or rather HAD BEEN, an ice cream cake.
It was a little runny and a little messy, but we still enjoyed it for dessert.
By Vicky Wells, on October 20th, 2010
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
|
Oct 20 ~ Day #163
|
Budget to date
|
Spent today
|
Total to date
|
Daily average
|
|
Total
|
$16300
|
$40.99
|
$14325.67
|
$87.89
|
|
Miles by Road
|
Miles by Sea
|
Miles by Air
|
Miles by Train
|
Total Miles
|
|
15263
|
6378.9
|
7662
|
168
|
29471.9
|
Current Location: Ogisaka Gardens, Dénia, Alicante, Spain
Today’s Total Expenses: $40.99
Accommodation: $28.14
Food: $12.85 (€9.20 – groceries)
Miles Traveled Today:
Zero
Real Estate Agent in Spain
This trip is about more than just showing how easy it is to travel cheaply. It is also for us to try to determine where we might like to live in Europe.
We have decided that it’s time to consider moving to our “final” house. So, a lot of this trip has also been to get a “taste” of the countries we might want to look into in more detail.
As Geoff is also a British Citizen, that opens up the entire European Union to us.
So, along the way, we have also been looking at the cost of real estate, the cost of living, the culture, the “feel” of each country, etc.
Because our Spanish is very limited – okay, let’s be honest then – pretty much non-existent – we wanted to talk to a real estate agent that spoke English.
As luck would have it, on one of our walks earlier in the week, we passed by an office that seemed to fit the bill. The sign said “Estate Agent” and they also displayed a British flag, so we decided to head back to their office today.
We spoke with Shirley Barker of Abbey Properties who was very helpful.
Even though we explained that our timetable meant we would probably not be back for about a year and even then we may rent for a while before we considered buying, she was happy to show us what properties were available in our price range and explain the process of purchasing property in Spain.
We even left with some printouts of various properties in our price range knowing full well that these exact properties would not be available in a year’s time.
Shirley herself was British married to an Australian and they have lived in Spain for over 40 years. Thanks Shirley!
Planning for Tomorrow’s Adventure
Up until this point we had not been all that impressed with the “beaches” we had found around Dénia. However, after talking with Shirley at Abbey Properties, she assured us that there was over 20 miles of beach stretching from the Port of Dénia North (east?).
There is a bus that leaves from the port heading that way and we decided that that is what we would do tomorrow.
Downtime and Dinner
So, the balance of the day was just a lazy day and some downtime.
We made ourselves a lovely pork chop dinner this evening, that was quite a challenge given that we only have a two-burner stove, but it was delicious.
By Vicky Wells, on October 19th, 2010
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
|
Oct 19 ~ Day #162
|
Budget to date
|
Spent today
|
Total to date
|
Daily average
|
|
Total
|
$16200
|
$56.69
|
$14284.68
|
$88.18
|
|
Miles by Road
|
Miles by Sea
|
Miles by Air
|
Miles by Train
|
Total Miles
|
|
15263
|
6378.9
|
7662
|
168
|
29471.9
|
Current Location: Ogisaka Gardens, Dénia, Alicante, Spain
Today’s Total Expenses: $56.69
Transportation: $3.49 (€2.50 – bus)
Accommodation: $28.14
Food: $25.06 (€17.95)
Miles Traveled Today:
Zero
Note: we will only record miles when traveling from place to place and not within a town or city.
Looking for the Beach
From the map we got from Tourist Information here in Dénia, it looked to us like the entire coastline of Dénia was beach.
So, packed lunch, blanket and water in hand, we headed off to catch the local bus (there are only 4 local buses, 3 of which drive along the coastline and 1 that goes to the hospital).
The route we were taking was called Las Rotas and we were able to catch it just down from our timeshare.
It arrived more or less on time – hey, this is Spain, after all. We got on and paid our fare – €1.25 each, which seemed reasonable until we realized just how short a trip it was.
We had actually walked almost halfway ourselves the day before. And, as we found on our walk there really wasn’t a whole lot of beach, but we were hopeful that we would find more beach as the map seemed to indicate that.The map also indicated a naturist beach at the end of the bus line.
End of the Line
We hadn’t been on the bus for what seemed like a very long time when it backed up in front of a seaside restaurant and was then headed back in the direction we had come.
Yep, this must be the end of the line.
So, we got off and still couldn’t see anything but rocky coastline, but did not give up hope.
This is a Beach?
We walked to the end of the road and saw a small – very small – hmmm, I’m really not sure I can call it a beach, more a patch of gravel. But, it was on the ocean and it even had steps down to it.
According to our map this was La Cala Naturist Beach. There was barely room of half a dozen people!
