
We first travelled to this gloriously romantic water city, back in 2016.
Even then, like now, it was only for a couple of days, so this time we made sure we mixed it up a little, and saw new places.
Whilst the main island of Venice isn't a large place per se,
it sure is crammed to the absolute brim with gorgeous laneways and canals,
enticing shops and restaurants, all begging for your attention,
and a little (or a lot) of your money.
First surprise, was for Trev, as I had booked an absolute doozy of a hotel for our brief,
two night stay here.
But before that reveal, we had to find our way there.
We arrived on a flight this time, rather than a train, so we were newbies on how to get to the actual island of Venice, from this direction.

Believe me when I say, that after being away for over 7 weeks on this holiday already,
money is now a factor,
and wise financial choices are the go from here on end.
And here's where I can advise, (or at least let you know how we go),
and perhaps help others save time and money as well.
Let me also add, that travelling in Europe is pretty simple these days.
Everything is well signed, English is very prevalent in most of the heavily visited countries, and help is only a polite query to the right person away.
Plus, we have pretty much pay passed our way around, (so far),
with little use of local currency.
That said, always have some cash on hand, particularly for taxi cabs! US dollars can be used, but local currency is always preferred.
*If you think for instance, a NYC taxi driver would accept Euros,
think of that next time you don't offer local currency in cash.
It's just common courtesy.
We were now headed towards the water taxis...
(a very long walk from the gate, so know that you haven't gone the wrong way) -
Just keep following the signs!
Finally you end up at the terminal for buying boat tickets, so make sure you know your destination, and which line to take. A simple google search is all you need to find out those details, or just ask!
At first we thought a private launch might be the go, (yeah - nah) -
we certainly aren't in that price bracket at this stage of the trip,
so we opted for a public water taxi instead.
Perfect!
It is like a mini ferry, for only 15 Euros each, for the 90 minute trip to our destination of
Piazza San Marco, or commonly known in English as; St Mark's Square.
(The launches were about 250 euros plus.)
And guess what?
It ended up like a little tour anyway!
Like an on off bus/water taxi, as it took us past the famous glass blowing area of Murano, and a few other choice locations that we'll visit whilst we're here, so why hurry?
Enjoy the journey!

Always exciting arriving at our next destination! We never want to lose that joy. 👍

LOVE a Venetian highway!

The water taxis can get a little crowded!

Once arriving at the central and bustling stop of St Mark's Square,
I revealed my surprise to Trev that our hotel was right here...in the square,
overlooking the magnificent St Mark's Basilica!
Did I say we were tight on money now? Haha, this is probably why. 🤣
But first, we had to find how to get in!
We found the address on the wall of the main Piazza, but the door was locked. As per usual, 🤦♀️ we didn't have our phone on roaming to try to figure this out,
but fortunately we were not alone in our quest... Another couple was in the same predicament as us, so we naturally teamed up with them to solve this annoying problem. They managed to get hold of someone by phone, who gave very vague directions
(before being hung up on),
to walk through the labyrinth of laneways to try to locate the office that was handling these particular hotel rooms.
The lanes were crowded, but fortunately for us,
after assistance from another lovely obliging stranger,
we literally stumbled across a tiny entrance to the reception we required.
No signage visible, it was pretty appalling truth be told, but these things happen.
You just have to roll with it sometimes...and not lose your marbles.
Soooo, after having to make a further two runs back to the boys
who were waiting with the luggage,
first for our passports; an unusual rookie move of mine
not having them on me to check in,
and then a second time, as I required 20 Euros to pay for city tax. (5 Euros each day pp, over 2 days.)
There's a tip. Be prepared for that ALL over Europe these days.
City tax.
In cash.
You can't add it to your hotel bill.
Not a large amount by any means, but they always require it in local currency.
So have some on hand, or you'll lose your place in line whilst you dart off to find an ATM!
BUT all good things are worth the effort, and after we managed to enter the building
and proceed to haul our luggage up the 3 steep flights of marble stairs in the dark,
we ended up having one of the most amazing views we've ever had from a hotel room.
(This, and the Tower Bridge room we had in London last year!)

