We flew into Venice and caught a water taxi through the canals to our hotel. It was all very romantic…

It was late when we got in, and it took a while to find our hotel. Whilst dragging our suitcases down thin, cobblestone alleyways, dodging people, the sound of tourists gossiping and our suitcases rattling behind us, we pass 2 sizable men. They look at us with cheeky smiles on their faces. One says in a very deep voice, thick with a Russian accent: “Trying to find your hotel? …Good luck.” Then they both crack up laughing as if it was the funniest joke in the world. Matt and I look at each other, our eyes wide. Was that not the same “good luck” that was offered in the movie “Taken”?? We scurry away, now super keen to find our hotel. Luckily it was just a few turns away.

After we found the hotel we went straight out for dinner. I had a completely grotesque looking but very delicious squid ink pasta. The pasta was swimming in a black sauce that was made with squid ink – apparently a pasta sauce that originates in Venice. It tasted only a little fishy, not overwhelmingly so, and left my entire mouth black after every mouthful. I’m sad I didn’t get a picture of it. It was very memorable.

The next day we got up early to have an espresso and a quick look around before our walking tour. We spotted some gondola men participating in some not very traditional activities, and crossed a crazy amount of canals. The were some amazing buskers as well. Some with some great talents. Matt and I were serenaded by an opera singer while enjoying a gelato! We obviously had no idea what he was singing about as it was in Italian, but his voice was so strong and carried such feeling we couldn’t not stop and soak up the music.

The walking tour was a nice stroll through Venice, but I learnt that those little ear phones they give you just don’t do a good enough job. I could hardly hear a thing. I made the decision there and then that we would never, ever do another tour that way. The best part of the tour was at the end… a gondola ride. It was really lovely and a good way to see the city.

After a cruisy afternoon we went out for a delicious Italian feast and a wander to check out the night life. We found none, but to be honest, we weren’t looking very hard. After a disappointing amount of nightlife, we stopped for a gelato and then went to bed.

Our last day in Venice was spent walking around the canals, getting lost, checking out all the little shops and figuring out how we get to the train station the next day. You could get lost all day in the alley ways – some wide enough that a stream of 2 way traffic could easily slide through. Others, so skinny that you have to press up against a wall to let someone pass. The skinny ones are where you find the little shops filled with the most beautiful Venetian masks and lovely trinkets.

Venice was such a lovely place. It’s so intricate that I’m sure there was so much that we missed. We’ll definitely be going back someday.