Venice - very nice!

Gondola ride with serenade. Doge's Palace tour, which also included a walk through the bridge of sighs and a peek into the prison cells. Explore some of the back streets and walkways alongside the canals. We found a wonderful shop filled with porcelain masks.

Quick Tips:

Things to buy in Venice - glass and porcelain masks. Get away from the main square (...an L-shaped square!!) for lunch. The smaller restaurants and takeaways were cheaper and generally better. We both had well-filled and very tasty foccacias. For those who are interested, the Golden Arches of McDonalds can be found in Venice. (We didn't bother!) Coffee and ice creams anywhere in Venice were good.

Best Way To Get Around:

No cars! Walking through the narrow lanes next to the canals. Take a gondola ride for the experience. They are also used to get from one side of the main canal to the other. Yes, basic transport! Ferries and taxi-boats operate in the main canal. We took a ferry across to the main island and returned in smaller taxi-boats. Stunning photo opportunities!

The Ramada was on the wrong side of the bridge to Venice, making it somewhat cheaper and a lot more convenient for check-in/check-out.

Rooms were large, quiet and comfortable. The room was air-conditioned, but we chose to go for the quieter option as the night was mild.

The evening meal was very good. Plenty of traditional pastas with nice fresh bread rolls. Servings were generous enough to require a couple of extra laps of whatever shopping centre we next visited!

Breakfast in the dining room was excellent. A good range of cereals and good serving sizes. Also the usual range of continental food (muesli and yoghurt was our preference).

Whilst it may have been nice to stay in one of the hotels near St. Marks, I must confess that the thought of carrying luggage across bridges and/or entrusting them to boats was less than appealing.

This hotel offered the opportunity to see Venice while saving some time and money. (The time was probably more important.)

Gondola rides are part of the romance and splendour of Venice. (Although the fact that they were once used for funerals...!) To have a gondola ride whilst being serenaded by an Italian tenor accompanied by a piano accordion was simply magical.

The canals were serene and looked different from the perspective of the gondola. It was interesting to see the backs of buildings, most with a "boat shed" opening onto the canal. Seems that the canals are an essential means of communication for many of the Venetians.

Most people who watched us as we passed beneath bridges were suitably impressed with the whole event. Music, comfortable cushions and the loving couple enjoying the ride. (um... that would be my wife and myself!!)

If you visit Venice, you must take a gondola ride. Doing it with the serenading Venetian... that is the ultimate!

Another church! This time the resting place of St. Mark, the patron saint of Venice. Apparently the Venetians needed something to draw in the tourists, so they took the body of St. Mark. (Well, that's what our guide said!)

Quite apart from the historical connection to St. Mark, what does this church have to distinguish itself from other churches in Europe? Golden mosaics and stunning architecture. The mosaics really were impressive, but the tour guide was just a little quick.

The building is magnificent! This building was home to the ruling class of Venice for hundreds of years. It does, though, highlight one unusual aspect of life in Venice. Jump on the floors, which appear to be solid marble, and the floor seems to move. Apparently it comes from the city being built on pylons driven into the ground to provide a foundation for building on the water. A most unusual sensation.

The paintings throughout the building are magnificent as are the ceiling decorations. Unfortunately, the ceiling decorations were the end of our permission to take photos. Seems some thoughtless (and probably rather ignorant) people used flashes to take photos and this fades the paintings. Of course, the flash only has a very short range so would have done little to brighten the image. (How a flash from such a distance could affect paintings is another question.) Still, it is one of the things that you need to get used to in Europe. No photos of things that they can sell postcards of!

The Doge's Palace was one of the highlights of the Venice trip. Much more impressive than the church. The paintings gave an insight into the Venetian history.

Although Venice is the city of canals, there is much to see just walking around the streets and lanes of Venice. With no cars, walking is easy and safe, but take note of your bearings! It would be easy to get lost!

There are many small shops off the main tourist path, including one we found that sold the clay masks typically associated with Venice. The Murano glass factory and showroom can also be found on a walk around Venice. (When I walk with my wife, I hold her hand. If I let go, she SHOPS!)

Some of the lanes/walkways take you past canals, and others lead to small footbridges across the canals. In many of these side streets there are magnificent views of the old canals and the historic buildings. It is also the key to finding a nice restaurant with reasonable prices. Those near the square are expensive and busy.

The hotel Danieli (a favourite haunt of the much honeymooned Liz Taylor) can be found by walking along the edge of the main waterway. Go inside for a peek at the ultimate in romantic luxury, but don't bother asking for a drink list. If you need to know the prices, you can't afford it! (This hotel is seriously expensive!)

We found a nice little takeaway selling foccacias with a good variety of fillings and for a reasonable price. For those who lack culture and refinement, there is a McDonald’s. We did not go all the way to Venice to eat burgers! The only problem with finding a small takeaway is finding somewhere to sit and eat!

So, if you are visiting Venice, leave the main square. Explore the side streets and laneways, and marvel at the old buildings set amongst the canals.