Archive for the ‘Vacation’ tag
Trip to Venice
While back in the UK earlier in August, Amy and I took a side trip to Venice, Italy for just a few days.
It’s a fairly short flight out of East Midlands Airport into Venice. You ride on a quick bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma and then leave the wheels behind. There really are no cars. Boats, water or by foot are the only means of getting around the city. And that goes for everything else too – food, water, produce, fish and trash.
History runs deep and is inextricable from the identity of the city. That said, by visiting in August (holiday season) the ratio of tourists to Venetians was a bit out of balance. We did find ourselves some escape from the crowds later on, however.
Gondolas share the water with taxis and huge vaporetto water-buses. It’s a wild confusion of traffic.
The Palazzo Ducale di Venezia (Doge’s Palace) afforded some relief from the heat. The huge ornate rooms are very impressive. And some of the maps depicting the geographic understanding of the world hundreds of years ago were fascinating.
The view from the Campanile in Piazza San Marco offers a stunning view of the city. From up there the density of the buildings completely explains the tight mesh of alleys and walkways throughout.
Another fun trip.
Full Venice photos on Flickr.
