Wiping the sleep from eyes on our night train from Vienna we entered the lagoon and St Lucia train station. Upon walking out you realize we are at a location until now only seen in movies, on videos and dreamed about. Dragging the roller boards through the maze of pathways considered the Venice streets, bathed in a morning sweat, we arrived at the Boscolo Hotel on the north end of the Jewish Quarter.
Only one night here then we have an AirBNB we will be okay for the time being:)
Registering and dropping our bags we immediately headed for Morano, the island of glass. What a fabulous ride in a Venice taxi, a handcrafted wooden boat giving you the sensation of a James Bond 007 movie, a shootout with the bad guy is coming soon I’m sure!
With the intense heat it takes to create the beautiful ornate glass pieces, fires were often and devastating. Therefore the leaders of Venice forced the glass makers to relocate to the small island within the lagoon named Marano. From here the legend of the most famous glass makers was created, a well deserved distinction as you can see by the glass.
Hunger should never be an issue in Venice, there is something for everyone and if not where you are standing it is right around the corner or just in another alleyway. We tried to lose ourselves, making haphazard choices sometimes coming to a dead end with the canal in front and other times winding you back to our starting point. Nonetheless it is worth the chance to explore and see all the history Venice has to offer. Kellie managed to find something from Venice, an Italian purchase:)
Venice would not be captured without a Venetian Gondola ride. We choose one origination at the San Sofia station on the Grand Canal. Our gondolier pushed off into the busy canal just before dusk. The light on the water, buildings and our gondola was simply amazing. With the expertise gained in his thirty three years, Jereme’ somehow guided us through the busiest of canals with little to no room between us the walls and other gondola’s. He was humming a little tune and very informative on the attractions we glided past. As the sun had set and the lights illuminated the buildings and Grand Canal we arrived back at our departure point, an hour of romantic and beautiful not to be missed gondoliering!
It is late but the hot temperatures of the day have gone away so we made our way back to the hotel leisurely, stopping to admire the various sites, take a few pictures and have one last scoop of gelato before the day ends.
A tour is a great way to get the authentic historical perspective of the sites and the city of Venice. We skipped the line at the Palace and Doge Museum through our Travelocity purchase in March prior to arriving, a must if you come. The lines were already long but we were quickly escorted past and into the courtyard. We took our ‘Secret’ tour through the former prison and the Doge Palace. It was particularly interesting how they assigned you a position in the government. If you were the keeper of sensitive documents you were usually illiterate so as not to let out any information, as well as being paid an exorbitant salary so you would have no reason to accept money for secrets. Of course the famous Casanova was once imprisoned here for various crimes against the state. It is fabled through his memories that this is where he and a frier escaped from, only to return to Venice as a spy for them this time. He was a lover not a fighter and not the most upstanding citizen, a disappointment to his family:)
We met up with Jamie and Sue Weeks who happened to be in the middle of their Italy tour. The distinct call of the TBIRD was unavoidable to hear as we sat on the steps of the San Marco tower. We gained an instant friendship with Brin and Kate Shelly, two Aussies on the same escapades as the Weekser’s. Famished, we dove into an alley, across one of the thousands of canal stairs and around a corner to a tiny pub serving lunch fare and drinks. Around a plentiful plate of panini, fruit and a cold beverage, we learned about our new friends and caught up with some old ones.
Danili, Jamie and Sue’s tour guide allowed us to go with them for the remaining afternoon and evening, we were now companions on a group tour going to Lido, Burrano and an exciting dinner. Hopping off the water taxi from San Marco to Lido we were immediately stunned to see cars and streets on the island. In Venice neither exist. A quiet little community where the beaches of the lagoon are located we rested in the comforts of the Weeks hotel room until boarding another water taxi to Burrano.
The island of lace, Burrano is colorful with a multitude of shops to buy the famous lace made on the island. After haggling a little for price purchases were made, mostly by Sue and we went inside for a wonderful five course meal. I had the fish, Kellie the Pollo.
A slow paced walk back from the hearty dinner we commented on the colorful architecture and the tower that must have some masterful engineering as it looks a though it will fall over at any moment, leaning to the water with some degree. A great night spent with new friends and old, an opportunity not missed.
Comments (1)
I have the photo picked out that I want enlarged! Yes, what a feast for the eyes – lovely.