Day 7 – Venice, Italy

The last time I was in Venice was in March of 2001. It was quiet then with very few tourists. 12 years later, getting off the vaparetto at St. Mark’s Square was an entirely different experience. The crowds were at an all time peak due to a bi-annual art exhibit that takes place at various venues around the city. Tickets for it sell out far in advance. I had no idea this was going on when I created the trip itinerary. We made it to our room navigating the small alleyways and met our hotel owner, Valentina. The room was 9x12 with about 18 inches of clearance around the bed. The bed was too short for Matt and I found extremely entertaining. 

Before heading out, Valentina felt it was necessary to provide us with directions to some of her favorite hangouts through a combination of interpretive dance and pantomime (I wish I could have taken a video of it!). Walking along the canals among the crowds was tough enough, but once it started raining and every tourist pulled out their umbrellas, I could no longer hold my own against all the umbrella spikes. We retreated back to the hotel and decided to wait until all the day-trippers left the island.

By 5:30, we were ready to give it another go. It was still raining, but 2/3rds of the tourist population had left Venice on the vaperattas. Since we both had been to Venice separately before and had done all the required sites, we took a tip from a guidebook that literally advised, “just get lost,” so we did. We wandered around narrow alleys, discovered small piazzas and hidden canals and by nightfall, found our way back to a restaurant Valentina had recommended. Over dinner made plans for an early morning walk around the city.