We thought perhaps we had the wrong place, so we continued to walk up the hill next to the beach to see if there was anything more beyond here. But, no, this had to be it.
There were actually several people there, none apparent naturists. So, we spread our blanket and had our lunch and spent some time in the sun.
Being “beachologists” ourselves and having written the book, The Elusive Beaches of Eleuthera, we would not have even mentioned something like this as a beach let along named it, but there it was on the map.
Heading Back
Just before 3:00pm we decided to head back to our timeshare. We thought the buses ran more or less every hour and we had been dropped off around 20 minutes past the hour when we arrived, so it seemed reasonable to assume that the return bus should be there at about 3:20pm, right?
On closer examination of the posted bus schedule, we noticed that there was a two hour break at that time of day and the next bus wouldn’t arrive for at least another hour.
More Walking
Rather than wait for at least another hour we decided to start walking back figuring, if we got too tired, we could always head back up to the main road and catch the later bus at some point in its journey.
Coastal Walkway
The coastal walkway at this end (southern?) of Dénia is actually quite impressive and makes for a pleasant walk. For a lot of the way it is paved with flagstone and concrete and closer into town it is paved with interlocking stone.
There are many benches placed all along the route so you can stop and rest and enjoy the view and sound of the ocean.
We so enjoyed the walk that it seemed like no time before we were back to the section that we had already walked the day before.
So, there was no point in taking the return bus anyway, we were almost home and it had only been about an hour.
This was a way more pleasant way to spend the hour we could have spent just sitting and waiting for our bus.
More Groceries
We stopped at the small grocery store just a little ways from our timeshare and picked up a few more groceries – and a little more wine, too!
We had found a lovely Sangria and decided to get some more. Now, don’t go thinking that we’re spending a lot of money on wine that we are reporting in our daily expenses. Any such purchase is included in the Food expenses category. And, this Sangria was only €1.45/litre (about $2.02) and it was very nice.
We also found some red wine and white wine that were in the same price range – or cheaper – but the Sangria was by far the best.
Laundry and Relaxing
The rest of the afternoon was spent doing laundry (that is something that, on such a long trip, we just can’t ever seem to escape) and relaxing.
Relaxing with some Sangria, cheese and grapes, that is!
By Vicky Wells, on October 17th, 2010
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
|
Oct 17 ~ Day #160
|
Budget to date
|
Spent today
|
Total to date
|
Daily average
|
|
Total
|
$16000
|
$95.82
|
$14181.94
|
$88.64
|
|
Miles by Road
|
Miles by Sea
|
Miles by Air
|
Miles by Train
|
Total Miles
|
|
15263
|
6378.9
|
7662
|
148+20=168
|
29471.9
|
Current Location: Ogisaka Gardens, Dénia, Alicante, Spain
Today’s Total Expenses: $95.82
Transportation: $6.06 (€4.50 – train)
Accommodation: $28.14
Food: $61.62 (€45.75 – groceries)
Miles Traveled Today:
Train Miles: 20 (Altea to Dénia)
Waking Up in Altea
We woke up to a beautiful sunrise that we could see from our tiny deck overlooking the Mediterranean Ocean. Considering how inexpensive these unexpected accommodations were (see our expenses for yesterday, October 16th) this was an added surprise.
We simply can’t recommend the San Miguel Hotel strongly enough.
Yes, it was off-season, but their location is amazing!
And, for the cost of our accommodations we also got a light breakfast of coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice and toast with jam.
Walking the Beach in Altea
We simply had to walk the beach at Altea before checking out and heading on to our actual destination of Dénia (pronounced DEN-ya). They have certainly done everything right to make their waterfront appealing to visitors and locals alike.
Back to the Train Station
Thanks to the help we received last night, we found it easy to find our way back to the train station.
We had also been told that the train to Dénia comes about every two hours starting at about 7:15am. So, we planned to be there to catch the 11:15am train and hoped that the information we had been given was correct.
Yep, we were told the right thing and the train did arrive at about 11:15am and we were on our way.
We had hoped that the train would go mostly along the coast, but it cut inland on its way to our destination. Still the scenery was beautiful and the journey was pleasant. The whole trip took a little over an hour.
Finding our Hotel
Initially we had planned to arrive in Dénia by bus, so Geoff had printed out a walking map from the bus station to our hotel from Google.
However, here we were arriving by train with no idea where it was in relation to either the bus station or our hotel.
As luck would have it, after exiting the train station and thinking we best get a cab, we noticed the Tourist Information Centre directly across from the train station – and – even on a Sunday – it was open!
We immediately stopped in, showed them the name and address of our hotel and they said it was only about a 10 minute walk from where we were.
They got out a map, showed up which way to go, and off we went.
