Venice: truly unique city

 

Departing Bologna it was time to head to our final stop on our Italian itinerary – Venice. We took a regional train which was older style (compared to Eurostar), noisier and came complete with fare evading beggars, but for a very cheap fare there was nothing wrong with the short journey.

Walking out of the train station we were greeted by clear blue skies, the Grand Canal and picturesque views immediately in front of us. We followed the directions provided to get to our hotel/bed and breakfast. There were lots of people about (can't imagine how crazy it must be in the peak summer period!) and a great afternoon vibe.

We found the Trinita B&B down a little alleyway off a main road (can you call them roads despite there being no vehicles?) which had fresh food stalls and other items for sale. A girl met us to let us in and lead us up a few flights of stairs – a little tough especially for recovering Mike (P.S. He is now fully recovered and a “mad” snowboarder).The place was very basic – 4 bedrooms and 2 share bathrooms and small living area – basically a converted apartment. We later discovered you could hardly have a shower due to poor water pressure, and you were lucky to get hot water! The key to the room also caused much frustration. But overall for the price we were paying (50 euro per night I think) in Venice, one of the most expensive cities, it was fine! It also included breakfast delivered to your room at your chosen time and after a few days we met the owner who was very nice and made a great restaurant recommendation. The unsecured wireless network we came across sweetened the package also!

As I am completing this blog in March some 4 months after being in Venice, I can not remember exact details of what we did and where we ate but in general we definitely ate and drank our way through the beautiful city. A lot of the time we just wandered the streets, crossing lots of little bridges and only kind of knowing the direction we were going.

We bought a 72 hour ferry pass which was a lot cheaper than paying 5 euro per trip – it was further discounted as we had purchased a rolling Venice card that provided discounts to travellers under 26 years of age. It was beautiful clear skies while we were there too, and as we were in no hurry we made the most of taking the ferries to get about the place. We went to the famous San Marco square on day and saw all of those awful pigeons. I know its a tourist attraction but what is so attractive about having 100s of pigeons on and around you – probably leaving some extras on your head or shoulders too! We just looked on from a far, also astounded that a coffee at one of the cafes around the square or overlooking the lagoon was upwards of 8 Euro! The square was full of stands selling the pigeon feed and other tacky tourist items. There were also signs everywhere stating all the things you could NOT do – no sitting or laying on the ground, no food or drink to be eaten sitting down, no swimming in the lagoon and no wearing swimwear. Not our favourite spot but if you turned around and looked at the lagoon that was another story....

We took the ferry over towards some of the islands in the lagoon – firstly to Bruno. As we left on the ferry, the views looking back at the city are magnificent. We got to Bruno after about an hour cruise and one boat change. One amazing sight was the snow capped mountains we could see in the distance – also a sneak peak as to our next adventure. Bruno is known for its lace/weaving and also the brightly coloured houses around the island – very cute check the pictures. Of course we did the obligatory – shared a pizza and half litro of cassa della rossi while admiring the peaceful place and pretty view (slight respite from so many tourists and tourist stalls on main island). The ferry “home” took in a lovely sunsent.

The next day we took the ferry to Lido which we had read is known as a great beach spot. Again it was quiet (remember the Italians do shut up shop in the middle of the day) and we enjoyed walking the main road (cars and bus on this one) from the lagoon to the beach. However we found the beach to be far from beautiful! Regardless we kept walking, viewing where everyone comes to hang out in summer – obvious from the endless beach boxes along the sand.

When the ferry dropped us back near San Marco square I went to climb up the tower to take in the view, however when I saw it was a lift to the top I ran back to get disabled Mike who was very happy he too could enjoy the view. It was amazing in the afternoon light and we hung around until sunset, getting some great photos in the meantime.

Another day we took the ferry to the Rialto Bridge and wandered around the area. There were heaps of fresh food markets, much more appealing than the tourist stall banter. Also came across some fabulous pizza slices sold by the kilo. While at the actual bridge we must have looked quite friendly as a few couples enlisted our photography skills to take shots of them. Mike believes he took some fine photographs that now likely adorn the mantelpiece in those peoples' homes!

Our dining experiences were mixed. We had two great experiences, one recommendation from our guidebook and one from the hotel owner. At the first we tried the Venetian specialty – fried sardines marinated in vinegar and onions – surprisingly tasty! The second was in the quieter area of the old jewish quarter – and we had a fabulous seafood platter to share. Although we tried to avoid the tourist trap, our other experience were pretty average. Dining in Venice is not cheap!

Each night (or was that afternoon?!) we would start with a few glasses of wine at a bar. We actually went to one place a few times as it had a great spot for people watching at the front, glasses of wine for 2 euro each and the friendly staff got to recognise us and let us sample the wonderful rolled sandwiches with delicious fillings. I also believe trying the local drink – a spritzer of white wine, campari and olive – got me rather happy.

As Venice concluded 3 weeks in Italy, we had already seen and learnt about so many historical monuments, churches and art that we skipped the tourist trail of museums and churches and just spent the 4 days lapping up the incredible views, food and wine and appreciating the sometimes eerie silence at night. We did some reading though and learnt how the city is deteriorating – due to its age and little restoration works, the sheer number of tourists it accommodates, and also rising sea levels due to global warming. Apparently 100 years ago the city would flood maybe 10 times per year, however that figure is up around 90 times per year now.

Overall Venice really is unique and amazing – what everyone raves about really is true!

(...and no we didn't go on a gondola ride! Clichéd, overpriced (more than 100 euro) and too stereotypical – not for us!)