Venice is by far one of my favorite cities in the world. It went by fast and slow all at once. Having 1-1/2 days to visit didn't give us enough time to see the whole island, but it was a nice introduction to the city on the water, and we will definitely come back one day to see the rest.
On Tuesday after we landed, we set our belongings in the hotel. The hotel room was slightly bigger than the Paris hotel, but rather bare for decor. It had a huge window that opened at the top by pulling the window inward. The bed mattress was memory foam, the closet was a wardrobe chest, and the floors were hard wood. The bathroom shower had the glass divider (not a shower curtain) which makes it difficult to keep the water from getting on the floor.
As soon as we were settled, we quickly crossed the street to catch the train. It was nice to have public transportation conveniently located near the hotel, but soon realized we preferred to have our hotel inside Venezia. Waiting for the train or bus, taking the time to travel in, and return took up much too much of our time (sometimes up to 90 minutes one way depending on our destination - if you got on the wrong train or bus it was detrimental). We are spoilied coming from Paris because the metro was so easy to follow, very intuitive. In any case, we enjoyed the unlimited 24 hr pass which included the street & water buses.
Venice. Beautiful city of Venice. On the water. No cars. All tile or cobblestone streets. Tall & narrow buildings, narrow corridors, main streets zigzag and never straight, deadends by water, artistic and functional graffiti... this is a completely different world to live in. Building exteriors are corroded from years of salt exposure. Landscapes far exceed the beauty pictured in magazines. A world seeming to be run by tourists. The only noticeable natives are the ones serving us: waiting on our table, offering gondola rides or entertaining in the open squares, driving boats delivering people, food, trash, or construction equipment, running the local stores and museums. On the street it's difficult to point out the natives from the many people who speak unknown languages.
On Tuesday night we stayed out to enjoy the nightlife. With the TripAdvisor City Guides app, we located a nearby highly rated jazz bar. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. The bar was quaint, comfortably small, with the most personable bartenders, and the most entertaining customers. We met a couple from London (Poppy & Tom, who work for a video game company), a couple from Philly (Annalee was born in Cincy), three young 20 (kids) from Connecticut, and a very loud couple from Scotland. The social crowd dynamic is hard to describe but I can tell you one thing: everyone was great company expect one, but the one made our night much more memorable.
The guy from Scotland was drinking a lot (Poppy said for 4 hrs, at €90/hr). He was doing head stands in the middle of the bar (many of them) and wanted to fight everyone. Eventually he got kicked out which was humorous for the rest of us but nobody got hurt. Then, he came back ~1hr later alone, obnoxiously approaching Poppy, and thus Tom defended her... Resulting in a late night fight. The bartenders were cheering Tom on, and when Poppy and Mark stepped in to end the fight, the bartenders treated everyone to drinks- a reward for the keeping the jerk away. The worst part was, when Mark and I left the bar to head back to the hotel, we ran into the "jerk" on the empty streets. Trying to find our way back to the waterbus was difficult, but doing that while avoiding him in the maze felt like the Assassins Creed video game -tip toeing around corners, whispering directions to each other, hiding behind poles and benches when he was nearby.
We ran into three locals (2 guys and a girl), who were strolling in the streets. They welcomed us to join them and this is when the true Venecian culture was experienced. They told us about themselves a little about how/ where they live. We were so appreciative for their company, and their direction because they walked us directly to the waterbus. We made it back to the hotel safe and sound. Sadly we realized the next day we had no pictures of our new friends or the atmosphere, but they are forever ingrained in our memories.
Wednesday was our full day of Venice. We met the loveliest couple to spend the day with. They were part of the individual tour group so we met them at the welcome dinner on Tuesday night. Ed and Jeanine from Long Island NY. We were late for our "walking tour" because transportion took longer than expected, and... well ... because we woke up too late. We took ourselves on a walking tour of Saint Marcos square including the Basilica and the tower.
We spent the rest of the day walking around checking out the shops and exploring this new and highly class part of the city. Stores like Prada and Louis Vutton, modern art museums, esquisite sweet shops, and cafés were regularly placed on the Main Street.
The gondola serenade in the afternoon got us into the water and into the canals. There were 5 or 6 gondolas for the large group, an accordionist and a singer. We started on the Grand Canal side by side then single file through the inner city canals. Mark cuddled with Ed in the king seats. I'm glad we weren't on the boat with the driver who kept rocking it to be wise. Relaxing, romantic, and they make you feel like royalty. Another experience that I can explain to you but you wouldn't truly understand until you experience it yourself.
Pictures to come soon.
We were ready for some R&R so we went back to the hotel to freshen up and ate dinner in the hotel restaurant. Learning quickly that Italians have a first and second course entree, we finally ordered both. THAT is what makes the meals expensive. It's not the wine.... Wine is €2-4 for a glass, €16ish for a liter.
