Venetian Splender
Trip Start
Jun 17, 2008
1
44
56
Trip End
Dec 17, 2008
Venice,
Veneto,
Italy
Thursday, October 2, 2008
So, we headed into Venice on the 11am ferry, which was a bit rocky & I was just glad I didn't have too much for breakfast that morning!! As we were approaching Venice, the views were amazing with all the beautiful buildings lining each side of the water - I couldn't wait to see the rest! So, making our way to the main square, we walked from one canal to another, one square to the next & shop after shop of masks - beautiful! But once you hit the main square, it is something else - the sheer size & grandeur of it all just knocks your socks off! It is breathtaking the architectural detail gone into the main church in the square & a picture just simply does not do it justice! The whole atmosphere is just very unique, from the orchestra playing in one of the restaurants to the pigeons flying on to peoples arms - I wasn't too keen on that one, but as you can see from the piccies Jo was loving it! The only worrying thing in the main square is the amount of water that is seeping up from below & just sitting on the surface of the concrete - you just hope things are being done to try to counteract this to keep Venice afloat for as long as possible!
It is just such an exceptional place - I mean where else can you imagine going to that the only way of getting around is on the canals - no cars, nothing - great! Imagine rocking up to work or coming home on your little boat everyday! Speaking of boats & canal - as we were in Venice, we had to do the whole Gondola thing, but to save on the pennies we decided to go on as a foursome instead of getting two separate ones - we spend enough time alone together as it is (he he)!! We definitely got the best Gondola guy - he was like the Godfather of the canals - he even serenaded us, took some piccies & gave us some info along the way! It was very interesting to see, from the water lines on the walls, how high the waters do get in November/ December time - scarily high for us, but normality for the Venetians, as our Gondola guy told us! It didn't last long, but was well worth the money - make sure you don't get ripped off though as there are some extortionate prices - shop around or barter!
After walking around, down all the back streets & in all the cool little shops, the boys had enough of shops & masks for one day - it was food time!! But, we'd all eaten way too much pizza & pasta in Italy already, so we decided to have a Chinese - not the most romantic meal to have in Venice, but it was bloody tasty - mmmmm!
It had been a long great day in Venice, so after heading back to camp on the last boat, it was an early night for all - ready to hit the Republic of San Marino tomorrow!
