Trip to Venice

Next up on our Italian trip was Venice.  After boarding the super fast 2 hour train from Florence we managed to navigate the water taxi system and enjoyed a 45 minute cruise down the Grand Canal to our hotel by St. Marks.  

Each of the cities we visited were unique but there is just something about Venice with all the canals, gondolas and tight buildings that make it a bit more magical to me.  

For the afternoon we toured Doge Palace where once again we were made aware that the museums in Italy are more ornate than anywhere else I have seen.  

A gondola ride was up next before dinner.  It was romantic and beautiful to see the city floating down the canals.  People would stop at the bridges above and wave. 

The next morning we went to Campanile Bell tower to take the ride to the top for a city view.  

After receiving a tip on how to skip the line at St. Marks Basilica we got right in and were again taken back by the beauty and enormity of the church. 

  There was a nice museum on the second floor and a terrace to look out on the square.  For the afternoon we stopped at the Rialto Bridge Market area to buy some Mureno jewelry.  With another great meal eaten we visited about every church we came across, and there are lots of churches. 

Walking around the city at night with the canals light by the lights of the homes was beautiful and tasty with warm Neutella crepes.  Another small city so it was easy to get around as long as you had a good map as some of the paths would lead to dead ends. 

Blood red orange juice from Sicily was everywhere and fantastic

On our last day in Venice we took a tour of a Mureno glass factory, enjoyed the live music on the square of St. Marks, ate one last caprese salad and 3 scoops of gelato before catching the airport water taxi.   

Super narrow paths

Venice was unique not just for the architecture but it had different types of shopping, the restaurants menus would be in multiple languages often including Mandarin, the prices were higher for basic goods, more signs were in Italian and there was less English and we saw more families with strollers attempting the steps than in the previous cities.  Having a few days without cars on the island was pleasant and getting lost in the narrow pathways was actually fun.    

Venice Opera House

It was a lovely trip to Italy and I am glad Mark and I were able to take this time together.  Having kids along for all the museums and walking would have been too much for them and us.  Italy was different than I expected, more beautiful, less modernized in certain aspects and had a few quirks here and there to remind you that you are not in America or South Africa any more.  I hope someday we can get back when the kids are older for them to see the amazing sights and a trip to the south coast is on the list.