Woohoo, we're in!
A very ordinary entrance, for what was going to be an extraordinary room.
Check it out. The view.
Oh my word... Like I said...it was sooo worth the effort!
I really enjoyed the view at all the different times of day, and particularly at 3 am...
Who gets this view of St Mark's Square with not a soul in sight?
It was magical.



But before the night skies descended upon us,
we made haste and started to explore this unique city.
We just love the shops, choc-o-block full of either delicious sweets, gelato, pasta, parma hams and cheeses, or the incredibly colourful Venetian glass.

But don't forget the leather, the shoes, the bags, Venetian masks, even a glove store,
also - the drop dead gorgeous Italian men shopping at the designer stores!
Sorry, not sorry Trev, but these boys looked the part with their
Valentino, Chanel and Versace bags,
as they waited for their private motor launch to zoom them away to
goodness knows where!
You look that good, you deserved to be captured.
At least in a sneaky photo.
😋

Then it was our turn to capture the essence of this glorious city.



The very famous 'Bridge of Sighs'.
* Legend says, that it was named this because it was the last passage that prisoners crossed before being jailed. They would sigh wistfully, looking at their last view of freedom.
Moving on...
There's a great story that goes with Trev's ice cream here:

Funny to me.
An absolute tragedy to Trev. And a warning to others! 🤣
This, was a salted caramel, Nutella gelato.
The best of the best.
Purchased from a gelato store just in a lane behind the main Piazza
following our early dinner.
Upon walking through to the main square, Trev, starting to thoroughly
enjoy this decadent indulgence,
and was just going in for another taste, when out of the blue a really large gull brazenly flew down in between us, and nicked the double scoop ice cream straight out of the cone!
Shock was followed by loathing, as Trev threw the now empty cone at the bird,
as I yelled at it that I hope it gets a brain freeze!
By now I was doubling over laughing, as was everyone who witnessed
this act of culinary thievery... everyone but Trev.
He was filthy.
It was such a delicious gelato!
He's scarred for life now. He'll never eat an ice cream again without being on guard.
😱😭🫢
At least she didn't lose all hers! 🤣
With the sun setting late this time of year, it's fantastic to wander around the sights,
and still get to capture a pretty sunset before we called it a day. It had been a fairly long day coming in from Norway,
plus it's also super hot and humid, a huge change after being in the Arctic Circle!

---
The following day was a cracker.
Even though we didn't make solid plans, we had a rough idea on a couple of places we wanted to see, so we let the rest evolve around that.
First things first, was to head into Venice's centrepiece; St Mark's Basilica.
Seeing it was opposite our hotel room, we saw there was no line up when it opened,
so we ducked down to beat the crowds.
Having not visited here last time we were in Venice - actually I think we missed it as the front was covered in scaffolding and I had wanted to walk up to the roof to see those horses!
This time it was a goer!
I suggest you buy tickets online first, so you can
'skip the line', and from memory, it's only about 20 euros to see it all,
including the museum and those wonderful horses.
If you wish to climb the 323 steps up the opposite St Mark's Bell Tower,
that will be a separate ticket.
I imagine the view is great! My claustrophobia and dodgy knee are my excuses these days for something I would've done in a heartbeat a few years back.
Once inside, you are welcomed to take photos, (please always - no flash),
so go for your life.
Enjoy.
Take your time.
Everywhere you turn to look, sideways, down and mostly UP...
savour it all - and drink it in. You are in Italy - amongst the Masters of the Renaissance.
But whilst many marvel at the painters,
I also marvel at the architects, the stone masons and the builders.
After all...every masterpiece needs to be hung or displayed.
They were nothing without the brilliance of the stone masons and their incredible work on these extraordinary buildings that couldn't be afforded today.
I am unashamedly a Renaissance lover.
Bugger brutalism, cubism, and the rest....give me this era every day of the week,
and twice on Sundays.
Michelangelo was only 26 when he sculpted David.
Astonishing.
I haven't written of our time in Italy back in 2016...We plan to spend a lot more time in Italy soon, so that will have its own chapter.
Back to St Mark's Basilica.
It is nearly all mosaic tiles creating these spectacular images.

It is a feast for your eyes.

