Happily Lost in Venice

Jun 24

Jun 24 Happily Lost in Venice

Venice Day 1:

After spending the night at a Gatwick hotel, we caught an early morning flight for Venice. What a magical place it is!

We arrived into scorching hot and humid weather, with plenty of sunshine – which we welcomed. Navigating our way using public transit (ACTV bus and Vaporetto (the water bus)), we settled into our hotel and began exploring.

For Colin it was his first time in Venice and he was enchanted by the water taxis, the bright, bright sunlight and the ever-present gondola’s plying their way through the many canals that make up this towns mode of transport.

Doge’s Palace from the Vaporetto on our way into Venice

We toured Doge’s Palace, where we were able to walk across (and in fact inside!) the Bridge of Sighs. We also visited Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge and became happily lost whilst exploring the many narrow passageways.

Venice Day 2:

After such a hot and humid day yesterday, we awoke to heavy rain and thunder which was a welcome break in the incessant humidity. Our hotel provided a lovely breakfast buffet where, along with the usual breakfast fare, we enjoyed cappuccino and a divine hot chocolate, which was so rich and delicious that it must be made from melted Italian chocolate bars.

Thankfully, after breakfast it stopped raining and the sun shone for the rest of our stay in Venice.

Today, we toured St. Mark’s Basilica and the surrounding square. You will have to take our word for it, because we weren’t able to take pictures inside, but it was opulent. Funnily enough, unlike many grand European churches, there were no stained-glass windows. This was more than made up for with mosaics on the ceiling which were created using ground gold, and an ornate jeweled, golden alter.

Because life is all about balance, we left the divine holiness of the church and indulged in the decadent, naughtiness of a luscious gelato. We tried many different flavours, but there was something about the rich, creamy flavour of Nutella that kept us coming back for more.

For lunch, we had a simple, yet delicious, take-away pasta (pesto tagliatelle) and the best pizza slice outside of NYC, in our opinion at least.

In the afternoon we joined in on a tour which included a two-hour walk followed by a gondola ride. The walking tour was the kind where you were given headsets to listen to the tour guide as she took you along to see the sights. Let’s just say the tour was better without the headsets and leave it at that. As expected though, the sights were magnificent, and we were shown parts of Venice which we likely would not have found on our own. Gliding through the canals on the gondola was indeed magical! A further note on the gelato – some members on the tour group were so enamored by the rich, sweet flavor that they had eaten gelato for breakfast, lunch and dinner (oh my)!

Venice Day 3:

Today, after an early breakfast at the hotel, we purchased a full-day Vaporetto pass, allowing us to sail around Venice on public transit. This proved to be an economical way to get around and to see old Venice from a unique perspective. Our first stop was to The Lido, an 11 km sandbar near to Venice. We took a quick stroll along the sandy beach and soaked in the sun. This, by the way, is where the annual Venice Film festival is held, and it seems somewhat posher and more resort-like than old Venice.

We then returned back to the old city and exited the Vaporetto close to the Rialto Bridge, where we went for a late lunch at a nearby Osteria (Tavern). They prepared for us the most amazing melon and prosciutto appetizer which we shared. For our main dish, we also tried a cuttlefish risotto, which was black in colour because of the inclusion of squid ink.

After a siesta, we went out for gelato (again!) and then to a nearby pub where Germany and Sweden were competing in the World Cup football match.

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