The Perfect Venetian Welcome

As is typical with our weekend city breaks, we arrived in Venice quite late in the evening.

The boat from the airport takes 45 minutes and by the time we checked into our hotel

all of the restaurants nearby were closing.  

We'd had a snack on the plane but no dinner, so we were both pretty hungry.  

As we walked by a restaurant the barman caught our eye, we asked if they were still serving.

He shook his head sadly as one staff member started mopping the floor

and the other began to retract the awning.

I think he must have seen our disappointment, because he then said "Pizza? Very fast?"

I responded "Yes, Margherita!"  

Within ten minutes, we were sitting under the stars on some steps

listening to the lapping waters of the Grand Canal

in Venice

balancing a cardboard box across our laps.

I have to tell you, that was The Best Pizza I've every had! 

It was one of those unexpected but simply joyful experiences that makes traveling so addictive.

It was the perfect welcome to Venice.

I could just gush about Venice forever.

I think we went at the perfect time (October).  It was mild and almost warm.

There were definitely crowds but it's easy to turn off down a side street to avoid them.

I must have taken a photograph of every single gondola.

The gondoliers were also pretty entertaining.

Can you imagine living in a place with no cars?

Everything is done by boat.  We saw ambulance boats and even a hearse weaving through

the canals with a coffin covered in a burst of flowers.

Every bridge that you come to, and there are many, is a little bit different from the one before.

I was so intrigued by the blades on the front of the gondolas.

I looked and looked for something in a shop that was shaped like one.

We always bring back an ornament from our travels and I think that would make the perfect one.

The metal blade is called a ferro.  It's for protection in a collision but it's also full

of the symbolism of Venice.

I think I could wander the streets of Venice forever and never get enough.

As I mentioned in my last post about Venice, there is something about the colors and the lighting

that combines in the most fantastical ways.

Venice has quickly jumped into my top five favorite cities I've visited so far

(along with Dublin, Salzburg, London and Ronda).

Tell me.  What are your top five cities?

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