Our Travels And Journeys

Venice, Italy (October 2017)

Visiting Venice was definitely on my bucket list. Leaving Tuscany didn’t feel that bad knowing we were on the way to spend three days in Venice.

No car for the rest of the trip. Fast train to the “always wanted to visit” destination. We never miss a chance to take a train ride in Europe.

My first Venice picture on the Santa Lucia Station. Walking or boats from now on.

My first question to our host was “How do people with small kids live here?” According to the host there was only one incident in the years he could remember when a young child jumped in but was pulled out of water by his dad right away. I had to remind myself to keep calm every time Ashley was not in the stroller. I was glad Ashley was at the age she could follow our instructions (most of the time ;)) not to walk near the edges. Having a stroller was another inconvenience as we had to pick it up every few steps due to the numerous bridges every few feet. But, oh well, these inconveniences didn’t set me back from enjoying our time in the city.

We chose to stay not too far from the train station. First, it was very convenient to find the rental on the arrival and it was easy to just walk back to the train station in the early morning on our way back. The pricing was very reasonable too. We could also use the vaporetto from the train station to the center to get on water experience of the Grand canal. Walking from the St. Mark’s Square, the central square, was an enjoyable walk trough the city streets and a great chance to sink in the Venetian atmosphere.

Mainly because we chose not to stay in the center (about 15 minutes walk), our rental was reasonably priced. We had plenty of room for all five of us. The apartment had a great home feel and a view of a canal. We ended up not using the outdoor patio much as we were out exploring the city a lot and preferred to stay inside in the evenings as the weather was still cool.

No effort is needed to find a picture perfect background in this city. When we planned our itinerary we purposely didn’t include any museums or indoor activities. Venice is a museum itself.

Traditional gondola boats are seen all over the city.

Our first Venice experience was the vaporetto ride from the Santa Lucia train station to the St. Mark’s Basin through the Grand canal.

Final stop at St. Mark’s Basin right next to the San Marco square.

Now exploring the main square of the city, Rialto bridge, and the nearby surroundings.

Venice is something else at night. Evening walk is a must have experience. Time for less pictures and more time to enjoy the evening city.

We started our second day adventures with wondering through the streets towards the St. Marco’s square.

Now, the gondola experience. The 40 minutes drive through canals was worth every penny.

Lunch break, stops on bridges, ice cream breaks, people watching, checking out shops. Another great day in Venice.

Having my brother, Ivan, and his wife, Lyuba, for company made me feel like we were at home in this far away city. Conversations over morning meals or late at night felt like we were back home visiting family. Some days we had to remind ourselves that it was time to go to bed or that it was time to get out of the house. We were in Venice after all. It was also very beneficial to have Ivan and Lyuba with us when it was time for the evening getaway for Vitaliy and I. Ashley was in great hands and we were able to enjoy the evening in Venice as a couple. Dreams do come true. Thank you, God!!

And just like that, our time in Venice was over. We were getting ready to head out to our last destination of this trip, Rome.

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven”. Ecclesiastes 3:1

Things I learned about Venice:

• It has a shape of a fish. If you get lost, knowing which part of the fish (eye, belly) you are looking for, can really help you find a way back.

• Venice is slowly sinking. According to our Italy guide book by Rick Steves, it has sunk by about nine inches in the last century. Floods are very popular here, especially from October until late winter.

• One of the first things I learned from our housing host is that Venice is really safe, crime wise.

• Venice is bundled by 400 bridges and consists of more than a hundred small islands.

• Venice is expensive. One of the main reasons is because everything here has to be delivered on water. Due to many floods and consequential repairs, housing is very expensive as well.

• Tourism is essential to the locals of this very unique city.