Is Venice as Good as They Say?

In a word…yes! What a unique city – not a car nor scooter to be seen and boats everywhere! Colour, activity, history, art, culture, people…everywhere you look. We gave up on taking the boat ourselves, we just could not find a marina to take the catamaran, it’s too wide. So, we booked a tour ferry, The Prince of Venice and left Izola, Slovenia at 8 am, arriving dockside at the port in Venice at 11 am. There was a tour to take with the guides…but we preferred to go it alone. First stop, a large (for Croatia and Slovenia, but not for Vancouver) grocery store and picked up large bottles of drink to keep us hydrated. It was a lovely, hot and sunny day. Contrary to what we’d been told, Venice smelled like any sea city we’ve been to, just fine and even wonderful as we passed by some of the restaurants and bakeries. The water I would not swim in, there is just too much boat exhaust, but it was “clean” other than that. We heard every language imaginable; even saw a woman in full burkah.

The sights were amazing, especially when you got to detail. Piazza San Marco, Piazzetta San Marco, the Doge’s Palace (sometimes referred to as the cake because it looks like a wedding cake), the Bridge of Sighs where convicted criminals crossed from the court in the Doge’s Palace to their prison cells on the other side, the many winged lions (a personal favourite), pigeons, a peek in a few magnificent churches, the facades of the Grand Canal, the hundreds of gondolas, the beautiful streets and alleyways (we never really got lost, how can you, you’re on an island, but we did try) and we loved many of local scenes, like flowers in window-boxes, “garages” off the canals, ornate front doors and very old and run down front doors. If you ever go, take a recording of Rick Stokes podcasts, it was recommended by some friends and was just excellent to use to get around and notice many things you may not have (like the 7th Pillar on the Doge’s Palace depicting a love story with a tragic ending), and the dialogue is rather funny too.

We took a half hour taxi/sight seeing ride back to the port, a part of the tour we decided to join in on (and pay extra for) and it was well worth it! We cruised part of the Grand Canal and also through many smaller ones, had to hold up while a procession of gondolas passed us by, everyone patient and friendly, ending at the Port Customs for a quick check through and back on the ferry. 3 hours later, back in Izola for a nice dinner, sitting harbourside reveling in the sights, sounds and “feeling” of Venice.

Jessie’s Thoughts
Venice was a really fascinating experience, with all of the culture that originated there. Some of my favorite spots were the 7th pillar because of the story, it starts out like this man loves this woman (and as Rick says) the man said “Babe, I want you!” so she says “Oh why little old me” so they get married and had a kid, and later the baby dies, and all of these pillars tell all different stories. I also love all of the little winding streets, if 2 people tried to walk beside one another there would be a traffic block. The last and most memorable thing for me from Venice was the taxi ride, because there’s no cars in Venice it’s all by boats, we did a 30min boat ride. They showed you all of the sites on the Grand Canal; the houses are beautiful, with all of the colourful flowers, and vines on the house and in the flower boxes. I think that Venice is one of the must sees before you die. :-)

Ross’ Thoughts
If you are going to Venice bring a very large wallet. If you decide to eat in any of the squares, you will spend 12 Euro for a drink. If you are smart, walk away from the main drag and the prices will become more reasonable. If you go I suggest you arrive in the winter months because in the summer the crowds are huge and everything doubles in price. The best way to see the city is from a water taxi. It will take you through the various canals and back “streets” in Venice and give you a much better view than you would see from the streets. Even though Venice is expensive, the sights are definitely worth it. If you have time, I recommend you go inside some of the cathedrals, they will blow your mind.