We awoke to what I can only describe was the bluest, clearest day I've seen since visiting Switzerland in 2015. We had expected rain and fog in Venice in January; we were happy with the soft clouds yesterday. We have hit the meteorological jackpot with today's stunning weather.
We didn't have much of an itinerary today, beyond a lazy walking tour of the San Marco district. On our way to San Marco, we were waylaid by a cute little bar with a grumpy old man dispensing espressos and pastries behind the counter.
Once we managed to extricate ourselves from there, we immediately found another picture-perfect bar begging for its espressos to be savored. It took well over an hour to walk the half mile to St Mark's Square, but the slow pace felt right with the sunshine and the quiet Sunday lack of crowds.
We spent about three hours strolling San Marco, and discovered tiny gems that make Venice so amazing. We walked by Venice's largest spiral staircase, hidden in a garden and resembling a tiny Leaning Tower of Pisa; we found the home where Mozart lived during his time in Venice; we stumbled across a church filled with musical instruments, and operating as a museum to Venice native Antonio Vivaldi. But best of all, we found a small hidden dock where bored gondoliers congregate.
And in the offseason, these guys are bored. Now, we had absolutely no intention of taking a gondola ride while in Venice- I am allergic to travel experiences I am told I "MUST" do; I'm also a craven cheapskate who is not going to part with 100 euro for a stranger to row me around a smelly canal while I fixate on a selfie. But I will certainly hang on their dock in the sunshine with a bottle of Prosecco, and watch them kill time. It was an entertaining hour as we observed gondoliers surfing their phones (even while singing to their unwitting passengers), making snarky comments about potential customers, and sunbathing. And we got some amazing photos as a bonus.
After we killed the Prosecco bottle, we went in search of pizza. It comes as a shock to many people that not only do I not like Italian food, I'm not a big fan of pizza either. But when one is in Venice, one eats pizza and gelato whether one wants to or not. So Matt found another tiny bar, where we had Venetian wine and massive slabs of pizza. And I do mean massive- I tend to shy away from any food larger than my head, and this slice scared me a little. Doesn't mean I didn't finish it, though.
We spent the remainder of the sunny day taking photos in St Mark's Square, people-watching, and walking. At 4pm, we headed back to the bus station on Piazzale Romano, and made our way to the airport for our evening flight back to London. So yes, it can be done; one can eat and walk one's way through Venice in under 48 hours, and live to tell about it. It was a weekend well spent.
Phil
2018-01-15
We are going to be in Dresden 3/14-4/5 and then Rome 4/5-4/13, if you have not been to eastern Germany I would be glad to show you Dresden and the environs. We are there for Nani’s moms 70th BD. Nani is going to work while there and may be going to Madrid for a 3 day meeting befor we head to Rome. Always fun to read your travel descriptions.