Venice By Night

This post is long overdue! I know I should have shared this with you guys when the memory was still fresh and there was still excitement brewing inside me. Unfortunately, time and my pc were not on my side. So here I am posting this anyway. Hope you enjoy the photos!

I have posted snippets of our vacation in Italy last July here and here but these were all meme entries. I haven't gone into the details yet of how our vacation went and I am sure it is going to be a series of blog entries. So please bear with me. :D

Our first stop was Venice, Italy. It was almost dark when we arrived there and looking for a parking space delayed us even more. We had to leave our car for a few days at a parking building in Piazalle Roma, which serves as the main entrance to the City of Venice. Parking Fees came for a hefty price of €24 - €40 per day. It was that expensive! A TIP: If I were you, I would look for a cheaper parking in the outskirts of the city. You can just then take the train and get off at Sta. Lucia Railway Station where you will again board a Vaporetto (water bus) to your hotel.

The Venetian sunset as seen from the top floor of the parking building.

Smelling the salty breeze, seeing all those beautiful old buildings standing gloriously and proudly, and watching the water canals teeming with activity as if it were the most normal thing in the world awed and amazed me. Well, if you are in Venice, that would indeed be normal! :D Who would have thought that I would be able to set foot in my dream destination at this age? Well, I never would!

The Grand Canal as seen from Piazalle Roma. Notice the smaller canal farther?

And it was just beautiful! Despite the exhaustion of the long road trip, seeing Venice for the first time with the sun just about to set and night life slowly creeping in was all worth it! The warm air was beginning to cool down, and everybody seemed to have awakened because the restaurants, bars, cafes and shops were teeming with people! But alas, we were all too tired to join in the fun! Setting foot in Venice safely was enough for us. It had been a long day and we retreated in the cool sanctuary of our hotel room for a much needed rest.

Tweet

G is for Gondolas

Venice has always been one of my dream destinations and it finally came through one fine day. This famed city with canals for streets is just glorious, day or night. Our visit was of course culminated with a ride on the traditional Venetian transportation, the gondola. There is just something romantic and wonderful with gondola rides. And I often associate them as a culmination of a romantic date.

Gondolas moored at the Grand Canal.

Gondolas and a view of the Santa Maria della Salute

A gondola ride comes with a hefty price at €80 for a 40-minute tour and €100 for an hour tour, but if it your first time in Venice, taking a tour down the Grand Canal, which we learned is 5-meter deep) or the smaller canals (which are 2-meter deep) is well worth it! The gondoliers, who are Venetian locals and can speak sensible English, will tell you lots of information about the City that you will never learn from elsewhere too!

The family with our gondolier, Marco.

Cruising through the smaller canals offered lots of views of old houses, residences, palaces and schools.

Our dashing gondolier.

Gondolas here, there, and everywhere!

I hope you enjoyed our Gondola tour. Want to see more GREAT G's? Click on the badge below!

Tweet