Venice

Now we’re getting somewhere. Not that the countries prior were anything less than impressive but this is now Italy….and this, is Venice.

We parked it at a campground to celebrate the occasion with a shower and a shave on my part. Both very much overdue at this point. We relaxed for the afternoon on our arrival day to recharge after some hefty cruisin that left us a bit more exhausted then usual. The campground was conveniently located near a bus that would whirl us away the next morning and and onto the canal filled mystery.

The illusion of Venice and its mega appeal for most that travel to the city is the fact that it seems to float within the canals and passageways that flow throughout the city. That allure and the stories we had heard set our hopes pretty high even before entering the city limits.

Fortunately, we were not to be disappointed. Within moments of leaving the bus we were immediately greeted with our first canal and in turn, swept away in the awe inspiring beauty of the surroundings that seemed to be in every direction we glanced.

From the gorgeous colors popping off the old rustic buildings that lined the canals, to the narrowest of alleyways at each turn and onto the shimmers of sunlight that peaked through the bell towers of the many cathedrals that highlighted the skyline….Venice was beautiful. I even found the obligatory striped shirt gondola guys to be an endearing part of the overall visual appeal. I think my favorite part of the city though was getting lost. I have a knack for that sort of behavior so the concept of having no idea where I was at any given moment and continuously ducking into a new alley to explore a new spot was perfect. Nicole’s internal compass that works like the sun couldn’t even keep up after a while.

After a few stopovers at the sites…..Piazza San Marco, The Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge we found a spot to commemorate the journey over some red wine and pasta. The fact that a soda was more than half a carafe of the vino spelled trouble for both of us. Regardless, we indulged generously which made our journeys thereafter a bit hazy but twice the fun as we stumbled to find the bus back through the Italian maze.

Eventually we happened upon the water taxi which I suppose normal sober people pay for but in light of our lunchtime activities we skipped that step and rode along for a half hour through the canals on a beautiful “free” tour of the city from a different angle before hopping off to catch our bus home.