Now, I’m sure it was only a 10 minute walk if you didn’t have rather heavy backpacks and weren’t old and overweight. However, after a sign sent us a little out of our way, we did manage to find the hotel.
A Welcome and Free Drinks from the Hotel
We were warmly welcomed when we arrived at Ogisaka Gardens, but we were also told that their computer system was down and they weren’t able to check anyone in.
Not to worry, they said, and directed us to the patio, told us to order whatever drinks we wanted and for us to relax until the computer was back up and running.
And, that’s exactly what we did!
Time for Groceries
Our timeshare unit is a one bedroom and we thought it was suppose to have a full kitchen.
Well, apparently our idea of a full kitchen and this resort’s idea are two different things.
Our “full” kitchen has a 2-burner stove, a microwave and a very small fridge that doesn’t have a freezer. No oven, no dishwasher.
There is a washing machine in the unit, but no dryer.
European Standards vs North American Standards
This is a simple case of European Standards vs North American Standards.
Lots of things here are smaller than we would expect – appliances for one thing and even the sizes of houses, hotel rooms and such.
You need to just go with the flow in such cases because if you complain that they’re not up to North American standards, quite likely they are not even sure what you mean – particularly coupled with any language difficulties.
But, let’s be clear – our unit is lovely. Tiled floors through out, two large, tiled balconies – one off the living room and one off the bedroom. Lots of closet space, two TVs, a complete living room and dining room and a spacious bathroom. It makes the other stuff seem practically insignificant.
We will be very happy here during our stay, I’m sure.
By Vicky Wells, on October 13th, 2010
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
|
Oct 13 ~ Day #156
|
Budget to date
|
Spent today
|
Total to date
|
Daily average
|
|
Total
|
$15600
|
$22.76
|
$13773.94
|
$88.29
|
|
Miles by Road
|
Miles by Sea
|
Miles by Air
|
Miles by Train
|
Total Miles
|
|
15097+93=15190
|
6378.9
|
5966+786=6752
|
119
|
28439.9
|
Current Location: Burry Port, Wales
Today’s Total Expenses: $22.76
Transportation: $13.39 (€10.00)
Food: $9.37 (pizza – €7.00)
Miles Traveled Today:
Road Miles: 93 (20 miles – Venice to Treviso + 73 miles – Bristol to Burry Port)
Air Miles: 786 (Treviso to Bristol)
Last Stop at Our Favorite Café
Before checking out of our hotel, we again had breakfast at the corner café. Although this was only our third time here, it was a ritual we were going to miss.
Our coffee of choice was, yet again, cappuccino. After perusing the available pastries we chose something that most certainly had to be bad for us but we slowly savored every bite.
Checking Out of Our Venice Hotel
Knowing that the reception area of the hotel was on the second floor (our room was actually in a different building) we knew better than to drag our luggage up two flights of stairs just to check out.
As the room cost had been paid in advance, all we really had to do was return the key. I waited with the luggage while Geoff did that.
Venice Bus Station
With our luggage in hand we headed for the Venice bus station. This was easy to find as we already knew where it was – just across a bridge from the Venice train station.
From our hotel we walked along the Grand Canal until we saw the train station. Then we took the large, wide, white bridge across – you guessed it – another canal.
After that it was just a matter of dodging some traffic (and, remember, I already said that Italian drivers are crazy!) to get to the ticket office.
We purchased our tickets and went to the designated area to wait for our bus to arrive.
In keeping with my usual nervousness about missing any transportation, we had arrived more than half an hour ahead of schedule. But I was happy to wait knowing that we wouldn’t “miss the bus”.
Overall Impression of Venice
Truth be told, we weren’t all that sad to be leaving Venice. Three days was plenty for us.
We know that lots of people see Venice as a romantic destinations, but we didn’t. Actually, we saw it as rather run down and dirty. Most places were in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint. There was graffiti everywhere and the streets were dirty. We noticed that the length of time it took to get dog poop cleared off the streets was determined by how many people had walked through the poop and whether or not the canal overflowed and rinsed it with dirty water. Yuck!
Apologies to all those who rave about Venice but it’s not a city that we’ll be visiting again.
European Bus Travel
There were two buses that day that went to the Treviso airport. One left in the morning and got to the airport hours and hours before our flight back to the UK and the other one arrived at the airport in the evening less than an hour before the flight.
We took the earlier bus for two reasons – we didn’t want to be dragging our luggage around Venice and – we didn’t want to take the change of being late for our flight.
We had packed a lunch, we both had good books to read, so were were good to go.
Our bus arrived and it was modern, comfortable and clean.
The towns along the route were much more prosperous looking as wells as cleaner and more modern. There was lots of open space and even some farming along the way.