I found these pillars intriguing, being all so different.

Trev trying to make me angelic...he can try all he likes! 😇
I couldn't wait to get up the top, to see the famous Horses of St Mark's.
Dating back to its believed the 2nd or 3rd centuries,
the original horses now reside inside the Basilica, to protect them from further deterioration, so they have made replicas that are now outside on the roof.
It's a fascinating story, but in short, these horses were looted by the Venetians in 1297 from their home in Constantinople (now Istanbul), and placed on this Basilica. Napoleon then stole them in 1797 and used them in the Arc de Triomphe carousal,
before they were taken back to Venice after his defeat in 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo.
They are made of copper, not bronze.

The originals.
The collars where added to them back in 1297,
as their heads had been cut off for transportation!


Their expressions are amazing. Aren't they beautiful?
We then popped out to the roof terrace, to enjoy the incredible views. The marble floor up there was super slippery, so be careful if you visit,
but it's worth it, as well as being a great place to sit and soak it all in.


And look, there's our room! 🫶

Let's not forget to enjoy again, the golden mosaics that adorn the interior of this Basilica.
Wow.

The museum is worth your time as well.

A great visit, that's for sure.
From here it was a short but crowded stroll over to the Grand Canal to catch a water taxi,
as we thought we'd visit the island of Burano today, and check out all those wonderfully coloured buildings.
Certainly a place worthy of my opening photo for this blog!
You can buy a multi pass for a few of the islands, so you can include Murano,
where they create all that fabulous Venetian glass,
however we saw that last time we were here,
but don't miss it if you haven't experienced it.
You get to see a glass blowing demonstration, then follow that with a wander through the showrooms where you could take a second mortgage to pay for some of the creations.
(Or buy a trio of little glass horses for 40 euros, like I did!)


To get to the island of Burano takes an hour or so by water taxi,
enjoying a few stops along the way.
Once there, we were completely captured by how different it is to the main island of Venice.
The colours are so fun!
A bit like Cinque Terra in Italy, some of these buildings look as though they could do with a lick of fresh paint, but the old worldiness of it all is part of the charm.

We found a wonderful little restaurant for lunch, with Trev ordering spaghetti with garlic mussels, and I think he can still taste them now, they were THAT good!
He was a tad excited!
Bless. 🥰
And you know where Trev's going after lunch, don't you?!


Plenty of time to stroll around, checking out the quaintness of this village,
and yes, another crooked Italian bell tower to have some fun with!
A very pleasant way indeed to spend a few hours,
as well as the time it took on the boat to and from.
It was nice to get away from the crowds over in Venice for a while.
Back to St Mark's Square again, and this time it was for the very typical, touristy, but FABULOUS all the same - Gondola ride!
We thought we'd try to bargain the price down, but they have a very fair system here in Venice, and its the same price, wherever you pick it up from.
160 Euros for a private ride for 30 minutes, at this sunset time,
plus tip if you love your Gondolier.
When in Rome, they say - oh, I mean Venice!
Its a must do in my books.
Trev was "meh, it's a lot of money"...however, afterwards he agreed it was totally worth it.
Maybe pick your area to see...the Rialto Bridge (which we'll see shortly) would be my pick, but its a long way from the Grand Canal, so its a personal preference. The back canals are tranquil and romantic. I was in Venetian Heaven.
And if anyone ever chooses to propose on one of these... kudos to you! HOW SPECIAL! 😍
Once we disembarked from this wonderful experience, we weren't far from a bridge that we noticed whilst cruising along; the Ponte dell'Accademia.

It certainly looked like the place to be to witness this sunset that was presenting
itself so wonderfully.
The views down the Grand Canal to the Palace were divine.
And then behind us, the sun setting in the west created such a gorgeous glow.

Just below the bridge was a darling little spot for a bevvy,
and to watch the gondolas floating past. It doesn't get better than this!
Cheers, Trevvy!


