13 April 2008: The drive to Venezia (Venice) was a bit longer than the past few, but we made it later in the afternoon. We decided to check out two places right next to each other before deciding where to stay. As we were leaving the first one, which was nothing really impressive, the lady working there lectured us because we entered without asking for permission first. So, I guess the decision was already made for us. We went to the second place. The second place was not more than a dirt lot (camper stop) but had all the standard facilities. But, what else do you need when Venezia awaits? Plus, the price was less than the standard campground. Sean told me that the owner of the lot lived next door, and he said that if we came home later than midnight, the fence would be closed and we’d have to ring him to let us in. We both thought, we are NEVER out any time NEAR the hour of midnight!
We knew we needed to take the ferry from the campground to the city. But from there, there was really not much I wanted to see, but to see what Venezia was like. This was a place I had not been “dreaming” of going to, but might as well make a visit. We decide to take the “introductory tour” (with a write-up on all the sites in Rick Steves’ book) on Vaporetto #1, which goes down the Grand Canal. The Vaporetto is their equivalent to a city bus and the Grand Canal is their equivalent to the main street. Without any hesitation, we purchased a “1 hour” ticket and hopped on the ferry. We got off when it stopped, and then got completely confused. I thought there was supposed to be no cars in the city?!?! It turned out that the ferry stopped on a couple more islands before actually going into the city. We were on the island of Lido and the next ferry didn’t come for another hour! Oops! With an hour to kill, I suggested we walk along the waterfront a couple blocks, where it looked like there was more action. We ended up at another dock with more boats leaving for the city. This time, I opted for the “24 hour tourist” ticket, which allows you on all the public transportation for 24 hours, a much better deal! AND, it turns out that the boat that was going into the city WAS the Vaporetto #1. We were just getting on it at the beginning of the line. So all in all, it worked out.
As we entered the Grand Canal, the sun was setting and the water started glistening, as did the gold features on the beautifully perfect gondolas riding alongside us. Venice really is a well-preserved old city. You get to see it as it was it was when it was built. There’s nothing modern, except the Vaporettos and their stops. Unfortunately, Rick Steves’ “tour” went backward from where we started out. And, we had a hard time following along with it. Halfway down the Grand Canal, we decided it was taking too long and we were hungry. So, we got off a stop before the Rialto bridge. We looked at a couple restaurants along the waterfront with triple-language menus and steep prices. We walked a couple blocks inland and found a cozy little place with a better menu, called Osteria al Diavolo e l’Acquasanta. (Still a little steep, but I think everything in Venice is!) The waiter, who I found out was the owner later, had this soft, sultry voice. After a couple sips of wine, all the sudden the romanticism of Venice hit me. Dinner was excellent. I had a pork rib “stew” in tomato sauce with potatoes, Sean had a grilled fish and Kai had a plate of penne bolognese made just for her. She was a bit rambunctious, trying to escape the tiny table in the corner. I took her outside, but still she wanted to run around inside the restaurant. The owner got a hold of her and carried her to the kitchen, where his wife apparently did all the cooking. They had three kids themselves, and he was very understanding of kids. After dinner, we strolled around, checked out the Rialto bridge and drooled over the murano glass pieces at a shop open late before heading back “home”. Sean all the sudden became a bit stressed out when he looked at his watch and it was almost 11pm. The vaporetto is pretty slow, and the ferry runs every hour. Fortunately, we made it for the LAST ferry of the night and ended up getting back “home” right before midnight. We never could have imagined that it would take us nearly 7 hours to cruise into town and have dinner, but it did. But at least, we didn’t get stranded in Venezia. Overall, our night in Venice, with the calmness and glistening of the water and the grandeur of the buildings and gondolas, really did impress me much more than I expected.
We knew we needed to take the ferry from the campground to the city. But from there, there was really not much I wanted to see, but to see what Venezia was like. This was a place I had not been “dreaming” of going to, but might as well make a visit. We decide to take the “introductory tour” (with a write-up on all the sites in Rick Steves’ book) on Vaporetto #1, which goes down the Grand Canal. The Vaporetto is their equivalent to a city bus and the Grand Canal is their equivalent to the main street. Without any hesitation, we purchased a “1 hour” ticket and hopped on the ferry. We got off when it stopped, and then got completely confused. I thought there was supposed to be no cars in the city?!?! It turned out that the ferry stopped on a couple more islands before actually going into the city. We were on the island of Lido and the next ferry didn’t come for another hour! Oops! With an hour to kill, I suggested we walk along the waterfront a couple blocks, where it looked like there was more action. We ended up at another dock with more boats leaving for the city. This time, I opted for the “24 hour tourist” ticket, which allows you on all the public transportation for 24 hours, a much better deal! AND, it turns out that the boat that was going into the city WAS the Vaporetto #1. We were just getting on it at the beginning of the line. So all in all, it worked out.
As we entered the Grand Canal, the sun was setting and the water started glistening, as did the gold features on the beautifully perfect gondolas riding alongside us. Venice really is a well-preserved old city. You get to see it as it was it was when it was built. There’s nothing modern, except the Vaporettos and their stops. Unfortunately, Rick Steves’ “tour” went backward from where we started out. And, we had a hard time following along with it. Halfway down the Grand Canal, we decided it was taking too long and we were hungry. So, we got off a stop before the Rialto bridge. We looked at a couple restaurants along the waterfront with triple-language menus and steep prices. We walked a couple blocks inland and found a cozy little place with a better menu, called Osteria al Diavolo e l’Acquasanta. (Still a little steep, but I think everything in Venice is!) The waiter, who I found out was the owner later, had this soft, sultry voice. After a couple sips of wine, all the sudden the romanticism of Venice hit me. Dinner was excellent. I had a pork rib “stew” in tomato sauce with potatoes, Sean had a grilled fish and Kai had a plate of penne bolognese made just for her. She was a bit rambunctious, trying to escape the tiny table in the corner. I took her outside, but still she wanted to run around inside the restaurant. The owner got a hold of her and carried her to the kitchen, where his wife apparently did all the cooking. They had three kids themselves, and he was very understanding of kids. After dinner, we strolled around, checked out the Rialto bridge and drooled over the murano glass pieces at a shop open late before heading back “home”. Sean all the sudden became a bit stressed out when he looked at his watch and it was almost 11pm. The vaporetto is pretty slow, and the ferry runs every hour. Fortunately, we made it for the LAST ferry of the night and ended up getting back “home” right before midnight. We never could have imagined that it would take us nearly 7 hours to cruise into town and have dinner, but it did. But at least, we didn’t get stranded in Venezia. Overall, our night in Venice, with the calmness and glistening of the water and the grandeur of the buildings and gondolas, really did impress me much more than I expected.
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