Venice – Feeling more relaxed

We are now very relaxed in Venice, having recovered from our chaotic arrival and one of the nicest things is lying in our room listened to the noises from the canal. Right below our window we have two canals which meet at a right angle and there are two bridges. As the gondoliers come to the corner they call out ‘Hoy’ to alert anyone coming the other way. The water traffic is very busy with deliveries starting about 8.00am and we have even seen the garbage being collected. They have special machinery for each of these tasks, and watching them deliver a couch to a 3rd floor apartment is very interesting. The only problem is that it is not so restful because we are always jumping up to see what is happening down below.
Yesterday there was a huge splash and we jumped up to see that a man had fallen into the canal. A passing gondolier grabbed him and got him to the steps and some time later the ambulance arrived, by water of course. He was okay, but it was exciting at the time.

We have had 3 days of intense heat and humidity and today we have had thunder, lightning and very heavy rain. We went to the Rialto Market (been going since 1320) for a look and got back just before the downpour, but Sarah, Leo, Ben and Mary came in 20 minutes later all saturated to the skin. Leo thought it was great fun. The level in the canal has risen by about 1 ft. ( that doesn’t mean we have has a foot of rain!) It is lovely outside at present because that fiercesome humidity has dropped.

This trip has also more relaxing because Barry and I are not doing the tourist thing. Last time we visited the Doge’s Palace, St. Mark’s, went up the Campanile, and to some of the galleries, so this time we are enjoying the street, squares, buildings,canal life and the occasional market. It is quite simply too much of a hassle competing with all those thousands of people and there is so much to see away from the main sights. We enjoy going for a walk and discovering a lovely square and then having a drink and just people watching. Another thing we love is the sound of the church bells chiming on the hour. There are so many churches around us, but they all start chiming at different times so it can go on for a while.

Yesterday we went to Murano. We finished up buying a €16.00 ticket for 12 hours because the next cheapest ticket was €6.50 for 1 hour and it would be impossible to do Murano and back again in 1 hour even though it is only a 10 minute ferry ride. The Venetians really do a rort on the tourists and seem to have an attitude of like it or lump it. Anyway we enjoyed Murano and noticed that now, many of the pieces of glass are very creative works of art and the glassblowers have international reputations. People buy pieces purely for display (if you can afford them) more than for their practical use. We went on to Burano to see the pretty coloured houses, and later that day Barry and I travelled to the end of the Grand Canal and back again, to get maximum use from our ticket. The buildings are still as beautiful as ever, in fact some of them are better because they have been restored.

This has been a great city in which to finish our trip. It has been exciting, vibrant and lively, but it has also been possible to get away from the crowd and find our own little peaceful spot to watch the world go by. Sarah has organized a water taxi to take us all the way to the airport, and we don’t care how much it costs!!