Today is Day 3, and we started it with a very decent Nightjet brekkie.

We'd booked this for 0700, and before it arrives, the attendant comes in, and converts your bunk beds to a seating arrangement. I've seen this done countless times on night trains, but still regard it as a little bit of magic.


We were through breakfast in plenty of time to appreciate the run-in to Mestre, and the trip across the bridge to Venice Santa Lucia:




When we were planning our trip, and knew we were heading for Trieste, this route seemed optimal. Overnight from Stuttgart to Venice, and then a change of trains to travel the remaining two hours to our destination.

But to be in Venice, and just change trains...? Surely, that would be terrible? Nigel had never seen Venice, and my early-morning glimpses of the Canal Grande, on my very first trip (I was just about to turn 21), have lived on vividly in my memory down the years.

So we decided to build into the schedule a few extra hours, so that we could stroll round Venice before getting back on the train. And that's how we booked it.

It was then that I read that day-trippers are the worst culprits in the over-tourism scourge...

I'd been thinking we were doing everyone a favour by not overnighting. Actually, it's the reverse. We're the guys that the forthcoming entry fee is designed to discourage...



Anyway, despite feeling we'd committed a big faux pas, we had a wonderful few hours in this absolutely incomparable city.

We did our best. We tried not to get in the way of locals by stopping to take pictures in silly places (I can't understand people who row up their subjects on the far side of a really busy thoroughfare, and expect to get an unimpeded shot...). We spent some money. Not much, admittedly: EUR 28 for left luggage, and EUR 10 for lunch. But more than nothing. And we avoided the super-frequented areas like St Mark's Basilica, choosing instead the quieter parts. (It's curious how a ton of tourists can be milling about in one spot, or along one route, but if you walk just a little further, you have the place to yourself... But actually I don't know if we're helping here... Is it better for locals to have tourists corralled up in certain areas that they then know to avoid, or to have them dribbling off in lower concentrations all over the map?)

All up we spent five hours in Venice.

The first bit of the first hour was taken up with stowing luggage, and finding out that we did not in fact have to print out the ticket for the next train (despite the instruction that clearly said we did).

After that, we were off. We took a ton of photos. The following are just a tiny indication of why it's impossible not to be delighted by Venice (even while you're feeling guilty):
























So beautiful... Can't stay, though. That's not the plan. We have a train to catch to Trieste, and another run back across the bridge:




Back on the mainland, it continues to be a nice ride. About two hours. You travel through miles and miles of vineyards, and the latter part runs along the coast, with tantalizing glimpses of sights I'd read about in Jan Morris's Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere.

We're staying not far from the station, in a wonderfully imposing building:




Inside, it's modern and spacious:



The picture at the top of this post is a detail from an engagingly vibrant painting on our lounge wall.

So far, we've been only as far as our nearest supermarket (very quirky -- there's a totally unmanned bit on one side of the street, and you fetch your would-be purchases over to the bit on the other side, where there's a checkout lady...) But Trieste already has a good vibe. It's grand, but not overwhelming.

This evening we're closing off three quite hectic days of travel, which have been a little tiring, though really rewarding. And we're looking forward to five nights in our big orange flat.

All of which is a great excuse to try a regional wine (a shot in the dark, which turned out to be fantastic):


Looking forward to exploring further...