Loading...Ah, Venice, La Serenissima, the Serene One. We arrived on time after a long plane journey that actually went well. LAX to Frankfurt was 11 hours, we both were able to sleep and watch “Michael Clayton” on our little tv screens. All in all, it went by like a breeze. Frankfurt to Venice was only an hour, and yes the plane was packed to the gills with Europeans in fur coats. But it was quick.
There are many ways to get to Venice from the airport. There are no cars in Venice, so there is only so far you can get on either a plane, train, or automobile. Eric wanted a Venice arrival moment, you know the one in all the travel shows where the traveller is sitting on the boat, hair blowing in the breeze, the boat comes around a bend and suddenly there she is: St. Mark’s Square, the domes of Salute, The Campaniel. Because of this, we decided to take the aliguna, or the water bus from the airport. There was also a bit of whimsy behind or decision. Where else does “ground transportation” from an airport involve getting on a boat?
Bad idea. It’s ok, lesson learned and all that. Problem number 1: the sun went down about 10 minutes after we landed. We had a great view of darkened buildings looming out of inky water. Mysterious, yes, but not stunning. Problem number 2: the aliguna is the slowest boat to China (or Venice) I’ve ever been on. Really, truly painfully slow.
Regardless, we made it, found the hotel with no problem and hit the calles with empty stomachs. Our first dining experience was Dickens in Campo Santa Margherita, recommended by our innkeeper I think only because he thought we might feel at home there. When we walked in, there were about 30 American students and their chaperons sitting around eating pasta. We sat in the middle of the room surrounded and tried to ignore them. The gnocchi was good, and it was food, so ultimately that’s all that mattered.
Arriving in the evening suddenly felt like the smartest thing I had ever done as I was able to go to bed at 9:30 and almost sleep the entire night!
The best way to view the pictures (in my opinion) is to click on the first one which opens a larger view, then click next in that new window. This way you can also read the captions.
