We all woke up at 10:00pm to the person wanting to see our train tickets. Right! We need to show we actually did pay for the cabin. We were all sleeping quite soundly, it was hard to believe we had travelled 90 minutes. He also took our beverage order as our tickets included a free breakfast of a hot beverage, bread, and marmalade. Tavis ordered a coffee and the rest of us ordered hot chocolate. After he left we all fell back asleep.
Tavis and I got up at 3:00am to use the washroom and brush our teeth before returning back to our cabin. We took turns so one of us could lock the door while the other was out. We were told to keep the door locked all night, but it felt safe enough. Despite waking up every hour or two to check out our progress, I actually felt well rested in the morning. We all got up around 6:30am. It was quite a comfortable 10 hours of travel! I highly recommend the night train… if you are short. It was perfect for us, but Tavis’ feet did touch the wall. If you are taller than Tavis, you might not be as comfortable… Or you might want to sleep on the top bunk with your head at the window so your fee can hang into the storage cubby. Hmm, maybe it isn’t a storage cubby after all, just a place for feet!
We were informed around 7:00am that the beverage machine was broken and we would only be getting water with our bread. A hot beverage would have been nice, but we were just happy to be getting breakfast. On not such a good note, we were also informed that the train was 20 minutes behind schedule. This was quite concerning because we only had 30 minutes to make our connection! This was cutting it close!
In the end, we made up time and arrived right on schedule. To make things even better, our connecting train was on the adjacent platform as the one we arrived on. After departing the train at platform 15, we took 5 steps to arrive at platform 14, ready to catch our next train to Venice. As it turns out, 30 minutes was ample time!
We made our way to our reserved seats on train 311. We were in coach 1 and had a section of 4 seats with a table and a single seat across the aisle. Our devices were charged, but our seats on this train also had a plug for each seat. Everyone turned on their devices and and I began to write my blog posts for the past 2 days. We began our 6 hour train ride to Venice.
After finishing my blog posts, I began watching a movie. Then we had a riveting game of rocket. Addison and I played against Ayva and Tavis. It was quite the game and by the time it ended, we were 30 minutes from Venice.
When we arrived in Venice we realized we didn’t have internet, which means we also didn’t have navigation. With the help of a young man, we quickly found the Budget rental company and received the key to a Jeep Renegade. Then we walked down the street to the park and found the vehicle. We managed to fit all the suitcases and a backpack in the back of the car. I put 2 bags up front with me, and the kids had 2 bags in the back with them. Then we were pleased to discover that our vehicle had navigation. We put in the address of Grandpa’s childhood home and off we went.
About 45 minutes into our trip we were hungry. We saw the green Golden Arches of McDonalds so we decided to stop. It was the first building that we passed where we knew we could get lunch. The chicken nuggets are the same as in Canada, the the burgers are way thicker, and the boys likes the wraps.
Soon we left and made our way toward Via Molino, 12. We had to make a short stop along the way for tavis t rest his eyes. We were all tired. After a 2 minute recharge, we were on our way again. We arrived at the house around 6:30. There were people in the driveway. We tried communicating with them but they didn’t speak English. The kept saying they knew a Maria Pighin. We showed them the photo we had of my grandpa as a boy. They thought it was neat. After trying to communicate, we eventually headed on our way again.
The small villages were so amazing to drive through. The photos just don’t do it justice. Buildings made of stone, narrow alleys, large steepled churches, and the occasional abandoned house with trees growing inside. What a sight!
We arrived at our Airbnb in Udine around 7:30pm. What an amazing house. It definitely feels and smells like my Oma and Opa’s house! Everything is old. The kids were fascinated with the decor. After unpacking, AYva and Ari stayed in while Addison, Tavis and I went for a walk.
I love Udine! What a gorgeous city. We walked into town and ventured down cobble stone roads, past several tiny shops and restaurants. There was out door charaoke in the park. We walked up a steep hill to a chapel with locked gates. We could hear music so we walked down and around. We found ourself in teh heart of the town at an outdoor jazz concert. It was so amazing. We had gelato and explored the city before making our way back to the house.
Now it is time to get some sleep and we will see where tomorrow’s adventure will take us.