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Blogs from Venice, Veneto, Italy, Europe
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May 22nd 2013
Well finally i am able to get on the internet! We arrived in Venice on Sat by train and it took no time at all. Found our hotel which is right beside the Danieli hotel which is very elaborate. Deb Paulides had arrived early on Sat and was there waiting for us. After Julie and Julia arrived we went to San Marco sq and treated ourselves to a bubbly, music and sunshine at Florian Caffe in the square. Jim and Sonia joined us and we all ended up in at a tiny restaurant for dinner. Sunday we all just meandered around sightseeing even stopping at Harrys Bar for an Americano. Hotel Wildner for my birthday dinner! Food was great, position was right on the waterfront and I again was so humbled to have been able to ... read more
May 14th 2013
In an effort to escape the feeling that we are in an adult amusement park I walk into the farther reaches of Cannaregio, known as the original "ghetto". In old times Jews were second class citizens but as merchants and jewelers it was more efficient to have them in the city, but they were relegated to the outskirts. The area was quiet and some facades were crumbling, but it still has charm. We decide to escape the endless crowded alleys of Venice and make good use of our transport passes with a ferry ride to Burano, known for its hypercolorful colors, and Torcello, home of a basilica also with impressive mosaics. The 30 minute ride passes the floating cemetery and Murano, the island of glass blowers. Apparently the heat necessary to glass blowing was too much ... read more
May 13th 2013
Goodbye lovely Florence, hello exquisite Venice. From the moment the train seemingly skims over the water to pull into Venezia St Lucia, it is apparent that the city likes to make entrances. You never know what might lie around the next corner, though it is a sure bet in some areas that you will have high frequency of mask, fine glasswork, or jewelry shops. Our mediocre hotel is on the edge of the Cannaregio district, and we walk down the winding alleyways and across bridges towards Piazza San Marco, passing numerous touristy shops, pausing to watch the expert glass blower make shimmery scarabs with delicate spindly legs. I'd be tempted to buy one if I thought it would survive transport. Past many familiar chain clothing stores, with throngs of people on the main commercial street we ... read more
May 12th 2013
Today we got to explore the city of Venice, and guess what mum, I did not see any dog poo! Venice is a beautiful city but was originally a swap land. The people moved to the swap land to escape the barbarians, and then started to build the city of Venice. Over the years Venice's population has actually decreased as it is a hard place to live. There are no cars or bikes, the only way to get around is to walk or travel by boat. So it I'd a very expensive and impractical way to live, hence why many people do not want to live there any more, now it is a place mainly for tourists. Today I went up the bell tower, went to visit the church which was coated in gold all over ... read more
April 30th 2013
Tuesday 30 April 2013. Venice, Veneto, Italy (Day 2) We disembarked the ship and walked to Piazzale Roma where returned to the same cafe as yesterday posted our blog for Split. We then embarked on a walking tour of the nearby locale using the guide and map we bought yesterday. D put his tour guide hat on once again. First we went to St Rocco Church and the Guildhall of St Rocco. The church was founded at the beginning of the 15th century and was rebuilt in the 18th century. The church contains works by G Marchiori, S Ricci and numerous works by J Tintoretto. Next to the church is the Scuola Grande di San Rocco (the Guildhall of St Rocco). This was built in the first half of the 16th century and is the home ... read more
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April 30th 2013
Greg: Venice... if this is how the rest of Italy is going to be, i don't think we will make it any further - we have fallen in love already with the food, people, waterways, food, wine, basilicas, and food. Getting there was slightly longer than expected as we sat on the tarmac for an extra two hours in Hong Kong, due to their airport not letting us take off. We did however take the opportunity to strike conversation with the fidgeting passenger to my immediate right. Initially assuming he was French due to the mumbling of discontent towards his seat, tv, headphones and temperature, I was happily proved wrong when we started talking travel and learnt he was a Spanish garment designer who flew to a different country almost every week for contact work). Fastforward ... read more
April 29th 2013
Monday April 29 2013. Venice, Veneto, Italy The ship entered the Canale Di St Marco early in the morning (around 6.15 am). D got up and disappeared off with the camera. As M was awake she decided to follow suit and made her way to the top decks to watch. There weren't many people around at all. We met on deck 9 by which time the ship had entered the Canale Della Giudecca. We had a pretty good view of the whole of Venice. We watched the ship progress all the way to the cruise terminal. It was raining fairly heavily so we stayed inside. We went down to the restaurant for a posh breakfast again. As we had visited Venice fairly recently there was only one thing on the top of our list that was ... read more
April 9th 2013
Apparently I took quite a hiatus from writing, almost a month it seems. Once again I seemed to have gotten sidetracked and caught up in the busy routine which is day-to-day life (haha). Even in Italy, it seems that the daily schedule is one packed full to the brim and always keeping me running here and there. I do appreciate that however, it is good to know that even on the other side of the globe people seem to go about their lives in the same hectic attitude that we do back at home. A reminder that no matter where you are, when it comes down to it, things aren't really as different as we think they might be. And along with this, is the reality that back at home, life also continues at the same ... read more
March 27th 2013
The bad weather continued into our trip to Venice as we witnessed the heaviest snowfall the first evening there (snow in Venice, really?!). Thankfully, it turned for the better the next 2 days as we headed out to explore the ‘sinking’ island. Little introduction was needed as we read about this city since young, and sights of the numerous canals and bridges just excites us as we started wandering around. Winding through the narrow streets were surprisingly pleasant, allowing us to get semi-lost. That said, with prominent signs leading us to the major attractions, we could hardly get lost anyway! These were the main highlights of our short rendezvous with arguably one of the most romantic places on Earth (minus the swarm of tourists!) : Rialto Bridge: Seeing is believing and this famous bridge across the ... read more
March 17th 2013
I can't tell you how many times I have second guessed my decision to come to Italy.. all the money I spent to get here, all the countless hours sitting in disorganized offices shuffling through mounds of endless paperwork to make it a reality.. today I finally realized why it was all worth it. I had to fly half way around the world to discover that all I could ever need and want was right there in front of me at home. Not just in the way that Canada is an amazing place to live, but I mean the truest sense of it: I had it all. I am the luckiest girl in the world. I just couldn't see that because I was too blinded by all the crap life had thrown in my face. You ... read more
