Another day around Venice.
Got the waterbus down the Grand Canal and visited the Palazzio Rezzonica. This is a seventeenth century aristocrat's house fronting onto the Grand Canal which has been turned into a stunning museum, full of beautiful wall and ceiling paintings and very ornate period furniture.
Found a great restaurant in a large square for lunch, fairly off the tourist trail and with mostly Italians for company, so felt a bit more authentic than much of Venice.
An afternoon walk along one of the boulevards fronting the lagoon, with a yacht race just off shore. Made Adrian feel a bit jealous but then the lunchtime wine got the better of him so had to go back to the hotel for another siesta (this is getting to be a habit!).
A nice evening stroll around a different part of the city and another nice restaurant for dinner.
Leaving tomorrow to go down to Florence to meet Tessa and John.
Monday, 30 May 2011
Saturday 28 May
A day of two halves (or 3 thirds if you count the evening). Spent the morning wandering some tiny little streets, visiting an 18th century Palazzio on the Grand Canal, looking round the Rialto market (fish and fruit/vegetables) and exploring more little alleyways and canal ways around the Rialto bridge.
Here are some pictures:
Some of the alleyways are tiny or lead straight onto small canals:
Then in the afternoon we took the ferry out to Murano and Burano, two islands in the lagoon to the north of Venice where they make glass and lace, Murano is the more famous of the two (in the 16th century most of the glassware in Europe was made in Murano) but Burano is much prettier (a small island with lots of brightly painted houses). We had a superb lunch on Burano, a home made pizza from a little deli on the canal side (no expense spared here!):
Burano has an interesting leaning bell tower (although in this picture it looks like the house which is leaning).
Burano also has lots of lace shops (they make lace on the island):
The waterbus takes about 40 minutes to get out to Burano. These are what they look like:
Skip was very happy to be on the water today and is thinking of jacking it all in to become a (water) bus driver.
After a long day out, a bit of a break back at the hotel and then a lovely dinner at another canal side restaurant.
More tomorrow
More tomorrow
Sunday, 29 May 2011
Friday 27 May
We spent the day doing a few of the major tourist sites.
Took a waterbus from the hotel down the Grand Canal
St Marks square, the basilica, Campanile and Doges palace:
Florien's cafe (pronounced "caff") in St Mark's square. Byron used to have a cuppa and full english breakkie here!
St Mark's square from the Campanile tower:
Coffee in St Mark's square with a quartet in the backgoround (performing a selection from the Sound of Music) was at Copenhagen prices! (e8 per cup of coffee since you ask, but the waiters were wearing bow ties and cream jackets so that was ok).
View from the Campanile tower (the tower fell down in 1902 and had to rebuilt, but seemed ok today!)
The Venice sewage system:
Had lunch in a lovely square by the Fenice theatre (who's claim to fame is that it's been burnt down by fire 3 times...oh and it also hosted the world premiere's of Rigolletto and La Traviata in the nineteenth century).
A water bus trip back to the hotel, then out for dinner, a walk down to the Rialto Bridge for a late night crepe and then another waterbus back up to the hotel...a long but lovely day.
Took a waterbus from the hotel down the Grand Canal
St Marks square, the basilica, Campanile and Doges palace:
Florien's cafe (pronounced "caff") in St Mark's square. Byron used to have a cuppa and full english breakkie here!
St Mark's square from the Campanile tower:
Coffee in St Mark's square with a quartet in the backgoround (performing a selection from the Sound of Music) was at Copenhagen prices! (e8 per cup of coffee since you ask, but the waiters were wearing bow ties and cream jackets so that was ok).
View from the Campanile tower (the tower fell down in 1902 and had to rebuilt, but seemed ok today!)
The Venice sewage system:
Had lunch in a lovely square by the Fenice theatre (who's claim to fame is that it's been burnt down by fire 3 times...oh and it also hosted the world premiere's of Rigolletto and La Traviata in the nineteenth century).
A water bus trip back to the hotel, then out for dinner, a walk down to the Rialto Bridge for a late night crepe and then another waterbus back up to the hotel...a long but lovely day.
Saturday, 28 May 2011
Thursday 26 May
Breakfast in Gatwick for £5, dinner in Venice for much more!
A very relaxed day travelling. Arrived airport at 11.00 after a leisurely start. 13.15 flight delayed until 14.00. Took off in rain.
Got to Venice at around 17.00 local time. Lovely and warm getting off the plane. Took bus into city along the causeway which gives spectacular views coming in.
Hotel was a short walk from Bus station although a bit of an effort having to drag suitcases up a very steep bridge with no ramps. Hotel is small, basic but very nice, just off the main thoroughfare around the station.
Found a lovely restaurant for dinner alongside a canal about 10 mins from hotel. Had to put up with a boring south african who told us how wonderful each dish he had just eaten was and even brought some over for us to try. Having said that we followed his recommendations (in part) and the food was good (apparently they don't do very good food in Venice).
This is the restaurant (from the canal and over dinner):
Finished off with a couple of nice brandies at the hotel (it's not that basic!) and off to bed.
A very relaxed day travelling. Arrived airport at 11.00 after a leisurely start. 13.15 flight delayed until 14.00. Took off in rain.
Got to Venice at around 17.00 local time. Lovely and warm getting off the plane. Took bus into city along the causeway which gives spectacular views coming in.
Hotel was a short walk from Bus station although a bit of an effort having to drag suitcases up a very steep bridge with no ramps. Hotel is small, basic but very nice, just off the main thoroughfare around the station.
Found a lovely restaurant for dinner alongside a canal about 10 mins from hotel. Had to put up with a boring south african who told us how wonderful each dish he had just eaten was and even brought some over for us to try. Having said that we followed his recommendations (in part) and the food was good (apparently they don't do very good food in Venice).
This is the restaurant (from the canal and over dinner):
Finished off with a couple of nice brandies at the hotel (it's not that basic!) and off to bed.
Wednesday 25 May
We're off!
Managed to get away from Cardiff about 6.30. Stopped for a really good dinner at "The Peasant", a pub hotel just off the M4 at Membury (Wantage/Newbury juction, half a mile north), which we'd well recommend.
Trouble free journey up to Gatwick to the Skylane (now Days hotel) just north of the airport - the hotel is basic but pleasant and they do a really good deal on car parking with an overnight stay.
Managed to get away from Cardiff about 6.30. Stopped for a really good dinner at "The Peasant", a pub hotel just off the M4 at Membury (Wantage/Newbury juction, half a mile north), which we'd well recommend.
Trouble free journey up to Gatwick to the Skylane (now Days hotel) just north of the airport - the hotel is basic but pleasant and they do a really good deal on car parking with an overnight stay.
Friday, 27 May 2011
Introduction
This is Adrian & Helen's new Blog Site which will follow our lunch spots around the world!
Just now we are in Italy on holiday so what follows is our holiday blog.
Please post any appropriate (or inappropriate!) comments
Ciao
Just now we are in Italy on holiday so what follows is our holiday blog.
Please post any appropriate (or inappropriate!) comments
Ciao
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