Travis and Alazda's European Adventure: Venice

From the 10,000 foot high mountains, we departed Switzerland for Italy towards the island city of Venice. Venice is the city known for it's street canals and gondolas. When we arrived, we were able to take a water taxi down the grand canal and check into our first bed and breakfast of the trip. We were greeted by Matteo, our friendly hotel owner who helped recommend things to do in town. Our room was a large old world Venetian room complete with canal views and antique furniture.

Once we got settled, we headed out for St. Mark's square. The square is the main gathering place in Venice with a large basilica for St. Mark and the notable campanile (clock tower). We were pleased to find various cafes and shops lining the square and spent the night enjoying the classical tunes played by dueling orchestras throughout the square. This is a nightly occurrence which adds to the ambiance of the location. We enjoyed walking around with our 'take away' drinks (much cheaper than sitting down) as we people watched and snapped photos. Travis found it funny that when he asked for a beer the bartender asked if he wanted a straw for it, clearly a sign he was going to have to switch to wine while in Italy.

The next morning we enjoyed a breakfast in our room before heading out to sightsee. We started at St. Mark's basilica, an impressive church with golden interior. As with many of the sights we saw throughout the day, pictures were not allowed inside. From the basilica, we ventured through the maze of streets and found an outdoor cafe to enjoy free internet, a cafe latte and a couple cappuccinos while we soaked up the culture of this great city.

We took a cruise down the Grand Canal via river taxi while listening to our audio guide (Rick Steves, of course) of points of interest along the canal shores. The guide was informative as we learned about architecture unique to Venice along with history of the buildings that line the canal. The river taxi's final stop was once again St. Mark's square and we toured the Corrier Museum (Venetian history) and Doges Palace (Venetian Government and prisons).

All that sightseeing made us hungry, so we ventured to Rosa Rossa per recommendation of our hotel owner, Matteo. The restaurant was nice and we enjoyed our dinners of lasagna and gorgonzola steak while enjoying local wine. We were treated to a tiramisu desert and a shot of Lemoncello to complete the meal. When leaving the restaurant, we noticed the city street were beginning to flood with water, a common occurrence for Venice with changing tides. With pants rolled up and sandals on, we walked through the flooded city streets back to catch a few of the orchestras on St. Mark's square.

When we arrived at St. Mark's, the entire square was completely flooded. The water at the deepest point was up to our knees and created quite the unique experience. We snapped photos and listened to music as we danced in the flooded square. It was quite a remarkable experience for us. With canoes gliding past, we ventured back to our hotel wearing large smiles while we reminisced about a night we won't soon forget.

- Travis and Alazda

Arrival in Venice with the Grand Canal in the background