Please Tell Me We Aren't Staying There...

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Jake and I were pleasantly surprised with Venice. Touristy? … Yes. …But lacking charm? … No, definitely not. The first line of the Venice section in our Europe on a Shoestring book read something like, “In Venice you will DEFINTELY get lost.” Lost? … Yes we sure did. After a few steps out of the train station we were already turned around. One wrong turn lead to another, but I think because we were properly warned we were able to laugh about our confusion. When we finally made our way to Venice Ormesini (our pension) we were very close to turning around and ditching our seventeen dollar deposit. 1451A Calle de Ormesini was the least bit appealing from the outside. A beat up sticker next to an old buzzer button was the extent of the signage for the place. After ringing the bell several times and waiting about ten minutes the door finally opened and we were lead down a dark stone hallway then up a rickety stair case … this is when we decided we would be just fine. The door to Ormesini was far superior to what we were confronted with on the street. Once inside we were comforted to find our room spacious, clean, and comfortable. Phew… close call.
We quickly put our bags down and headed out to explore Venice. We decided that the best plan was to have no plan… well besides the necessity of quickly finding our first gelato there was no plan. Hoping to eventually make it to the famous Piazalle San Marco we set out on an aimless walk through Venice. Each turn through twisted streets and canals proved to us more and more why Venice has so much charm. The gondolas, the people, the food, the smells… all combine to make for a unique experience unlike any other. In time, we made it to the Piazalle San Marco and saw the astounding and magnificent “chiese” (church). After enjoying a gorgeous Venice sunset on the Grand Canal, we wandered back to our pension with a quick stop for pizza along the way.
Since we spent our first afternoon and evening walking the streets of Venice, we decided to spend Friday exploring a few of the other islands. We purchased a one day vaporetto (water bus) pass and set out for Lido. Lido lacked the overcrowded touristy feel and canals but still contained a true classic Italian appeal. We strolled down the main boulevard to a long stretch of beach where we enjoyed some gelato and sunshine. After finishing up our walk around Lido we boarded a vaporetto to Murano, the famous glass blowing island. Murano was more like a mini Venice lined with stores selling Murano glass products. We wandered the streets and enjoyed some savory paninis… foccacia, grilled veggies, and cheese… such a glorious combo! Upon arrival back in Venice, we decided to ride the vaporetto through the Grand Canal and over to Chiese San Giorgino, a large church isolated on a small island. As we hoped off the vaporetto it seemed as though the few people on the island were clearing out. Perfect timing… we watched the sun set over Venice with a swirl of purple and pink hues on the steps of the church… apart from the mad swarm of tourists that buzzed just a short boat ride away. As darkness set in on such a picturesque location we boarded the vaporetto back to our pension. For dinner I devoured a spinach and ricotta calzone… Pause here… Just as a heads up… Yes… My blog entries for Italy and Greece will include details about the food I consume because they are a large part of the experience for me in these two countries!!!
Saturday morning we headed to the Venice train station sad to leave the charm that comes with Venice but content with our short stay… Next stop Cinque Terre!

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