Which way? After doing it enough times, I finally knew exactly where to go.
No one was in the Piazza della Signoria
A quiet Ponte Vecchio
Looking down the Arno River at the Ponte Vecchio
Thoughts on Florence:
One thing I love about Florence is that it is a time capsule of the Renaissance. I had been warned to avoid Florence in June, its busiest ("worst") month. Where I don't doubt that there was a greater volume of people, it did not feel any more crowded than last October. It definitely seems like the highest concentration of American tourists are here. I wish more areas were pedestrian only. The average width of the sidewalks is about 1 1/2 people wide, forcing us to walk single file. Where is the romance and togetherness in that? Greg and the kids didn't like that they couldn't use landmarks to figure out where they were - they had to resort to a map to get around. I couldn't live here...it is too enclosed for me. I need to be able to access and enjoy an open view, and see the horizon - not tall buildings in my face.
Our next train ride took us two hours to Venice. Jeremy sat alone in first class, and was unimpressed. The large lady in front of him was in his personal space - plus I stole his champagne.
Stepping out of the Santa Lucia train station, you are right at the Grand Canal. Immediately Chris stated, "That's weird." What? "Having water right there." We are officially in Venice! And a deep sigh of relief... No cars here!! But definitely a ton of people, probably more than average because it is the weekend, and it is a beautiful sunny day!
Stepping out of Venice's train station
Our apartment is right next to the Rialto Bridge in Campo San Salvador - with a view down the street of the Grand Canal. Our building is from the Middle Ages. It is attached to a church. The bedroom has a window, now sealed, that used to open so the priest could see into the church - how cool is that! The apartment lists to one side due to the shifting sand foundation; walking through it is like walking on a cruising ship - all of a sudden you dip down, and then back up. Our windows open up to the square five floors below, and it is relaxing listening to the hum of people walking by. We have our privacy yet are connected to Venice's pulse.
Our apartment - what Jeremy does with his selfie while he is alone
Kate thinks it is really, really pretty here! She is so hot she wants to swim in the water. We went on a city tour, and our guide, Jackie, made it clear that you do NOT want to touch the water! She also said you do not get around using street names; there are over 90 streets here named "Street of the Baker." (We use our GPS.) Jackie said you walk like you would drive, which I thought was interesting because no one here (all tourists) does that. For example, no stopping on bridges. What?! That is crazy talk. Jackie opened my eyes to something I had never noticed before - the fire hydrants that pump fresh (not salt) water.
Waiting at the well for the tour to begin
View of the Grand Canal from the Accademia Bridge
When we reached St. Mark's Square, Kate commented that you would not want to come here if you don't like birds. She's right - there might be more birds than people here!
Beautiful view from the square as the sun was going down
Today was the first day we were in Italy and didn't have a brief afternoon thunder storm. But the forecast for the rest of our stay in Venice will make up for it with rain all day.
We made dinner in the apartment - pasta again. Cooking in these kitchens is just like cooking in the trailer: cramped, no counter space, inconsistent water temperature. There is no pantry and no supplies so we need to buy every ingredient, which is why we keep it simple.
Logistics:
- Even though I reserved my train tickets as soon as they became available (4 months to the hour), only 4 seats at the super economy rate were available. Instead of paying the next higher rate for 5 tickets, I split out my order. Four super economy tickets in second class and one in first class was cheaper than five economy tickets in second class.
- We went on the "Venice Free Walking Tour". Our guide was informative and knowledgeable.
- Venice has 15 dirty public restrooms that cost €1.50. Jackie said instead you go to a cafe and buy a €1 espresso- and then use their clean bathroom. (Rick Steves says that too.)
