Venice! (Heidi Visit, Part 3)

We arrived in Venice by train from Florence. Stepping out of the train station, directly in front of us was the Grand Canal. The Grand Canal is the main waterway through Venice. Boats of all sizes come and go from docks carrying people and goods along the canal. Large, motorized public transportation boats called Vaporetti serve as the public transportation through Venice. There are different lines going to different docks, and the boats run constantly up and down the Grand Canal. We hopped on the #2 (fast line) and headed towards the San Marco stop (St. Mark’s Square) near where our hotel was located. We all enjoyed the cruise on the canal. Venice is a busy and bustling city. Watching all the action on a waterway "street" was fascinating. 

We picked a hotel from our Rick Steve's book, which turned out to be a little bare and not extremely clean; however, the service was friendly, it included a decent breakfast, and free (somewhat unpredictable) wifi. 

Our hotel is the yellow building on the right.

After checking into our hotel and dropping off our luggage, we were ready to eat and explore! A quick lunch then off to the beautiful St. Mark's square (Piazza San Marco). 

As Rick Steves describes it, "Venice is a careless kaleidoscope of people, bridges, and odorless canals." He couldn't have said it better. Venice is a maze of alleys lined with shops and little bridges carrying you over the small canals. Some paths end abruptly at a canal edge, no railing to separate you from walking right in. Other paths lead you in circles, and after awhile everything looks familiar even though you have no idea where you are. 

Thank God for GPS phones, and no specific timeframe on where we had to be. At every turn there were beautiful places to pause to take pictures, watch people cruise down the canal in a gondola, or simply stand in awe of this very unique city. 

We made our way towards St. Mark's square. Souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants line the alleys. Masks adorn the windows reminiscent of the popular Carnevale festival famous in Venice (similar to the American Mardi Gras). 

Logan was asleep in his stroller so we took the opportunity to park ourselves at one of the cafes lining St. Mark’s Square to enjoy an overpriced drink. You’re really paying for the real estate at those cafes. With the people watching and backdrop, it was worth the price. We sat there for almost two hours enjoying the sights and relaxation. 

St. Mark’s Square is nearly two football fields long. It floods many days throughout the year so platforms are set out for people to walk upon just in case of flooding. Logan enjoyed playing on the platforms, and many people use them to sit and rest or eat a snack. 

The square is filled with tourists, pigeons, music, and kissing lovers. While feeding the pigeons is illegal in St. Mark’s, people do it nonetheless and the birds are everywhere drawing tourists taking pictures and kids chasing the birds away (this is usually what Logan does when he is awake).

Unfortunately, half of the front of St. Mark’s Cathedral was completely scaffolded off, blocking from view the Eastern-style architecture and colorful frescos along the front. The left half was still visible, and we did manage to get a few photos. 

Our first day in Venice was spent relaxing, strolling, and getting our bearings. We had dinner outside a restaurant, indulged in a bottle of wine and more delicious plates of pasta, while Logan played next to the table and waved at people strolling by.

The next morning we got up early, had breakfast, and hopped on a Vaporetto for a picture-taking cruise of the Grand Canal. We sat at the front of the boat, and spent an hour and a half making a full-circle around half the island. 

Logan liked "driving" the boat from the front!

We got to see the garbage boats, as well as the loads of products being shipped in for the masses of tourists who flock to the island of Venice. It was fascinating to see. 

After our Vaporetto “tour,” we walked to the other side of our slice of land and caught another boat to the island of Murano, famous for beautiful glassmaking. 

Walking in Murano. 

Murano glass sculpture in the town square.

A friend of mine had given me the name of a restaurant and a seafood dish to try, so we were making our way there. The weather had turned rainy, but we found the restaurant with covered seating outside along a canal, and sat down for an amazing meal. 

Our lunch location, Dalla Mora on the island of Murano.

Amongst us we shared a plate of mixed cheeses, crab pasta, shrimp pizza, four cheese penne, and a bottle of wine. 

Shrimp pizza.

Crab pasta.

We sat for almost two hours enjoying the meal, the view, and the protection from the rain. Logan discovered he could lean over and watch the fish in the canal just inches from the surface of the water. By the end of our lunch the sun had broken free. 

We wandered back towards the dock, window shopping all the different items they make with Murano glass.

