Good times in Venice

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We only had two days in Venice, but we definitely made the most of it. Perfect weather with warm days and cool nights. Sightseeing for us in this "floating" city consisted of endless walking, getting lost in different neighborhoods, small piazzas (squares) popping up around corners with cafes and geleterias galore. Pizza by the slice (delicious) and huge pasta dishes, good coffee (according to Dan) and wonderful wines. Local children running around playing in the squares and the early morning hustle and bustle of the shops getting ready for the tourists. It's just a great city for people-watching.

We had our room in a little flat we shared with three others, booked through the Venexia Hostel (or something like that...we'd recommend it) in the middle of town, a great location for the price.

Quite a few tourists so it was always a special moment to find ourselves alone with peace and quiet for a minute or two on a side street, the picture-perfect buildings and canal bridges all around.

Today we had to get up at 4am to walk 30 minutes through the dark maze to get to the train station. Please note that this includes walking up and down several steps to go over canal bridges, AND we each were carrying 60lbs. on our backs (25 kgs.) The still of the night, the golden glow of street lights illuminating the narrow alleys between buildings, and the fact that we were the only people around besides one or two bakers was INCREDIBLE. Most people never see this side of Venice--it made the long walk completely worth it!

**Note to other travelers about Euro passes:
In case anyone is researching for their own trips...realize that trains in Italy are pretty affordable, and if you do have a Euro Pass, to travel on any of the faster trains you'll have to pay a supplement, plus the cost of a reservation--not really worth it. (And the reason we had to be up at 4am which is silly.) The local trains cost half the price and the time difference isn't that much different. Plus, if you're going to really get into the culture, isn't it better to do as the locals do? Just an FYI for you that we wish we'd had!

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Photos

The Grand Canal Lights
This "main street" of Venice runs for about 2 miles in total, looking spectactular at night with the lights all glowing on the water.

Heidi in Piazza San Marco
Behind is the 900+ year old basilica. This square is one of the main attractions, with fancy cafes and shops around. Thousands of pigeons call it home as well!

Piazza San Marco: aka Tourist Central in Venice
We thought the crowds would have died a bit, but people were EVERYWHERE!! Hard to believe how many people can pack into these small islands

Riding a Water Taxi on the Grand Canal
It cost 5 Euro (US$8,NZ$10) per person to ride the crowded boat...not cool! So we only did it once, but it's a neat way to see the waterfront of the city

Coffee with the locals
Sitting outside on a sunny morning, drinking coffee with the locals in a big piazza (square). So quaint and inviting :)

The produce market in Venice
This boat was bringing produce to the shop owners (since boats are the only means of transportation in this "floating" city)

Gondola on the canals
Looks pretty, doesn't it? That's why we just watched ;) (And there are so many better things to spend 100 Euro on...well, to us anyway!)

Heidi's new coat
It got a bit cold, so I bought a second-hand coat for 5 Euro...the expression is me saying "does this REALLY look okay?"