Magical Venice

Typical view of Venice with its many gondolas
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Memories of Venice – September 9 and 10^th, 2006

I must admit, I wasn’t really keen on visiting Venice. When I was 12 years old, I visited Venice with my family and my most vivid memories were of very dirty, smelly canal water splashing on my pizza as we ate beside the Grand Canal. This memory, plus repeatedly reading that Venice was the most expensive city in Italy, made it a low priority for me. My family, however, really wanted to see the city, and so we went. I’m glad we did! We all agree that it was a highlight of our trip so far. Expensive it is, and very touristy, but it was also breathtakingly beautiful and exotic. The Basilica of San Marco was amazing with its beautiful mosaics, gold-covered statues and patterns of many different colors of marble. It is said to be the western counterpart to the mosque in Istanbul. It is also said to house the body of St. Mark which was stolen from Egypt by merchants from Venice. Surprisingly, it was “lost” several times in the Basilica as people forgot where it had been entombed!

We all agree that it was a highlight of our trip so far.

Barb, Karsten and Steff in front of the magnificent San Marco Basilica
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Our favorite things to do in Venice?

1. Watching the city go by as we road around in the vaporettis –the public transportation system of boats. The boats are old and rusty and they pack them as tightly as sardines in a can, but if you are lucky enough to get a seat, you can happily spend an hour or more watching Venice glide by.  Buy the day pass for 12 Euros as it allows you to hop on and hop off the boats and buses all day long.
2. Visiting the island of Lido - David, Karsten and Steffi enjoyed swimming in the green, green waters of the Adriatic Sea (someone had to stay on the beach and watch the backpacks) and we were all surprised to find this long beautiful beach on one of the 117 islands of Venice.
3. People watching – we have never seen so many tourists all in one place! It was truly incredible. Crowds and crowds of people in the San Marco plaza and in the vaporettis and buses into Venice, but then we also strolled through narrow alleys and squares where we were the only people in sight.
4. Watching a glass crafter make a little glass octopus as part of a wine glass. He makes it look so easy and so beautiful.

David, Karsten and Steff on one of the 400 plus bridges in Venice
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Our over all recommendation? If you’re in Italy, don’t miss Venice!

P.S. (David adds) bring a compass with you as it is easy to get lost in the narrow streets of Venice.  The signs are not very helpful at all and the closeness of the buildings blocks out any directional bearings.