Advertisement
Published: August 16th 2010
Leaning tower
No, you're not drunk. the tow (like many here) are tilting dangerously.Blog 2: Venice
Despite the very hot days, cycling toward Venice was a great adventure. Travelling a mixture of bike trails, back roads and dykes, which mostly hug the myriad of rivers and waterways that make up that part of the Italian north-east coastline, we eventually took a series of ferries before finally re-joining our mothership and docking at one of the residential Venetian islands.
The group was made up of a German couple, a (French) Canadian couple, an English couple, two Swedish ladies, a young ex-pat English/Australian woman and her step mother, an Australian couple based in Vienna, an elderly Italian gentleman plus Fran and me. A good mob that all got on really well.
The cycling was easy going the whole way; the bikes very good and well maintained and the accommodation aboard the Vita Punga was comfortable, although a little cramped for some. I had a twin cabin by myself, which was okay for me, but I could imagine that a couple would be cramped and bedroom gymnastics could be rather challenging. The food was excellent and the crew of three (all English speaking) were fantastic. Oh yes, I forgot to say that the bar
Gondolas
Gondolas waiting for cashed-up tourists. was also very well stocked.
From the Vita Punga, Fran and I took possession of a large two bedroom apartment that we had booked on the net which is in a quieter part of Venice city and where we are based for seven days. My first impressions of Venice are that it is very, very crowded. The month of August is when most Italians take their annual holidays and the tourist spots are so crowded that the city looks like it’s hosting multiple footy grand finals at the same time. I'm told however that most of the Italian tourists are only day trippers from the mainland; not being able to afford the high price of accommodation here. On top of the Italian holiday makers, huge ocean liners disgorge thousands of hatless passengers daily to follow flag waving guides around for a few hours until they melt in the stifling heat and eventually escape to the airconditioned safety of their floating cabins. Thankfully it does get quieter in the evenings.
It’s a little weird being in a city where there are absolutely no cars of any sort. Not even bikes are allowed within the city limits where services and
Ambulance Venice style
The ambulance takes the patients directly to the hospital by canal. supplies are all delivered by boat and where even ambulances cruise the canals. It isn’t however a very friendly city for prams and wheelchairs, there being so many stepped bridges over canals, which meander around dissecting the island which is always vulnerable during extreme weather conditions. And it’s also a very expensive city. Although, get yourself lost in the myriad of narrow back lanes and you’ll find cafes and restaurants where the locals eat much more cheaply than around the tourist haunts.
I purchased a seven day ferry pass, which appears to be good value and which gives me virtually unlimited access to the public transport system of ferries, including trips to some of the outer islands. It also gets me to the airport when I leave.
So there you have Venice, it is worth a visit but I would suggest that if you are thinking of coming here then do it before June or after August.
Ciao for now.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.317s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 12; qc: 58; dbt: 0.0654s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.3mb
GORDON+JENNY
non-member comment
YES
Try it in flood time mate - almost impossible, but a lovely old world city.