Venice, Days 1&2
We arrived in Venice, slightly before noon on Sunday to find the sky a heavy grey colour and a cold damp drizzle working its way through the area. A #5 bus brought us to the main terminal, from where we caught a Vaporetto to our C'Al D'Or stop. The walk to our B&B took around 10 minutes, thanks to the aid of my CityMaps App which has a GPS location service. The landlady was waiting when we arrived and quickly showed us our room and then proceeded to map out suitable dining establishments in the area.
A somewhat soggy walk through partially flooded streets brought us to the Tintoretto Pizzaria where Susanna had her inevitable seafood pasta and I had grilled cuttlefish and a salad.
A planned power nap turned into a 3 hour siesta which we followed up with a stop at a recommended locsl hole in the wall called Antica Adelaide. Starting with an Octopus salad we only managed a Primi - Taggliatelle with duck, skipping the second course to allow room for Dulci- Caramel cream.
Not saying it was the duck but we waddled back to the B&B, totally stuffed.
Suffice to say, sightseeing was not high on our agenda this time, having spent 3 days here last year
Monday morning found us awake by 7:30am and I spent much of the first hour cussing the slow internet speed that was preventing me from booking some online entry tickets. Probably a factor of last night's pissing down rain, the connection speed did pick up a little later, allowing me to buy timed entry tickets to St Marks,
At 8:30 our hostess informed us the outdoor breakfast seating was still damp so she wheeled our breakfast into the room instead- croixsants , breadbuns, jam, cream cheese, yoghurt, cereal, boiled eggs, juice and coffee. After giving it our best attempt we set off for a walk through the local neighbourhood with no particular placein mind.
Returning to the B&B for some extra dry clothing and umbrellas we caught the #1 Vaporetto to St Marks Square for our timed entry into the Basilica 1:05- 1:15. The Square was starting to fill with water and we found ourselves in water an inch or so deep as we entered the Basilica. We spent a good hour exploring the main church and also the museum. There was no admission to the actual church but the museum was an extra 5 Euro. That also allowed us entry onto the upper balcony where 4 bronze horses are on display. They are actually replicas, the originals are now stored inside the museum to prevent weather damage.
By this time 2:15pm most of the square was under water so when we left we decided to remove our shoes and socks and just wade towards higher drier ground.
After a late lunch we returned to the square via a different route for our trip to the top of the bell tower. We were able to get to the north wall of the tower ok but the door , on the south side was surrounded by water about 6 inches deep. Finding a ledge about 3 feet up the wall we managed to shuffle along without falling in the water. A quick elevator ride to the top allowed some spectacular views of the whole island and beyond.
Returning to ground level we were unable to return the same way so we again had to remove our footwear and wade for 20-30 feet to a raised walkway that lead back to the Vaporetto terminal. A half hour ride brought us back to the cannaregio district and from there it was a 15 minute walk back to the hotel for a warm shower and to wash and dry our clothing.
Not up to a full meal we found a local supermarket an d bought some precooked chicken, fruit salad and some fruit custards. Cheap but filling.
The big concern was that clothing might not be dry enough in the morning, as my usual never fail method usually requires about 8 hours from sopping wet to totally dry. Oh well, here's hoping!
A somewhat soggy walk through partially flooded streets brought us to the Tintoretto Pizzaria where Susanna had her inevitable seafood pasta and I had grilled cuttlefish and a salad.
A planned power nap turned into a 3 hour siesta which we followed up with a stop at a recommended locsl hole in the wall called Antica Adelaide. Starting with an Octopus salad we only managed a Primi - Taggliatelle with duck, skipping the second course to allow room for Dulci- Caramel cream.
Not saying it was the duck but we waddled back to the B&B, totally stuffed.
Suffice to say, sightseeing was not high on our agenda this time, having spent 3 days here last year
Monday morning found us awake by 7:30am and I spent much of the first hour cussing the slow internet speed that was preventing me from booking some online entry tickets. Probably a factor of last night's pissing down rain, the connection speed did pick up a little later, allowing me to buy timed entry tickets to St Marks,
At 8:30 our hostess informed us the outdoor breakfast seating was still damp so she wheeled our breakfast into the room instead- croixsants , breadbuns, jam, cream cheese, yoghurt, cereal, boiled eggs, juice and coffee. After giving it our best attempt we set off for a walk through the local neighbourhood with no particular placein mind.
Returning to the B&B for some extra dry clothing and umbrellas we caught the #1 Vaporetto to St Marks Square for our timed entry into the Basilica 1:05- 1:15. The Square was starting to fill with water and we found ourselves in water an inch or so deep as we entered the Basilica. We spent a good hour exploring the main church and also the museum. There was no admission to the actual church but the museum was an extra 5 Euro. That also allowed us entry onto the upper balcony where 4 bronze horses are on display. They are actually replicas, the originals are now stored inside the museum to prevent weather damage.
By this time 2:15pm most of the square was under water so when we left we decided to remove our shoes and socks and just wade towards higher drier ground.
After a late lunch we returned to the square via a different route for our trip to the top of the bell tower. We were able to get to the north wall of the tower ok but the door , on the south side was surrounded by water about 6 inches deep. Finding a ledge about 3 feet up the wall we managed to shuffle along without falling in the water. A quick elevator ride to the top allowed some spectacular views of the whole island and beyond.
Returning to ground level we were unable to return the same way so we again had to remove our footwear and wade for 20-30 feet to a raised walkway that lead back to the Vaporetto terminal. A half hour ride brought us back to the cannaregio district and from there it was a 15 minute walk back to the hotel for a warm shower and to wash and dry our clothing.
Not up to a full meal we found a local supermarket an d bought some precooked chicken, fruit salad and some fruit custards. Cheap but filling.
The big concern was that clothing might not be dry enough in the morning, as my usual never fail method usually requires about 8 hours from sopping wet to totally dry. Oh well, here's hoping!
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