Now, where for dinner?
A typical scenario when on vacation, is where do you choose to dine on your last night in a particular town?
There are hundreds of choices here, and dare I say, most would be outstanding!
We decided to let our feet do the choosing, as we headed way over the other side of Venice, hoping to find the famed 'Rialto Bridge'.
Actually, we had no idea where we were going...
No wifi either, no Google maps, so we did it the old fashioned way -
and tried reading the street signs.
Keeping at eye out simply for the word 'Rialto', we zigzagged our way to areas we had never been before, and once we saw a fair amount of people heading the same way as ourselves, we knew we were on the right path.
There, around a corner, after perhaps about 30 easy going minutes,
was the incredible Rialto Bridge.
Reminiscent of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, this was a cracker!!!

I grabbed this image from the net, so you can see it in all its grandeur during the day.
Isn't it just fabulous?
I wish we had come here earlier! Next visit, I think we'll get a room down this end.
SOOOO many restaurants!!!
The view I took from the bridge at night was pretty cool too.

We scored a great table at the most perfectly located restaurant around!
So good for our last Venetian meal.


And when Trev saw 'Mamma's-meat-a-balls' on the menu, I knew he'd be in on those!
Get that into ya, Darls! 😋
YUM!
Always time for one last cannoli!!!!

Wandering back to our hotel, past gondolas all put to bed for another day -

... We just smiled again, at how lovely it is to be here in Venice,
and how much you can actually do in just a couple of days.
To be fair, all of this has only been a day and a half!
Tomorrow we must head to board our ship for our cruise down the Croatian Coast,
ending in the Greek Islands.
( Another couple of blogs 👍🏽)
Our time here isn't over yet...we have quite the saga tomorrow...you'll see!
---
Being a little travel wise by now, yesterday we did a bit of a 'dry run', to know how we were going to get to the Cruise Ship Terminal today.
Unfortunately, the best laid plans often go astray.
Like today's.
But before we depart...I had an important interview to do via Zoom.
You see, I had been tracked down whilst we were in Norway a few weeks ago,
by the Australian TV Panel Show, called 'The Project',
and they were keen to interview us about our lifestyle - AKA Spending Kids Inheritance!
The first cross we made from our cruise ship didn't work very well, reception wise,
so we had lined up today for an interview at our hotel room,
just prior to our checkout.
It was so much fun, check it out!
Love to inspire, and have a giggle at the same time!
We barely had time for the adrenaline to subside from this fun interview,
before checking out, and trundling our luggage across the cobblestones,
towards our first ferry.
As the cruise terminal is in a place called Chioggia, once we googled it we were shocked at how far away it was from where we were staying in Venice.
Good thing we did a dry run, or so we thought...
We were 'advised' yesterday, that all we had to was catch a water taxi over to 'Lido',
then a bus from there.
Sounds fair.
But once we got over to Lido, we said
"Bugger it, we'll just catch a cab instead."
Didn't we get that one wrong?!
First error, was that we didn't realise Lido was an another island.
Sooo, the short story is:
*We caught the ferry from Venice across to Lido.
*Then we had to catch a local bus to the other end of the island.
*Then we had to take a ferry. Luckily, it was a car ferry,
so we stayed on the bus for the crossing.
*Then the bus had to cross the length of this next island.
*Then we had to get off and catch another ferry.
*Don't get off at first stop!
*Getting off at second stop, we could actually see our cruise ship in the distance...wait...
Is it ours? Not sure...😱
*Then we trundle our luggage for about a kilometre, trying to find a bridge to cross the water to where our ship was. Yes, our ship. Cool!
*Quick, hurry! Is it leaving soon?
FINALLY, after about 2 hours, we get to the dock of the ship, and tried walking in. Nope, not allowed in on foot.
🥵🤬
*Then they put us in a mini bus to take us 200 metres to the ship.
Are you kidding me?
*Upon arrival, the staff are all "Soooo welcome to Azamara Cruises. How are you?
D O N T A S K.
How's that drink package working?
And there you have it!
We loved our time in Venice. It was fabulous.
If you are booked on a cruise out of Venice...perhaps secure a transfer, and don't assume you can just 'catch a cab.'
Its Venice after all.
And I'm glad the cruise ships aren't allowed into Venice any more.
Just make allowances, and you'll be just fine.
Life is an adventure, and ours will now continue in Croatia!
Until then, it's
CIAO!
M x
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