Venice

Trip Start Jul 25, 2008
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Trip End Sep 18, 2008


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Flag of Italy  , Veneto,
Monday, September 8, 2008

David and Kylie came to pick up Hunter.  Graham had enjoyed seeing his Grandson, however briefly, and we said our goodbyes and set sail for Venice, whilst David and Kylie went back to Nice and then New York.  As we left Florence and crossed the Arno River we saw the Ponte Vecchio, the old bridge built in 1345.  It was Florence's first bridge and is lined with shops and is the only surviving bridge from Florence's medieval days.  We decided to try the scenic route to Venice but it took us through some narrow lanes and as time was getting on we got onto the highway and headed north.  As we got further north the land seemed to be more productive and we saw large areas growing corn.   There seemed to be good irrigation from canals as we got closer to Venice.  There was a huge industrial area on the outskirts of Venice and with the trusty Tom Tom we found our way over the bridge into Venice.  Something didn't seem quite right as the Tom Tom said we were at our destination but still showed several kilometers and there was no hotel in sight only massive car parking facilities Houses on other side of canal are dwarfed.
Houses on other side of canal are dwarfed.
 .  So I must have provided the comic relief for the policeman when I asked where was our hotel.  He said very condescendingly, "Don't you know this is a city built on water.  Your hotel is two kilometers away and you have to park and go by water taxi." OF COURSE!!!!  So park the car we did, took what we needed for the night and hailed a water taxi.  The Molino Stucky Hilton was located in the splendidly restored 19th century Molino Stucky flour mill and granary and from its site on the Guidecca - the gondola shaped island the hotel gazed out onto the Canale delta Guidecca.  We had hardly arrived when one of the large cruise ships that had been docked in Venice sailed passed the hotel out to sea, dwarfing the houses of Venice. I tried stewed cuttlefish for dinner which was like very tender calamari and Graham had oyster risotto.  We met a young lady from Rocky - what a small world!
 
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