Venice: an unforgettable city

Venice - September 2-4, 2014

Venice was remarkable! For our third leg of the trip, we made our way by air to Italy. I was really looking forward to seeing the city of canals. We managed to navigate to the island by bus, and then GPSed the hotel. With a mile walk, we thought this was very manageable. We estimated wrong! We didn't realize the dozens of bridges we had to lug our suitcase over, and the difficulty the narrow alleys and cobblestones would present,  not to mention that the city is basically one big maze. We were relieved to find the hotel on the northern tip of the city, near the Jewish Ghetto.

 After regrouping, we ventured out and found our first Italian meal of pizza! I had real anchovies, and they were surprisingly good! We then saw the Friari Church, which was beautiful and housed famous Venice painters' work. After that, we found the Rialto bridge and took a gondola ride. Although it put a hurt on our wallets, The gondola was an unforgettable experience that every tourist must do. For the remainder of the evening, we wandered the city, watched the crowds die down after dark, and had a light dinner with bellinis.

Wednesday was a full day of site seeing. We woke early, enjoyed our hotel breakfast and learned to navigate the vaporetto, water bus, to St. Marks Square. It was very impressive. The Church was spectacular, filled with gold mosaics and 1000 years of history. Melvin and I really loved this tour. Next we saw Doges Palace, next door, that housed the most powerful European ruler for hundreds of years, the Venetian Doge. The rooms were spectacular, reminding me of all the power and riches Venice has held throughout the past. We ended our big sites with the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, at her Venice Palace on the Grand Canal. I didn't know much about her previously, but I read up on her life and the many Picassos and other important pieces she bought. Her house was very beautiful.

Our final evening in Venice was relaxing. We took in the beauty around us by stopping at the Rialto bridge and enjoying a drink on the water, having a waterfront dinner at the same pizza place the previous day, and having one last stroll in the dark, beautiful streets of Venice. I am sure we will return, as it was a favorite city of us both.