EUROPE BLOG April 11th, 2023 - VENICE

4/11/23- The morning begins like it did a few days ago; Waking up early to catch a 7:00am bus. Yet this time we’re off to Venice. With no taxi available in town, we walk the twelve minutes to the same bus station we arrived at previously, with only our backpacks this time as we leave our suitcases at the AirBnb.

Our shuttle van takes three hours, stopping at two airports on the way, and we fight off sleep and soreness trying to reach our hotel around 10am. Our backpacks are a bit of a struggle as we navigate stairs and pathways, all while trying not to take pictures of everything along the way. Our room is not ready, but we’re able to leave our bags for an hour as we explore, and waste no time in going straight for the Rialto bridge.

How surreal is it to be here again. Even though there are quite a few people out, and the bridge is hoarded with them clamoring for selfies, it still feels like a dream. The weather is a bit chill but the sun soon comes out, giving off a nice, orange glow to the city.

An hour goes by fast and we check into our room. It’s small but has an interesting Victorian era feel, and as we take a moment to rest we realize the little sleep we had is beginning to wear on us. Fortunately, this is no time to take a nap as the sun is out and we have places to explore.

Sharece has a list of those places in mind starting with the Ponte dell’Accademia bridge, which gives excellent views of the Grand Canal, and then we work our way around the south part of Venice to Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute (whew, that was a mouthful). The basilica was under construction on the outside, but a gorgeous open dome inside.  Definitely worth the extra steps to get over here.

On our way back to the hotel, we stop at a pastry shop for some cream, chocolate, lemon and pistachio filled cannolis and take a breather for a few hours. Around 5pm, we realize that one of the places Sharece wants to see was closing soon, so we gather our strength once more and search for the Scala Contarini del Bovolo, which is a historical landmark with an outdoor spiral staircase. It was one of the film locations for Orson Welles’ Othello.

With the sun still beaming, we trek an additional 4 minutes to St. Mark’s Square while it’s still daylight. This is the highlight of Venice consisting of the Campanile tower, Doge’s Palace and the Basilica di San Marco. It’s definitely touristy but still leaves us in awe.

At the water front, we take several photos of the docked gondolas and walk into the hotel Danieli, which is featured in the move The Tourist with Johnny Depp. I don’t know how much it costs to stay here but I’m sure it would be well worth it.

Now it’s time for a sit down meal, and Sharece finds a great Italian place called Da Cherubino. From the bruschetta and wine to our main courses of seafood spaghetti and cabonara, we’re very happy to have found this place. We take our time, enjoying the moment and catching up on how the trip has gone so far, all-the-while allowing our legs to heal. We badly needed it too because after dinner we march back out to St. Mark’s Square for a few night shots before calling it a night.

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