We got off to a rocky start in Venice. The airport is about a thirty minute drive from the city. And even though we landed late, we decided to get a hotel in the city to make the next day easier. There was one bus that ran a bit after midnight that we figured we had a 50/50 chance of catching. We did make it to the stop about 15 minutes before the bus arrived, but there was only one kiosk selling tickets. A couple of befuddled men spent a solid ten minutes attempting to buy tickets while the rest of us waited impatiently in line. Consequently, they were the only ones who were able to take the bus when it arrived. We ended up splitting a taxi with another couple, which wasn't too much more expensive, when all was said and done.
There aren't many roads in Venice, so the taxi dropped us off in the Piazzale Roma, the main bus depot. Luckily (well more because we planned this halfway decently) this was only a ten minute walk to our hotel, which in turn was a ten-minute walk to the port where we'd get on the boat the next day. We found it pretty easily, only to discover that they had given away our hotel room to someone else. I half thought that this was simply because we arrived so late, at nearly one in the morning. I could understand assuming that we weren't coming. But it had more to do with a befuddled desk clerk who spent twenty minutes trying to figure out what had happened before offering us another room at a deep discount. The room itself was tiny, but it had a bed and a shower. By the time we got there, that was all I cared about.
The next morning the plan was to wander round Venice until it was time to get on the boat. We woke up early, long before anything was actually open. But it gave us a chance to see the city while it was still pretty quiet. It was fun to wander along the nearly empty streets and squares. When the city started waking up, we got some cash and found some tea and water. Then we decided to walk until we found the ocean. All in all we probably explored half of the city that morning. I got in 20,000 steps before we even got on the boat at noon.
After the cruise, we had another full day in Venice. We were smarter this time and purchased a day pass for the water-bus, Venice's public transit system. We took it down to St. Mark's Square, where we saw the sights and went inside the Basillica. All of the mosaics inside use this glittery gold tile that's really cool. It would have been amazing if the church was really lit up, but even in the low light it was fun to see the sparkles.
We decided to use our pass to ride around the city and get a sense of it. But I ended up doing more sleeping that sight-seeing. We eventually found ourselves in the northern part of the city and caught a boat over to Murano, a small island famous for its glass. We got to see a glass-blowing demonstration, which was amazing. In about five minutes the artisan we were watching made a vase and a statue of a horse. The horses were ubiquitous in the gift shops - probably because the artisan made them so quickly and so often - so we picked one up along with a couple of other souvenirs.
Then it was time for an early dinner. We found a cafe on the water, which isn't hard to do in Venice. There's a lot of water. We split a jug of wine and a plate of cured meats. Then I had a delicious spinach ravioli in gorgonzola sauce. I love a good gorgonzola sauce, and you don't see them that often, so I jumped at the chance. Our meal was somewhat plagued by pigeons and seagulls who were bold enough to peck for scraps around our table.
I'm glad we had the second day in Venice once we'd oriented ourselves and figured it out a bit. It was nice to wander around and see the sights. Although, to be honest, Venice resembles nothing so much as a massive outdoor mall. Every street we went down was packed with cafes and gift shops. The city clearly relies on tourism for much of its economy, and parts of it look very run-down. Then again, this is probably true of many cities.
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