Tam & Peg’s Excellent Adventure

Venice

June 11
We feel like we made the absolute most of our very short time (about 24 hours) in Venice.
When we emerged from the train station dragging our 60 pounds of suitcase, carry-on and backpacks (yeah, we travel light), we could see our hotel immediately, just across the canal (about 150 yards away). Our next realization was that, in order to get there, we needed to negotiate the Ponte Scaizi Bridge… 47 stairs up one side and down the other!! When we saw that bridge, Tammy actually inquired about the cost of a water taxi to carry us and our baggage across the canal, but the brute wanted €45,00, so we decided to get some exercise.
After checking in, we departed for a walk to the opposite side of the island (maybe a bit over a mile to walk) where we met our guide for a tour of Venice via the Grand Canal which lasted just over an hour. We heard history and anecdotes about the many old palaces along the canal, most of which were built by wealthy families between the 12th and 14th centuries. Today very few, if any, are privately owned; they house government offices, museums and public facilities.
We had another tour planned for 8:30 (a Ghost Walk), so we walked around, then had some dinner waiting for the time to meet our group, but a very black sky signaled the approach of a significant thunderstorm. Having left the hotel on a beautiful, sunny afternoon, we were not prepared for the cold or the rain, so we headed back toward the hotel and became completely lost and got very wet. (Our return trip was about 2.5 miles!) When we finally got back we decided not to try to go back out for the tour. Instead, we had a visit with Mom on the phone, which was great fun for us!
Today we spent the entire day wandering around the back streets, along the canals and through some important historic districts, markets and shops. Venice is so exceptional and unique, we really loved the experience. It was another beautiful afternoon. We timed our wanderings to get us back to the hotel neighborhood in time for a nice lunch on the canal where we split a pizza and enjoyed the Venice scenery.
After dragging our luggage back over that bridge, we boarded our train to Florence just before the rain started again. Our trip took about 3 hours and delivered us just a bit after schedule, and we got to another gorgeous hotel room right around 6pm.