Sept. 20, 2009
The somewhat tedious flight, due to a long stopover in Rome, was quickly forgotten when we landed at Marco Polo Airport and caught the Express Bus into Venice. It was only a short walk, hauling our suitcases, over a couple of bridges to the hotel.
The Hotel Al Sole, booked months ago as the first stop on our trip, proved to be a brilliant choice. Built on the site of an ancient monastery, it is owned by the Marcello family since 1400, who was one of the 40 founding families of Venice. Opening the shutters of our small, but well appointed room, I felt as if I was playing my part in the ongoing pageant that makes Venice so vibrant. On the first floor up, it overlooks a bridge on the bend of a canal. There was an endless passing parade of people and boat traffic. I leaned right out the window where I could look people in the eye and cordially greet passers-by with a smile.
In no time we were out joining the throngs of tourists to do our first sightseeing, starting with the Rialto Bridge. We didn’t stop, except for dinner, until the wee hours. I am embarrassed to say, we took about an hour’s detour when we made one wrong turn, went right by the cruise ship docks. The short, but eventful day included a slow trip by vaporetta on the Grand Canal.
Day Two: More walking, more vaporetta rides, gelato and gelato again. We visited many churches to see the paintings and art work. My favourite was the Frari Church with several Titians and intricate inlaid wood in the choir. A ride out to the glass blowing island of Murano was somewhat disappointing when we were not able to find anyone at the factories demonstrating glass blowing. But there were tons of stores showing fancy glassware. The large glass sculptures in the squares are very impressive. On the way back to Venice, we stopped off at the site of the Biennale, but being Monday, it was closed. Never mind, we wouldn’t have done it justice in the short time we were there.
All in all, Venice is pretty stunning, with its intricate waterways, grand palazzos and maze of alleys. We loved seeing the regular folk who live there going about their daily business. We particularly enjoyed watching the working boats – delivery, garbage, fire, police, ambulance, construction boats. The vaporetti, gondolas, taxis and pleasure boats all vied for spots along the canals. It was particularly amazing to watch the gondoliers navigate tight corners, amongst heavy traffic.
Peter was quick to notice the two different networks of movement through the city, by boat and by foot, that criss-cross each other, occasionally parallel, that allow you to experience Venice in two completely different ways. This is mimicked in the way that the residents and tourists by-pass and intersect, to make this an incredible living museum.
The Hotel Al Sole, booked months ago as the first stop on our trip, proved to be a brilliant choice. Built on the site of an ancient monastery, it is owned by the Marcello family since 1400, who was one of the 40 founding families of Venice. Opening the shutters of our small, but well appointed room, I felt as if I was playing my part in the ongoing pageant that makes Venice so vibrant. On the first floor up, it overlooks a bridge on the bend of a canal. There was an endless passing parade of people and boat traffic. I leaned right out the window where I could look people in the eye and cordially greet passers-by with a smile.
In no time we were out joining the throngs of tourists to do our first sightseeing, starting with the Rialto Bridge. We didn’t stop, except for dinner, until the wee hours. I am embarrassed to say, we took about an hour’s detour when we made one wrong turn, went right by the cruise ship docks. The short, but eventful day included a slow trip by vaporetta on the Grand Canal.
Day Two: More walking, more vaporetta rides, gelato and gelato again. We visited many churches to see the paintings and art work. My favourite was the Frari Church with several Titians and intricate inlaid wood in the choir. A ride out to the glass blowing island of Murano was somewhat disappointing when we were not able to find anyone at the factories demonstrating glass blowing. But there were tons of stores showing fancy glassware. The large glass sculptures in the squares are very impressive. On the way back to Venice, we stopped off at the site of the Biennale, but being Monday, it was closed. Never mind, we wouldn’t have done it justice in the short time we were there.
All in all, Venice is pretty stunning, with its intricate waterways, grand palazzos and maze of alleys. We loved seeing the regular folk who live there going about their daily business. We particularly enjoyed watching the working boats – delivery, garbage, fire, police, ambulance, construction boats. The vaporetti, gondolas, taxis and pleasure boats all vied for spots along the canals. It was particularly amazing to watch the gondoliers navigate tight corners, amongst heavy traffic.
Peter was quick to notice the two different networks of movement through the city, by boat and by foot, that criss-cross each other, occasionally parallel, that allow you to experience Venice in two completely different ways. This is mimicked in the way that the residents and tourists by-pass and intersect, to make this an incredible living museum.
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