Next, we took the boat one stop over to an island called San Michel, or Cimitero, their cemetery island - the final resting place of Venetians. Full of flowers, chirping birds and sunlight streaming through the trees, it really was beautiful. But it was also full of mosquitos which were congregating in Logan’s stroller to feast on our napping angel. We quickly shooed them away and headed as fast as we could off the island!

After Logan awoke, we set out to do what any good tourist does in Venice: a gondola ride! Gondoliers hang out at dozens of stations along the canals, eager for you to hop in for a ride. 

If we were so inclined, we could have interviewed around to find a gondolier. However, we were tired of carting the stroller up and down the steps of the bridges, and we opted for the first gondolier we found close to the hotel. Our gondolier narrated a bit, but mostly he left us to our picture-taking and sight-seeing. We were fine with that. 

The canals are surprisingly quiet and peaceful once you leave the activity of the alleys behind. It was soothing to simply rest in the gondola and watch the people passing by in other boats or taking pictures from the bridges as you float by underneath. Gondoliers admirably weave their way through the narrow canals and around tight corners in a boat over 35 feet long while they avoid hitting other boats along the way.

Thanks to Heidi's kindness for helping with Logan, later that night it was planned for Taylor and I to have a “date night” to belatedly celebrate my birthday. Heidi would get some one-on-one time with Logan while we went out to a nice dinner. We still had a few hours before our reservation, so we  all walked around taking photos and sight seeing. 

Before Taylor and I went off on our own, we wanted to facilitate dinner for Heidi and Logan. So we headed back into St. Mark’s Square and grabbed a seat at the same outdoor cafe where we had drinks the day before. The square is the perfect place for Logan to run around where he can’t get into too much trouble, and we could rest and keep an eye on him. We got margherita bruschetta and a ham and cheese panini for them to share, along with an extremely overpriced bottle of water. Logan loved chasing the birds in the square while Taylor slipped him bites of food along the way! Heidi and I relaxed!

Later that evening Taylor and I headed out to Osteria alle Testiere, just a five minute walk from our hotel. The restaurant was recommended in our guide book as Rick’s “top dining splurge in Venice.” With seating for only 22 people, they have two dinner seatings available: 7:00pm and 9:30pm. Our reservation was for 9:30pm. Luca, the owner, was present seating, serving, and tending to all of his guests’ needs. We took our seats next to a British couple (probably in their mid-60’s) who were finishing up from the earlier seating. The gentleman was dressed in a tuxedo, and it was clear he had thoroughly enjoyed his wine that evening. They were very friendly and began chatting with us. When Taylor commented on the tuxedo, he responded that it was his lady’s birthday, and so it was his tradition to wear a tuxedo to celebrate her! What a wonderful tradition, of which I told Taylor I would like him to continue on for my birthday in coming years! We enjoyed a wonderful evening of wine, mussels in a garlic and onion broth, mixed fish and shellfish, and dessert. It was a lovely night out and we were so appreciative that Heidi was there to help with Logan so we could have some time to ourselves!

The next morning we took the elevator up St. Mark’s Clock Tower (there is no option to take the stairs). We took in a gorgeous view of St. Mark’s Square, the Grand Canal, and Venice. 

After that we toured St. Mark’s Cathedral. A little tip from our travel book was that we could check our backpack and stroller at a small church nearby, and then skip the extremely long line to get into the Cathedral by showing our bag check ticket. This is what we did, and walked right into the beautiful cathedral ahead of hundreds of people waiting in line. The church is covered in gold mosaics all over the walls and ceilings. They say that there are so many particles of gold floating in the air that you leave there with richer lungs than you came in with. The church is dimly lit, but for one hour every day from 11:30am - 12:30pm they light it up brilliantly. We were coincidentally in the church just before 11:30 so we waited for the lighting…and it was well worth it. Pictures aren’t allowed, but I did sneak one since it seems everybody else was doing the same. It does not do it justice.

After touring the church we grabbed our luggage, hopped a Vaporetto back to the train station, ate a quick lunch at a nearby cafeteria then jumped on a train back to Florence. It was a wonderful two days in Venice that we all enjoyed very much! A few more pictures follow because there are just SO many good ones that I want to share!

The morning after returning to Florence, Heidi headed back to California, and we settled back in at home for laundry, cleaning, and rejuvenating after ten days of running around through Italy!