After checking into the hotel and having a quick shower, we went to Venice, which amazed us. A bus took us to Venice in 20 minutes from our hotel in Mestre. The bus service costs one euro per person per trip. This was very convenient because cars were not allowed into Venice.
It was my first time in Venice, which was different from the places I had seen before and more than expected. It was 6 PM when we arrived in town. The colors were extraordinarily sharp in the evening light. Gondolas were everywhere. Some of them even had opera singers. It was so romantic, but it isn’t easy to describe.
When you go to New York, you must go to Times Square. In London, it is Trafalgar Square. The equivalent tourist magnet in Venice is the Piazza San Marco. From the hotel in Mestre, we were given a map of Venice. We wanted to go to Piazza San Marco on the first night. I do not know whether the map was poor or I was tired, but we did not find it on the first evening. Instead, we saw many beautiful narrow streets, happy people, and canals full of gondolas. We had dinner in one of the piazzas. We ate pizza, which was very delicious and juicy. And then we just walked and enjoyed each other and the beauty of Venice.
On our second day, after breakfast, we went back to Venice. It was perfect weather-clear skies and +28 degrees. We walked from Piazzale Roma towards Piazza San Marco (also called St. Mark’s Square). We crossed the Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge) as the first famous landmark. The Piazza di San Marco may be more prominent, but the Ponte di Rialto is the true heart of Venice. Although it was early, their market was already open. The bridge consists primarily of steps, making it challenging for tourists with strollers or wheelchairs.
Venice is a pricey place. Lunch in pizza restaurants starts at 12 EUR. But you can also buy a slice of tasty pizza in pizza corners, where you can’t sit. But pizzas are delicious and cost approximately 4 euros.
After having a pizza slice with a Coke for lunch, we took a public boat to the bus station at Piazzale Roma. The public boats are called vaporetti and run almost all the time; usually, you have to wait no more than 10 minutes. We used the vaporetto No. 1 from Piazza San Marco to Piazzale Roma. The ride took approximately one hour and had 13 stops. It cost 3.50 euros per person. It was a perfect ride to see the Grand Canale and take many pictures.
From Venice, we were driving towards France. We even thought we might go towards Sicily and end the trip only in Italy. But we skipped that idea this time.
The story continues in Monaco – Monte Carlo.