The trip took about an hour, even though we only covered about 20 miles. However, it was a pleasant and relaxing journey.
Treviso Airport
We arrived at Treviso airport at about noon, which meant we had about and 8 hour wait for our flight.
We found ourselves some comfy seat, at least as comfy as you can get in an airport. We had our packed lunch and then cracked open our books and immersed ourselves in their pages.
What? Pizza Again?
Although we had packed a lunch for today we hadn’t packed anything for dinner.
Geoff checked out the small café in the airport and, like all airports, the food was hugely expensive and the selection was extremely limited.
Geoff decided to head out of the airport to see if he could find a take-away with a better selection and better prices.
To my surprise he returned with a pizza in hand!
I was a bit confused seeing that we were still in Italy and our track record with pizzas had not been great. But, once again, it was the best deal of what was available.
To our delight, it was actually the best pizza we had while in Italy. Geoff explained that the place he got it from was actually run by orientals. Hmmmm – could that have something to do with it?
We had the pizza with our last one liter tetrapak of the €0.70 red wine. It was actually a pretty good meal.
Reunited With Our Traveling Companions
Shortly after we’d finished our dinner our traveling companions showed up.
While we were waiting for our flight to be called we swapped stories of our adventures over the last three days.
RyanAir On Time – Again!
Our RyanAir flight boarded on time, took off on time and landed in Bristol on time.
It was an uneventful fligh, which is the kind we like to have.
Late Arrival Back in Wales
After arriving back in Bristol, T & E picked up their cars. T headed back to Coventry so he could be back at work the next day. We piled into E’s car for the two-hour drive back to Burry Port in Wales.
By Vicky Wells, on October 11th, 2010
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
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Oct 11 ~ Day #154
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Budget to date
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Spent today
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Total to date
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Daily average
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Total
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$15400
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$106.46
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$13630.80
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$88.51
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Miles by Road
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Miles by Sea
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Miles by Air
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Miles by Train
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Total Miles
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15097
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6378.9
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5966
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119
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27560.9
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Current Location: Hotel Matre, Venice, Italy
Today’s Total Expenses: $106.46
Accommodation: $87.03 (€65.00)
Food: $19.43 (€14.51)
Miles Traveled Today:
Nothing to record for today.
Pastry and Cappuccino
As we mentioned yesterday, our hotel room rate included a continental breakfast. Actually, it included a pastry of our choice and a coffee of our choice at a tiny corner café near the hotel.
We each picked our pastry and ordered cappuccino. The delivered both to our bar-height table. Both were delicious and we enjoyed them slowly while doing some people-watching.
We again braved the maze that is Venice with map in hand in case we got totally lost.
At first we thought we might try to find the pizza/gelato take-away we had visited yesterday. But, with every turn, bridge and canal looking pretty much the same, we gave up the search and enjoyed finding new places.
More Groceries
Before getting more groceries we needed to stop at an ATM to get some cash. We were, of course, nervous that we might encounter the same problem we had in Greece, but it worked and we got enough Euros to buy more groceries.
I didn’t mention yesterday that the grocery stores actually charge €0.05 for each plastic bag, so today we were armed with the plastic bags from yesterday’s grocery run. I guess this is a good way to encourage recycling.
We were careful not to buy too much as our tiny fridge couldn’t hold very much.
but, as we enjoyed our €0.70 wine so much last night, today we splurged and bought the wine that was €1.40!
After dropping the groceries back at our room and having a bit of lunch, we again went exploring.
Beautiful Glass Jewelry
In several shop windows I kept noticing some unusual looking jewelry – pendants, earrings and sets.
After stopping to get a good look it finally dawned on me that these were made of glass. Many of them hand very intricate patterns blown into the glass such as flowers and geometric shapes. There were also all kinds of colors and color combinations to choose from.
With a sigh, I remembered our budget and tore myself away from the store window.
Expensive Pasta
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always thought of pasta as a fairly inexpensive dish. Well, not in Italy.
When we would look at some of the menus displayed outside of restaurants it always confused us when a plate of spaghetti was priced higher than a meat dish. And, lasagna seemed to be particularly expensive.
However, we stopped by a small deli that had a large selection of pasta dishes for take-away. We thought this might be a cheaper way to buy lasagna than at a restaurant. But, apparently a small piece, barely enough for the two of us, would be more than €7.00!
We said “no thanks” and headed home to make sandwiches and enjoy our wine.
Evening Constitutional
Once again we headed out for an evening stroll and enjoyed the sights and sounds and people.
On the way back we contemplated buying some strawberries from one of the street vendors but just couldn’t bring ourselves to pay the outrageous prices. Truly, we wouldn’t have paid those prices even if we weren’t on a budget.
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