Day 65 - Full Day in Venice
Tuesday, September 4th, 2018.
Today, our mission was to see the interior of the San Marco basilica. We had tried to get there by foot, but the 20-minute walk (according to Google Maps) ended up taking 2 hours. So we decided to take the vaporetto (water bus) directly to San Marco so we wouldn't get tired or distracted.
The Vaporetto is expensive, 7.50 euros per person, but still cheaper than a water taxi which costs 60 euros for the same 10-minute ride. Prices are ridiculous in Venice but what are you going to do? Plus, we decided to splurge since we are saving on living expenses. The "bus" ride down the Canal Grande was very pleasant and we enjoyed seeing Venice from the water. We finally made it and of course, there was a line to get into the church but it went quickly and boy, was it worth it! We admired the gold mosaic ceilings and the semiprecious stone patterned floors. We paid to see the pala d'oro which is a retable looted from Constantinople containing hundreds of precious stones and enamel depicting saints and historical figures. We spend a good amount of time there until the kids started to ask for food. We left satisfied that we had finally accomplished our mission.
We then looked for a place to sit and have our lunch but we couldn't find any. It is forbidden to sit in the San Marco Square, bridges, or stairs to eat, which is ridiculous with all those tourists. We finally found a small alley that ended at a canal and ate our lunch. The kids felt very uncomfortable breaking the rules but hey, it's Italy!
We continued our walk and explored the hidden jewels of Venice. We found the scala contarini de Bovolo, a spiral staircase hidden in one of the many streets in Venice. This is what I love about Gregory, he is always finding different things to see, not only the main tourist attractions. Next, he took us to an area called Zattere which a friend had recommended. There were definitely fewer tourists, and we found a nice bar for our spritz (which has become my drink replacement for sangria). After recharging our batteries, we walked more and more until we made it to the bus station. Gregory made dinner at home!
Today, our mission was to see the interior of the San Marco basilica. We had tried to get there by foot, but the 20-minute walk (according to Google Maps) ended up taking 2 hours. So we decided to take the vaporetto (water bus) directly to San Marco so we wouldn't get tired or distracted.
The Vaporetto is expensive, 7.50 euros per person, but still cheaper than a water taxi which costs 60 euros for the same 10-minute ride. Prices are ridiculous in Venice but what are you going to do? Plus, we decided to splurge since we are saving on living expenses. The "bus" ride down the Canal Grande was very pleasant and we enjoyed seeing Venice from the water. We finally made it and of course, there was a line to get into the church but it went quickly and boy, was it worth it! We admired the gold mosaic ceilings and the semiprecious stone patterned floors. We paid to see the pala d'oro which is a retable looted from Constantinople containing hundreds of precious stones and enamel depicting saints and historical figures. We spend a good amount of time there until the kids started to ask for food. We left satisfied that we had finally accomplished our mission.
We then looked for a place to sit and have our lunch but we couldn't find any. It is forbidden to sit in the San Marco Square, bridges, or stairs to eat, which is ridiculous with all those tourists. We finally found a small alley that ended at a canal and ate our lunch. The kids felt very uncomfortable breaking the rules but hey, it's Italy!
We continued our walk and explored the hidden jewels of Venice. We found the scala contarini de Bovolo, a spiral staircase hidden in one of the many streets in Venice. This is what I love about Gregory, he is always finding different things to see, not only the main tourist attractions. Next, he took us to an area called Zattere which a friend had recommended. There were definitely fewer tourists, and we found a nice bar for our spritz (which has become my drink replacement for sangria). After recharging our batteries, we walked more and more until we made it to the bus station. Gregory made dinner at home!
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| Playtime with Penny |
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| On the bus |
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| Daniel loving San Marco Basilica |
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| Smile, here comes a gondola! |
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| Our hidden lunch spot |
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| We could touch the passing gondolas |
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| Spiral staircase |
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| Oh, great. Another bridge. |
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| Local place where they repair gondolas. |
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| Time to go home |
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| I took so many pictures that it is hard to choose which ones to publish! |
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| Gregorio gets a prize for making dinner! |
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