Bonjourno!
I am in my element – pasta, gelato and great coffee!!! The only thing going against this place is all the bloody pigeons. These are seriously low-flying birds, and on our first day in Venice, one of their wings had already brushed against my head! I didn't scream, but it put me on the look out for the rest of the time!
We arrived on Tuesday to temperatures in the mid thirties, which was a bit of a shock from being in minus one degree temps in the snow the day before. The grand canal greets you as soon as you step foot out of the train station and you immediately get a sense of what Venice is all about. We boarded a Vaporetti (bus/boat) and made our way to our accommodation, which was a five minute walk from the Rialto Bridge. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around Piazza San Marco and the numerous little canals. It is just beautiful, but very easy to lose your bearings. Without a map, I think you could be in some serious trouble!!
Everything here seems so much more affordable than in Switzerland, which is a nice change. We have fallen in love with spaghetti with tomato sauce – it sounds so boring, but over here it is absolutely delicious. I will have to try and make some when we get home.
Yesterday we caught the boat/bus to Murano, where the famous Murano glass is made. It is like a mini-quiet version of Venice with heaps of little galleries selling glass products and jewelery. I could have bought so many beautiful things for the house, but it would be impossible to get them home without having them shipped out.
On our return to Venice, we spent the rest of the day wandering and sitting at a cafe having a few quiet drinks and people watching. It really is a great past time! In the evening we went on a gondola, which was very relaxing and a great way to explore the canals. The guy was lovely and pointed out a number of sites to us. He also had a little sing; “Que Sera Sera” which was pretty funny.
This morning our train didn't leave super early, so we had yet another wander around before getting ready to head to Rome. The train trip is about 4.5 hours so is not too bad. All together we have 5 nights in Rome and we do a 2 night tour down the Amalfi Coast, which we are really looking forward to.
Ciao for now!
Ange & Turls xx
