We piled in our super classy Mercedes and headed through the Alps and arrived in Venice, Italy for 1 night. We all thought that 1 night was enough to see the city. Jeff had booked us a hotel room near the airport to save a little cash, and we arrived early enough from Munich (around 1pm) to have a picnic lunch at the hotel and then head into town for the rest of the day.
After no buses came by the bus stop, we ended up taking a taxi into town. Turns out the bus drivers were on strike! We got dropped off at Piazzle Roma, which is as far as you can get into the city via land.
We walked the entire city and made a few stops! Shopped on the Rialto Bridge, got lost down a few alleys, and went up the Campanile di San Marco.
Of course, we went on a gondola ride! Our gondolier was friendly and told us that his gondola was named for his grandmother, since it was originally his grandfather’s boat and had been handed down to him.
We ate outside at a nice restaurant in a plaza. I was pleased to find out that the wine in Italy is the same price as water.
I enjoyed Venice much more than I expected to. Of course my only other Venetian experience has been in Las Vegas. It’s obvious that this city is very different from others due to the water, and I almost felt like we were in an amusement park since that is the only place I have ever experienced buildings right on the water (Disney World, anyone?). I do think Venice is worth seeing, but you only need a short time to do it in!
-Cara