Venice

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Our busy two and a half days in Venice have come to an end. On our arrival on Saturday 13th, we dined out at a lovely restaurant downstairs from our hotel and celebrated Rob's birthday, where they provided a small birthday cake complete with candle.

We have visited two main islands recommended to tourists as well as one other smaller one, recommended to us by our concierge, Marco.

At Murano Island, the home of the genuine Venitian glass, we had a private viewing of a master glass craftsman and walked through their magnificent showroom as well as their shop. Very tempting! Burano Island, famous for their beautiful lace, was also very pretty and the shopping opportunities, wonderful.

Torcello Island is the much smaller island with very few residents. We enjoyed a superb lunch in the spectacular outdoor setting of Locanda Cipriani Ristorante; a very welcome reprieve on an a extremely hot day. Our concierge arranged the reservation in advance and his recommendation was spot on!

Our gondola tour of the canals was a memorable experience, as we manoeuvred through the winding canals along with the many other gondolas and water taxis. We even encountered two enthusiastic paddle boarders!

A coffee break at Florian's Bar/Ristorante in the magnificent St Mark's Square was the most expensive coffee we'll ever encounter, but without doubt, well worth the experience. Our luxury speed boat Grand Canal Tour was another wonderful treat, inclusive of a refreshing cocktail.

Our Hotel has a small terrace area on its rooftop, where we enjoyed wines and beers on a couple of occasions, enjoying the spectacular view of the Grand Canal and it's many highlights.

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