Venice has a very unique charm.  Personally, it’s a like a “Disneyland” for adults, except that the buildings were actually real and ancient.

It’s different, lovely, intriguing, and strange at the same time.  While they say that one can easily get lost in it while wandering along its many narrow streets, that’s actually the beauty that makes Venice unique.

Every crooked corner, bridge, and cobbled-stone street is different from the last one you will see.  Personally, I find this endearing, but I know that I won’t want to wander at night.  It’s scary to get lost in an ancient city (it’s been existing since the “AD”!) ; but if you’re the type who likes that adventure, I’m sure you’ll get a kick.

We only spent one day and one night in Venice.  Upon arriving early morning in the train station, our first agenda was to find our Airbnb somewhere in Cannaregio which is the main island.  However, it took us about three (3) hours to finally find it.  That’s the kind of lost that I didn’t enjoy – while having to maneuver our luggage all around the cobbled stones.

With that, we rewarded ourselves by having pasta for lunch – I got Vongole and it was wonderful! My first taste of real authentic Italian Vongole, with a huge amount of clams. For dessert, we went shopping around the food stands in the Christmas markets that were happening at the time. I got a huge milk chocolate bar.

After that, we went on to find our free walking tour and looking for the starting point was another adventure.  Yes, we got lost again! And while we were halfway through the walking tour, we lost our tour guide and that’s how we got lost for the third time in Venice.

 

 

So with that, we just spent the rest of the day and early evening walking around and taking photos of whatever pretty things we saw.  We also managed to find a few touristy spots on our own – thanks to my early research about Venice.

It’s amazing to note also that many of the buildings in Venice, including those that we can see from the small islands, had some “Eastern” influences in their design. Even the Basilica itself is like something you can see somewhere in Turkey, India, or the Middle East.  As per our tour guide, this was because in the early times and because of its location, Venice had been trading with Eastern European countries. It was in fact a part of the Byzantine Empire. Because of this, Venice’s history is unique from the other regions of Italy. Hmm, very intriguing!

We also saw a lot of couples having their honeymoon or holiday break.  I can understand why, because it’s dubbed as a romantic place I guess. Imagine, riding a Gondole (despite its overpriced amount) while sipping wine with your partner along the hidden corners of Venice. Of course, we didn’t ride a Gondole being too expensive for just two people.  Besides, I think that everything that you might be able to see in a Gondole, you can also see while walking around. We got that tip from our tour guide in the few hours that we spent with her (It helps to listen to the guide!).

I think the ferries that go around was already good enough though. If we had another day, we could’ve gone to Murano Island, where the famous glass sculptures were made.  But since they also sell those in the mainland, with some for a bargain, I guess that should be enough. I got a heart-shaped pendant as souvenir, and got some few for gifts back home.

For dinner, we had some calamari and shrimp in one of the street stalls.  It smelled so good and there was a line for it, so we figured it should be good. We also returned to the train station to book a trip for our next destination, and I did a bit of shopping around the stores of the station. By the end of the evening, while walking home, we also saw an ice-skating rink and watched the people for a bit.

Overall, we had a memorable and tiring adventure in one day and one night in lovely Venezia. Someday, I will go back and spend more time here.

Stay tuned for more of my Europe posts.

-CHRYZTYNERS-