Venice

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to go to Venice. Not really sure how, why or when this desire started but yesterday I got to fulfil that dream.As we pulled up in the ferry, I got all choked up it was just as I had seen in photos or on the tv. I last felt this way when I saw the Disney Castle in Florida 14 years ago.

Many years ago big Madam studied Monet at school and we went to an exhibition in London, where I bought a picture of one of Monet’s paintings (not an original you understand!) and this hung in our hallway till we moved and here I was in that scene. Incredible! Checked that off my bucket list.

Oh boy it was hot though! 30 plus degrees.

After a brief orientation by the tour guide we were released to get lost in the lanes alleys and waterways.

First stop:- lunch. We had been warned of the pitfalls, don’t eat on St Marks Square, beware of cover charges just to sit at a table. We soon came across a place selling snacks, it was air conditioned and food reasonably prized so in we went. All went well until we got the bill. The drinks were more than my sandwich! £4.85 for a can! Ouch

It was then on to the Rialto Bridge, sadly undergoing some renovation which detracted from its beauty.

Here we parted with an awful lot of cash and jumped on a gondola. 

It was so worth it in my book. A gentle tour of the alleyways expertly steered by our Gondolier Daniel. Not once did he bang the sides of the gondola on the walls or bridges, in fact if Italian car drivers drove their vehicles as carefully it would make driving safer.

From there we explored narrow streets, popping in to shops that took our fancy. One mask, a glass Murano Christmas tree decoration and a Calvin Klein bikini were our purchases (I will let you work out which one of these was mine!)

Early evening we met back up with the tour guide for a cruise out of main Venice. We went past many leper colonies, psychiatric hospitals, private houses and the seaside of Venice before returning to the main area for dinner. Here I tried a Belini, peach juice and Prosecco, totally refreshing and delicious.

By this time it was getting dark and Venice was cooling off but not considerably. We wandered some more viewing the city by night with its lights.

All too soon it was time to head back to the meeting spot and begin the trek back to the Hotel.

Venice certainly did not dissappoint, it lived up to my expectations and I will definitely return.