Venezia

Somehow I managed to haul my two 20 kg suitcases, laptop, and backpack full of food onto a train, a bus, and another train, before successfully making it to the hotel room in Quarto d’Altino, a town close to Venice.  Two hours later, in walked my dad, who just completed a 14-hour flight from Vancouver to Zurich, and then to Venice.  I haven’t seen my dad since August, so we had a lot to talk about.

This was my first hotel in a loooong time, and definitely wasn’t used to having such luxurious surroundings.  We stayed a wonderful, quiet villa called Hotel Villa Otino, in the countryside – and with a huge breakfast buffet, which always scores bonus points!    

Venezia.  Canals galore.  I didn’t realize just how different this city is from others.  The central method of public transportation is by water taxis, and while we were there we found no buses.  Canals intertwine throughout the entire city centre, and when there are no canals, it’s pedestrian streets, narrow, and very crowded!  Unfortunately, the water is really dirty as a result of the boats.  Also, it’s really difficult to find your way around the city.  Everywhere you looked, you could see at least one person holding a map and looking confused or lost.  We spent the first hour getting lost and somehow ending up in the outskirts of the city.

The main piazza, Piazza San Marco, is huge, and is surrounded by St. Mark’s basilica and Doge’s Palace.  From the top of the nearby bell tower, you have really nice views of the entire city.

It was hot and humid in Venice, but what’s a better cure for this than gelato? Gelato and pizzeria restaurants dominate the streets, and you can see just about one of every three people on the streets holding a gelato cone.  And it’s so delicious!  While I was in Venice, I also tried a local specialty: cuttlefish and squid ink spaghetti.  Slightly salty and tasting of fish (obviously), it was very different from my usual pasta with tomato sauce dinners. 

Overall, Venice was a nice and short visit, but it was too crowded for my liking.  I needed more breathing room, and thankfully, Florence and a tour of Tuscany gave me just that.