Ahh Venice!

Our first vaporetto ride from the train station to our hotel down the grand canal
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Apparently I have the job of describing Venice as i have more ways of saying things like "wow thats amazing" or "my God how beautiful is that". Well here goes...

From the minute you arrive in Venice you realise that this is somewhere unlike anywhere else in the world and very special. After the train journey from the Cinque Terra via Pisa and Florence we staggered out of Venice train station and "wham!" you are instantly transported to another world. The station opens out straight onto the Grand Canal and instead of roads and cars and bikes you are looking at water, boats (lots) and gondolas. The buildings are all colourful and really old and very very beautiful. You are immediately in another world and it's amazing (first use).

Simon in St Marks square
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Our hotel was right behind St Mark's Basilica so we had to take the "vaporetto" (Venice's water buses) the entire length of the Grand Canal which snakes from the top of the city through the city all the way down to where it opens out into the lagoon. Our vaporetto took us past St Mark's Square (wow) and we hopped off at the next stop and scuttled down a dark alley way where our lovely little hotel (Al Leon) was situated. We couldn't have been closer to the action of we tried. We just about closed our mouths and engaged the brains after a wondrous trip to check in.

Classic view of gondolas moored on the Grand Canal
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The guide book says that Venice is one of the few cities where it a pleasure to get lost and this is very true. We decided from day one that we wanted to spend many hours simply wandering around exploring canals and alleyways and "discovering" hidden treasures and that is exactly what we did. The wandering is helped by the fact that Venice has probably the most expensive public transport on earth. The "average" water taxi fare is 110 Euro...

So right from the off we allowed ourselves to drift around and get lost by following our noses down alleyways and over bridges. Every corner turned could revealed another beautiful piazza or stunning church with incredible frescoes and sculptures inside. And this is the amazing thing about Venice. It is criticized for not showing off it's wealth of art very well and the the galleries are definitely not the best but there is a reason for this. All the best art is still in the churches and the real art IS Venice itself. Because it can't expand anywhere there has been hardly any new development so all the building are centuries old and full of amazing (second use) architecture and art. So they don't need galleries you just walk around and there it is.

The grand canal from Accademia bridge
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Most of the churches contain a Tintoretto or a Titian or Veronese (and a host of other artists i have never heard of). And that is where the artists painted them so it's even better than a gallery.

Having said that we did do some touristy things and here are our faves

The Accademia - Venice's best art gallery and full of remarkable classical art

Peggy Guggenheim - modern art in Peggy's old house and right on the Grand Canal

One of very few photos of the both of us together!
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The San Giorgio Maggiore Church - dominates the lagoon from it's island and has stunning views from it's bell tower across the lagoon to the Lido and back to Venice

La Guidecca Island - a hop across the lagoon and very quiet and pretty. A great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the main city. You can look back at Venice from here. BIG TIP..have lunch at La Palanca which is a tiny cafe on the waterfront of Guideca. The food is basic and superb and it has the most cheerful waiter we have seen so far.."Oggi...zuppe di pesce"

A typical Venetian 'street'
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The streets and markets around Rialto Bridge - the markets are full of fresh produce and the fish market is a wonder to see.

San Salute Church - huge white domed church at the entrance of the Grand Canal

We found some great places to eat although it is very easy to be ripped off in Venice and pay way over the odds. The sight of so many "menu touristica" boards was a bit depressing but if you are careful you can eat really well for good value. Our favourites were Alla Zucca which was hidden away and took some finding but the food was superb. We both even managed to order the wrong mains but the food was so good that we didn't mind. Tracey's pea soup (and she really really likes peas..) was legendary. The Tratttoria alla Madonna near the Rialto Bridge is a famous and long standing fish restaurant which was superb. If you get the chance make sure you ask Tracey about the Squid Ink and Polenta dish she had for mains...

Mooring posts sans gondolas
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We discovered the locals love a drop at lunchtime and tea time and anytime in fact and the drink of choice is called Spritz which is made up of Campari, white wine and soda. It's pretty lethal and very cheap (never a good combination) but we dug in and acquainted ourselves with this local delicacy.

The only downside to Venice is that it is very very full of tourists (and we were out of season..) and if you eat or drink anywhere near any of the major tourist sites (St Marks, Rialto etc) you will pay way over the odds for anything.

St Marks square and buildings from San Giorgio Maggiore
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All in all we loved Venice. It is totally unique and otherworldly and from the minute you arrive to the minute you leave you are transported to a magical place full of amazing (third and final) treasures and wonderful feasts for all the senses. But after four days it was time to move on to our next destination. Our apartment in Tuscany...