Venice - August 2014
Venice is a truly magical place but, boy, was it
HOT!!!
The visit began with a boat chase!
As Le Saboteur told me, it would've made much more sense to go by train from The Switz but I'm glad that we didn't. From the airport, we rented a water-taxi for €120 ($155 U.S.) to get to our hotel and this was an exciting way to enter the city. Another motorboat was always behind us so every time I looked astern, the music from "Crusade" was playing in my head!
Our taxi took a shortcut through the heart of Venice to reach our hotel, the Hilton Molina Stucky (which used to be a gigantic flour mill and is seen, abandoned, in "Crusade"). It was on La Giudecca island so we used the hotel's shuttle to get across every day. Here was the wonderful view from the rooftop swimming pool:
Straight off, we put our map away and avoided the main tourist areas in order to intentionally get lost in the back streets & alleyways. We walked aimlessly, exploring all sorts of nooks 'n' crannies (which abound without end). Very strange to see a bustling city without any cars around!
No flowers sellers were to be found near the "Crusade" foot bridge but I did give my girl a rose in the Piazza San Marco at night. We also took a gondola ride through the back canals and whenever other people were taking pictures, we smooched like crazy for the benefit of their cameras! That was fun.
(Advice: Hire a gondola in one of the back canals because the ride will be more private & silent).
Certain places can be expen$ive so, like Le Saboteur said,
bring your wallet. We went to both the Caffè Quadri and the Caffè Florian. At the latter, the cost for 1 ice cream dish and 1 pot of tea = €35! That's $46 U.S. (€12 of that was cover charge for 2 people.)
Apparently, the water level is high this year so the Caffè Quadri staff warned us to leave before the tidal flood came in (at about 10:30 PM). The Piazza San Marco is the lowest point in Venice so the water was bubbling up through the drains. 'Twas a surreal experience as the plaza quickly became a giant, infinity pool!
WORTHWHILE PERIPHERALS:
Eastern end of Venezia: It actually has trees & gardens! A serene scene, plus a superb monument dedicated to Garibaldi (& if you're interested in him, it's worth checking out). Plus, the Arsenal is there.
Murano Island: The island of glass-blowing. If you're going to buy any glass-blown stuff, the prices there are much less than in downtown Venice. Restaurant recommendations are: Fornace, as well as Trattoria ai Frati.
The Lido: Another island has a long beach that stretches as far as the eye can see. We waded through lapping waves, quietly collecting colourful seashells which glistened in the sunlight. Nice…
La Giudecca Island: It has some nice waterfront restaurants with wide views of the Venetian skyline…as well as some sublime
sunsets:
IMPORTANT ADVICE:
HARRY'S BAR HAS A DRESS CODE. We couldn't stay due to my knickers (so wear long pants, Lance)! The room is tiny but I imagined Hemingway at the bar during our 30 seconds inside. Very cool, even for just for a peek.
GET A HOTEL NEAR THE WATERFRONT. You don't want to schlep your luggage over all the footbridges to get to to your hotel. We saw loads of people doing this and felt sorry for them, especially in the crazy heat!
DO NOT VISIT IN AUGUST. Too hot, too many tourists
* and too many restaurants were closed for their August holidays. Pizzeria la Perla was shut down for the month. Another restaurant (Osteria Cà D'Oro alla Vedova) was supposed to have the best meatballs in Venice but it was closed for the holidays, too.
*The really annoying kind. Tourists who keep wearing their backpacks during crowded water-bus rides, block doorways while looking at their maps, take too long posing for pictures at popular sites, etc.
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UP NEXT:
"Crusade" locations...both old &
NEW discoveries!