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Everything is on the
water...
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St. Marks Square, Venice |
Our trip
from Rome to Venice was on the
Eurostar Italy, which was great. The trip for four of us
was under $100 US and it offered a break from airports and
airplanes. We got to see some Italian countryside, although
that got old after a few hours. The trip
took about four hours.
Once in Venice, things got confusing at
the train station. You can't just grab a taxi in Venice.
Even the brown UPS delivery vehicles are boats.
It
took a while to determine the right water bus to St Marks
Square. We had considerable success eating with kids in
Venice, as it is geared toward tourists, pizza and
pasta. |
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Tuesday April 11th - Venice
Once we got to town from
the train station, there was no apparent way to find our
hotel, which we knew was just off St. Marks Square. Addresses
don't help. Thanks to a helpful FedEx office, we were
given idiot-proof directions that got us to the hotel.
There
are no cars or bikes allowed in Venice, which made walking a
bunch easier than in Rome. The whole city is very small and walkable. After we settled in, we took the water bus back up
the Grand Canal to see the city at night (first and second
pictures below).
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San Giorgio Maggiore viewed from Doges Palace |
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Wednesday April 12th - Venice
The next
morning, with rain threatening again, we took a gondola ride
from our hotel (third and fourth pictures above). Many books
advise you
not to do a gondola ride, but we found it very enjoyable. It
cost around $100 US for the four of us for a 45 minute ride
all around Venice. The canals didn't smell when we were there,
as some tourist books tell you. We spent the afternoon walking
through St. Marks and the Doges Palace (Grand Stairway - first
picture below), both worth the time
and effort. The views from the tower are great of Venice and
it gives you a feeling of being in a medieval town when you
look down on the buildings (second and third pictures below). |
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Thursday
April 13th - Venice
The next morning I
took a walk at dawn alone and got my best shot of the trip,
which I called "Gondolas at dawn" (fourth picture above). I
caught the waves lapping the square with all the gondolas in
their parking spots from the night before. Click the thumbnail
to see it at 800x600.
Later that morning we took the water bus to
the airport for our trip to London. We got into London in just
enough time for a quick change of clothes and a taxi downtown
for a pub dinner and Starlight Express
at the Apollo Victoria. I had arranged front row tickets for
the show in advance and that is the right way to see this
play. Great for kids and I enjoyed it as well. |
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