Venice, Italy: Day One

If you have never been to Venice, Italy, you are missing out on one of the world's most charming cities.
Like many people, Rome is the #1 city on my list of places to visit in Italy, but I was given a weekend opportunity to visit Venice that I could not resist!

This little city captivated me. For the first time in our European travels, I actually felt as if a city was everything I expected, and then some...

Our trip to Venice, Italy wasn't spur-of-the-moment, per se, but not a planned trip within 2015.
At the beginning of the year, we sat down and debated all of the out of country (Germany) trips we wanted to take. Venice was not on the list.

In March, I had realized that our four day weekend over the 4th of July had not been filled. There was no way that I'd want to sit in my house listening to neighbors party all night, so I got online, pulled up a map of Europe, closed my eyes and pointed. 
My finger landed in the Adriatic Sea and the nearest city was Venice. Thus our 4th of July destination was born. 

I know, what a weird way to pick a place, right?

We drove to Venice in our swaggerwagon. Down through Munich, into Garmisch (the Bavarian Alps), through Austria (passing Innsbruck), and then into Italy.

Once we had crossed the Italian border, the vineyards were legit. 
Grapes, everywhere! Those Italian folks sure know how to fit grapes in every extra square inch of landscape. 
Seriously, grapevines were flowing from the mountains of Northern Italy.

I knew I had came to the right place.

The drive through Northern Italy is gorgeous! If you have ever been to Napa Valley, California (USA) and Italy, then you might understand when I say that Northern Italy puts Napa to shame. Don't get me wrong, Napa is beautiful, but seeing vineyards for miles and miles in Italy between castles and quaint towns is not only a beautiful thing, it's also special because it's ITALY!

The autostrada is also lined with a castle every 60km or so. You know me and my obsession with castles. Of course I snapped a few pics, but we didn't stop to see any. We were going about 100mph, so I'd say these photos aren't too shabby.

We arrived at our hotel around 5pm in Quarto D'Altino. I purposely chose not to stay in the city center of Venice. I know many travelers will say that you're missing out if you don't, but after seeing what I saw later on, I am glad I didn't. 

After checking in, our first order of business was FOOD.
There are always mixed reviews about pizza in Italy, so our family decided to see for ourselves.
Maybe people have been eating at the wrong pizzerias, but goodness, the pizza we had at Ristorante Pizzeria Vecio Decimo Di Trevisan Bruna (a long restaurant name, huh?) in Quarto D'Altino was pretty darn good. I also drank a bunch of wine at the table, so I left the restaurant extra happy and full of good eats!

 

The only dressing for a salad in Italy is vinegar and olive oil! 

Lasagna! Not as bueno as the pizza.

We had a good night's sleep, and the next day we woke up ready to explore our first official day in Venice!

We caught the train from Quarto D'Altino's station (I almost wrote "bahnhof" instead of station just now. That's how I know I have adapted to Germany) and rode into Venice's VERY busy St. Lucia Station.

Train ride into Venice. Woot!

Holy luggage.

I get it. 

Lots of travelers aren't able to see Europe via car. But what I don't completely understand is why you'd want to leave your luggage and personal belongings in a very busy train station. Granted these folks 'check' their luggage in at a counter, but the luggage is left sitting all over St. Lucia Venice's station on platform one (the platform we rode in and out of), and is usually unattended. 

*Advice to folks who plan to come to Venice via plane: I vote waiting out your hotel check in time WITH your luggage rather than checking it in for holding at the train station. Not only is the line super long, but there's no guarantee it will be safe. I could have easily grabbed a suitcase off the luggage cart and hopped on my departing train with it. 

MANY people are seen through the city dragging their luggage around while sightseeing, more so in Venice than any other city we've visited. It doesn't look fun at all, but at least when you tote it around it's a safer option.

Anyway, we had finally arrived.

Once we exited the train station, we were greeted with the Grand Canal right out of the doors!

San Simeone Piccolo stands tall, people are swarming everywhere, vendors begin to hassle you, and the summer heat slaps you in the face as if to say "Hello, welcome to Venice!"

We were given a map of Venice by the apartment owner before we had left for the day, and he helpfully circled keys points of interest on it. Of course, I had plans to see everything and anything that we could, but the first order of business was getting to the other side of the canal from the train station. We opted for Pont Degli Scalzi (a bridge), which was on our left, and then our real adventures began.

I've read a good many blogs in which folks claim to have been lost in Venice. Now that I have been there, I think back to those blog authors, and I believe that they meant they were lost figuratively, not literally.

The beautiful thing about Venice is that if you know a few key words and names of interest points you won't get lost! There are signs everywhere within the twists and turns of the city that point you in the correct direction. They're pretty hard to miss.

Important Venice Vocabulary:

• Per Rialto (the Famous Rialto Bridge)
• Per S. Marco (San Marco Basilica, and square (piazza). This is also near Doge's Palace)
• Piazza Roma (The transportation square for airport connections)
• Vaporetto (water bus)
• Ferrovia (railway/train station)
• Per Accademia (this sign directs you to the Accademia Gallery and across the far side of the canal. You can also use this sign to find Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute & the Guggenheim).

Oh, and of course, WC = Water Closet, or toilet. That's all over Europe, though.

There are other signs as well, but I feel these are the most important to know for basic navigating. 

Now, I can't lie; there were a few times that we hit a dead end, or purposely got lost for the sake of wandering, but IF someone is truly worried about being lost, like I said, it's kind of hard to do. Just look for the signs posted all around the city.

Somewhere within the city, between Pont Degli Scalzi and Pont Rialto, we grabbed sandwiches in a shop and sat in the shade of a villa outside for lunch. I have to note that if you are patient, you can stumble across some pretty good food that's off the beaten path. No waiting, no lines. Simple. Just keep your eyes peeled for these small shops and cafes. They're not heavily advertised like the restaurants along the Grand Canal are. 

