After leaving northern Germany and dearest Oma, we flew into Treviso, only about half an hour drive north from Venice/ Mestre.
One of the locals whose guesthouse we were staying at, was so kind to pick us up. After loading into his tiny, beat-up car and discovering that the seat-belts were for mere decoration as well as the air conditioning shot,
we hummed along down the Italian strata...
windows open wide.
Warm summer-evening air streaming in, intoxicating us with the heavy sweet scent of summer blossoms,
scooters buzzing by - right left and center,
people in swanky clothes filling the streets- cobblestones and high heels;
what a combination!
Ahhhh, now, that was Italy!
Brought back into the 'here and now' by our driver's question whether we already had had supper as it was already after 9 p.m...
We denied and assured him that we would rather arrive, unload and take it from there.
He kept insisting that we should have dinner near the airport..
We were surprised at this stranger's keen interest and stubborn suggestions as to where we should have our last meal of the day.
After arriving at our apartment in Mestre, conveniently located just a mere 7 Min train ride from the City of bridges, things changed.
The neighborhood did look neither affluent nor safe and we saw some interesting characters. It dawned on us why this place that we had found online, was so much cheaper than all the others and why might not be a good idea to go for a walk in the dark in search of a restaurant....
One of the locals whose guesthouse we were staying at, was so kind to pick us up. After loading into his tiny, beat-up car and discovering that the seat-belts were for mere decoration as well as the air conditioning shot,
we hummed along down the Italian strata...
windows open wide.
Warm summer-evening air streaming in, intoxicating us with the heavy sweet scent of summer blossoms,
scooters buzzing by - right left and center,
people in swanky clothes filling the streets- cobblestones and high heels;
what a combination!
Ahhhh, now, that was Italy!
Brought back into the 'here and now' by our driver's question whether we already had had supper as it was already after 9 p.m...
We denied and assured him that we would rather arrive, unload and take it from there.
He kept insisting that we should have dinner near the airport..
We were surprised at this stranger's keen interest and stubborn suggestions as to where we should have our last meal of the day.
After arriving at our apartment in Mestre, conveniently located just a mere 7 Min train ride from the City of bridges, things changed.
The neighborhood did look neither affluent nor safe and we saw some interesting characters. It dawned on us why this place that we had found online, was so much cheaper than all the others and why might not be a good idea to go for a walk in the dark in search of a restaurant....
Our driver advised us, just as this sign inside our apartment door states,
not to open to anybody....hmmm,
quite the start to this journey
not to open to anybody....hmmm,
quite the start to this journey
He also pointed to the radio in the corner advising us to turn it on before we'd leave to go out..
another hmmmmm....
The only wall decoration in our bed room, very interesting:
(I am not sure whether that classifies as Italian Art, though...)
As usual, we had a good laugh and took it in stride:
we raided the kitchenette and devoured the packaged croissants and slices of white bread which were supposed to be 'next mornings breakfast' and thought to ourselves,
this will make a funny story someday :)
 The next morning we got up early and stumbled across a cute little Italian cafe on our way to the train station; What better way to start the day than by sipping steaming cappuccino and enjoying every bite of a tasty breakfast !
Then off to see the City of bridges who did not disappoint.
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The Giudecca Canal and the Saint Mark's Basin
We strolled the streets, took in the sights and checked out the "Accademia" Art Gallery-
just as much a feast for the eyes as the sights and scenes outside of it's walls:
Piazzetta San Marco:
Basilica di San Marco in the evening sun
Our first day ended with a beautiful Vaparetto ride on the famous Grand Canal;
twinkling lights caressed the waters and the moon was full
The next morning we got up early again to experience the famous Venice Fish market: certainly an experience- everything squirmy and wiggly in these waters is freshly caught each morning and can be found here: |
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There is something to be said for all the side-streets and narrow back alleys. Some stores sell interesting "you don't want to know, but it's fresh" items: |
And then there are the bakeries...
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Business men taking their mid-morning work break to have a glass of wine in one of the many wine bar's...
Did I mention that I love Italy yet ?!
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Bakeries are not only tempting for human kind...
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Pizza to die for!
Love how the sunlight streams into the waterway
Venice is a truly special place-
thousands of little waterways;
the attitude of: 'you can't get lost, so let's see what is over this little bridge and the next'..
and the beauty in it's many sights;
from the hanging laundry,
mail boxes,
overgrown ancient statues in the park to the
full moon over the Grand Canal.
Beautiful.
I'd love to be back someday.
the attitude of: 'you can't get lost, so let's see what is over this little bridge and the next'..
and the beauty in it's many sights;
from the hanging laundry,
mail boxes,
overgrown ancient statues in the park to the
full moon over the Grand Canal.
Beautiful.
I'd love to be back someday.
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