26 June: Day EightHighlights of the Day:
We had never been to Venice before, and it felt really overwhelming at first! Getting us all on the Vaporetto boat seemed a bit crazy, then getting us all off, and finally walking down these narrow little alleys to our hotel. It is moments like these that I'm especially grateful for a fearless RS leader like Travis.
The challenge of Venice though, is that there is NO direct way to get anywhere. You just have to head in the right direction, adopt the Italian attitude of slowing life down, and enjoy the stroll. Unlike the guided tours, the My Way tour manager isn't really there to give you an orientation walk of each location. However, Travis wanted to make sure the group was able to make it back to the hotel tonight! So he took us through the maze of streets to get us to St. Mark's Square. Rebecca and I made mental notes of the stores we passed and which way we turned so that we could find the hotel again. Once Travis had us on the square he surprised us with a choice of either a Venetian Spritz drink or an ice cream. We were all excited to cool off with our treat and gaze at the sights around us. Then everyone went their separate ways to explore Venice. Rebecca and I were very proud of ourselves that we found a restaurant for dinner and it was really yummy. Then we joined the other throngs of tourists circling the streets and wandering. As the sun was setting, we made our way back towards St. Mark's Square. We decided to treat ourselves with drinks at one of the outdoor restaurants that line the square. Evenings on Piazza San Marco are one of those iconic experiences. The orchestra plays music, there is fabulous people watching, and the views of the square are breathtaking. All that entertainment for the price of a drink. Planning Note: If you are prone to mosquito bites bring some sort of bug repellant. Rebecca gotten eaten alive this evening by mosquitoes. |
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27 June: Day NineHighlights of the Day:
Since we had never been to Venice before I wanted to learn a bit about the city so I researched different tours. I finally decided on Walks of Italy's Welcome to Venice morning tour. We met at an easy to find location, our group was small (we passed other tours with huge groups), and we got just the right amount of information. Our guide took us on a walking tour first, leading us to areas off the beaten path, which I thought was really interesting. Then we had a timed group entry into St. Mark's Basilica which was a complete time saver. The final thing included in the tour was a gondola ride. This was the selling point for me. The gondola rides can be expensive, and I knew I would feel intimidated trying to negotiate one. Having it included in the walking tour took the stress completely out! I knew the gondolas are a bit of a cheesy tourist attraction, but how can you go to Venice and NOT ride one? It was a fun ride and I'm so glad we did it!
After lunch and a bit of a rest out of the midday heat, we decided to see the views from the Campanile di San Marco. (The bell tower on St Mark's Square.) We squished into the elevator with the other tourists and then were rewarded with amazing views of Venice. We spent our last evening in Venice lingering over our drinks, just relaxing, and people watching near the Grand Canal. I was hoping for a sighting of George and Amal Clooney, since they frequent Venice. Actually I didn't just want to see them, I wanted them to invite me to their posh hotel for drinks and conversation. Sadly, that didn't happen. It just means we will have to return to Venice, especially since there are so many other things to see and experience here. Planning Note: I booked our walking tour early and was able to take advantage of a Rick Steves' discount as well as a student price for Rebecca.
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Giant Hands on the Grand Canal
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Bridge of Sighs |
St. Mark's Basilica |
Rialto Bridge
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