Venice Break
The water taxi sped across the lagoon and slowed to a crawl as we entered the Grand canal and it was one of the best sites that I have seen. The fantastic architecture, the lower part of the buildings that were no longer used due to the water levels and the scenes of local markets and shoppers was just magical!
We arrived at San Marco the stop for St Marks Square and proceeded to our accommodation which was a few blocks away - I was glad that we arrived in the daytime and not on a low cost flight in the middle of the night as it is hard to find your hotel or apartment in the daytime so is impossible in the dark! We went out that evening for a walk and saw tourists who had just arrived around 10pm struggling to find their hotel accommodation and were just wandering around.
Venice is an easy city to walk around- and to get lost in!- but just as easy to get back on the right track! You can just wander over bridges and canals and just admire the architecture and the shops and just loose track of time! One morning we rose very early and went to the Rialto Bridge and the Rialto Market which was just a fascinating site! it is a working market and the stall holders were there setting up their stalls with the local produce, fish, tomatoes, vegetables of all descriptions, poultry, game etc etc and the smells were fantastic! We stopped in a 'local' bar for a coffee and after being in there 3 mins - we were bombarded by commuters who had just arrived off the vaparetto and called in for an expresso and a doughnut before going to work! they all stood at the bar and drank their expresso and ate their doughnuts in less than 5 minutes then left for their place of work! Of course there is no charge if you stand and drink where if you sit there is a service charge.
We found that it was quite easy to move away from the tourist areas for eating and drinking and if you went a few streets away from St Marks Square and the Rialto Bridge areas there were a variety of cafes, bars , restaurants that served reasonably prices meals of good quality.
The Square flooded every night as it was high tides and it is a sight to see the tourists and the locals wading through 6 inches and more of water to get across the square! The restaurants around the square still served customers and the bands still played! it was surreal!
We took a trip to Morano Island to see where the glass is made - it was a full day and was well worth it! You can see the glass blowers making their wares which is fascinating. Dont get fooled into buying a pre arranged tour as they take you from the square in St Marks to the Island but take you straight to a factory where you are guided around the glass blowers and can't normally leave without buying something! You can take the local boat over to the Island for a fraction of the cost and wander around the island and see other glass blowers just as easy and much cheaper!
Venice is a magical city - fantastic shops, great restaurants and colourful locals and I would definitely go back!