Venice

Beautiful Venice, the 'floating city'. Such an unique, absolutely breathtaking city. I usually say that I wouldn't visit the same place twice as there are so many other countries/cities to discover. However, Venice for me is a city that I definitely would like to visit again. I loved the architecture and all the gorgeous bridges and canals. It's like you are stepping back in time.

Where we stayed: Hotel Vivit in Mestre. This was around a 10 minute walk to the bus or tram to Venice. (about a 15- 20 minute trip).

What we saw:

St. Marks Basilica/Saint Marks Square

There was a long queue for St. Marks Basilica, so unfortunately we did not get to see the inside.

Murano
A small island in the Venetian Lagoon famous for its world renowned glass made with a special glassblowing process. The craft was moved from mainland Venice to the island in 1921 due to fire risks from the hot furnaces.

We got to Murano and Burano via Vaporetto /Waterbus

Burano
A small island in the Venetian Lagoon famous for its lace and colourful houses. The colours are a long standing tradition that goes back to when fishermen painted their houses in the brightest colours in order to be able to locate them in the deepest of fogs.

Any local resident that wishes to paint their house a different colour, needs to get approval from the government.

Sprial Staircase Scala Contarini del Bovolo

At the top you can enjoy a panoramic view of the city

Libreria Acqua Alta Bookstore

This was unfortunately so packed that we couldn't enjoy the store or the views. Probably better to visit early mornings.

Because of the floods that often take place, there are books piled in a gondola. Interesting to see the cats that lie on the books and at the cash register counter.

Bridge of Sighs

Famous bridge. The name comes from the sighs/cries of the prisoners who were brought across the bridge on the way to the Prisons. From the bridge, they caught a last sight of a city that they were most unlikely to see again.

Gondola ride
This is a bit expensive but as we were three, we split the cost (we paid 80 Euros for 30 minutes). There is also an option of a shared gondola ride. It was a lovely ride in picturesque canals. We also went on the gondolas /traghetto to cross the grand canal for 2 Euros each. (very short ride).

TIP

They say the greatest joy of Venice is getting lost. We were actually lost in Venice for about 2 hours. At one point, we were laughing so much as people kept on directing us to the opposite direction that we were heading. Towards the end, we stopped a young couple, who advised us to use the street view on google instead of the normal view that we were using and this helped us navigate our way back, quite easily in fact.

My Souvenir Magnets

Interesting facts

• Venice was built on logs, specifically using wooden piles driven deep into the marshy ground of the lagoon. These piles were made from mostly alder, which has water resistant properties. The logs also don't rot because they are surrounded by mud, away from oxygen, which protects them.

• Venice has at least three leaning towers.