After eating, we set off to find Rialto Bridge, and we saw some picturesque things along the way.

Venetian mask shops are NOT hard to find.

We found our way to Rialto bridge, and much to our dismay it was under restoration. We were still able to fight the insane amount of footpath traffic to cross it, but from the bank of the canal, the bridge was covered by sheet wood with a photo of the bridge pasted over it. I got a photo of the bridge traffic when standing on it. Nothing fancy about it. Little souvenir shops line the bridge and this makes the congestion of people even worse.

I have to wonder whose grand idea it was to place shops on a busy bridge?  It's almost like it's own little shopping avenue.

Climbing the steps of Rialto Bridge

The bridge letdown was a bummer, so we began to follow the the S. Marco signs posted throughout the streets. 
The Basilica di San Marco is STUNNING, AND was under restoration. Sigh. 
Two out of two. Boo.

I was hoping to get shots of the whole front facade, but it was almost pointless considering half of it was covered by wood, netting, and surrounded by scaffolding. We hung around in Piazza San Marco (the general area/square in front of the basilica) for a bit, and then walked to where the sea meets the concrete. I actually wanted to go inside of the basilica, but the line was cutoff for the day. Errr. Same with Doge's Palace.

From the sea side of Doge's Palace, I noted a HUGE domed church across the water and instantly pulled the map out to see if a bridge could get us there. Indeed, there was a bridge. In Venice, you never know. 

Some locations in the city are only accessible via vaporetto (water bus) or by water taxi. We headed in the direction of the bridge on the map, which took a good 45 minutes crossing tiny bridges and weaving through streets. 

Seriously, Venice is like a lab rat maze. Something so close is actually further away than you think because one must make a million turns and canal bridge crossings to reach a destination!

NOTE: Wear good shoes if you ever visit this lovely place.

We made a totally random stop on the way to the dome basilica, and I am glad we did! We hit a point of needing water and rest, so we sat in the shade of a building for a bit. 

Across from us, people were coming in and out of what appeared to be a small church. I love churches, so I figured why not see what it's all about.

Well, it wasn't a church per se, but a musical instrument museum. Completely unexpected. Yes, the museum is inside of what was once a place of worship, so there is an added element of cathedral-ish beauty within. I didn't know the name of it until I had came home and looked it up, but it's officially dubbed Museo della Musica

The museum houses a nice little collection of REALLY old instruments. I didn't take many photos, though. I am not musically gifted, however I do have an appreciation for the art! This museum was a neat little hidden gem in the city.

On the way to the domed church, we hit Accedemia Bridge, which has some pretty views of the church and the less photographed parts of the city. It was my favorite bridge in Venice! Visiting Rialto bridge and then this bridge made me feel that Rialto is a bit overrated. Or maybe I am impartial to Rialto because of the restoration bummer? 

After crossing the bridge, we still had to make our way to the church.

My daughter on Accedemia Bridge.

View of the domed basilica from the bridge.

The family stopped for a water break, again, and since it was HOT as hell, we enjoyed the cool breeze coming off the water!

Kissy photo op. Happens at least once in every trip. Sorry!

Can you see our sweat beads? Haha

He does this often. Picks me up and pretends to toss me. Now, I know he would never actually do it on purpose, but one of these days I WILL fall. 

This church felt so far away although we could see the top of the dome. Like I had mentioned before, in Venice what seems like a block away might actually take an hour walk to. This church proves that fact.

Once again, another water break. We all camped on the ground for 15 minutes in the shade. My daughter was THRILLED with the weather by this time in the day (note her face below). This was the heatwave weekend of Europe. Miserably hot! 

Getting closer!

Finally, we found it! Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute.

Main door

View from the basilica. Funny how it looks like a quick swim across (that tall tower is at Piazza San Marco), but getting to the basilica from San Marco took an HOUR! 

The husband and kids resting in the shade on the church steps

It was utterly hot and we were super exhausted by the heat. We decided to call it a day, and head back to the train station. I initially wanted to stay until sunset to get pictures of San Marco lit up at night, but with all of the construction (which you will see photos of on day two) I was okay with skipping it.

We made it to the train station and then to our hotel. After showering the sweat of the city off of ourselves it was only 4pm in the afternoon. There was no way we'd be able to stay in our tiny apartment killing hours until bedtime, so I jumped on my laptop and found something to do: 

Lido di Jesolo.

A place we could sit and cool off. Why not?

Lido di Jesolo is a beach city/town, about a 35 minute drive from where we were staying in Quarto d'Altino. The drive from there was actually nice. Farmland,= and vineyards with a cool breeze of sea air. If you are one of my military readers or followers that lives in Europe and is interested in a family friendly beach get-away, just look on a map for the Jesolo Sea Life Aquarium near Venice, and you'll see the shore!

We weren't planning on a beach trip even though I knew it wasn't far from where we were staying, so we did not bring swimsuits on our mini vaca. 

I should have listened to my own advice that I have been giving since our December trip to Paris (as mentioned in ALL of my 'Weather in Europe and What to Pack' blog posts). 

ALWAYS BRING A SWIM SUIT! 

Dur me. 

The beach was pleasant, and not too crowded. Like I said, also family friendly. 

I would actually consider a short trip to Jesolo in the future just for a couple of beach days! A cute place that reminded me of Seal Beach, CA in some ways.

All in all, our first day in Venice was a success! Although we didn't get the opportunity to visit the inside of San Marco Basilica, nor Doge's palace, I was completely satisfied with what we did get to do and see. 

Day two was filled with new wonder and bridges and the less visited parts of Venice. Eventually, I'll get to writing about it.

*This post took two weeks to make! We've been on the go!