Lucca to Venice

Sad to be leaving Lucca after 5 weeks, but really looking forward to our next stop in Venice. We have heard people that love Venice, and people that hate Venice. I think it may have to do with the weather, and the weather looks good for us so very exciting. Plus that I am on holidays starting today, so I am sure to be happy!

We were pretty much packed and ready to go last night, so we decided to walk the wall to the train station. It is about a 1.5 km walk from our apartment, but the nice thing about walking the walk it is nice and smooth pavement, no cobblestone streets. We have way over packed for this trip, we each have 1 big suitcase, but we have so many clothes that neither of us has warn. We pack all stuff we don't think we will use in the next week in one suitcase, hoping to only have to open one over the next week.

Last walk on the wall

Bike parking lot at the train station

Our trip today involves a transfer in Florence, with a super fast train to Venice. I think this is the first train this trip that we had reserved seats on that were actually open when we got on and we didn't have to ask someone to move. An uneventful trip, too fast for me to look out too much, and many tunnels that just make your ears pop.

Our first view of Venice from the Train

Arrived in Venice and Christine, the woman we are renting the apartment from is waiting for us at the train station for us to walk to the apartment together. We had told her we loved to walk, not so sure Andre appreciated this after he had to carry our luggage and down 2 small bridges to get to the apartment. The big bridge we crossed had a ramp I could pull mine up, but the small bridges are just steps, and my suitcase is too heavy for me to carry. I think we will find an alternate method to go back to the train station when we leave.

Our apartment is cute. It is right on a small canal, we saw pictures of the canal online from the living room window, it is accurate except you have to stand up to see outside the living room window. Oh well we love the location, extremely quite away from the crowds, and near lots of cute little restaurants.

Outside of our apartment

Little bridge right before our apartment

Time to start exploring Venice. First stop is we find the closest vaporetto (boat) stop to us on the Grand Canal, which is about a 5 minute walk from our house at the casino. Next is the debate what kind of ticket we want to buy. It is 7.50 Euro each trip which adds up fast, or they have 2 or 3 day passes that you can buy. We decide to splurge and buy the 3 day pass so no need to worry about how often and how far we want to go.

We get on boat 2, which I had read would take us down the grand canal for a great tour that doesn't cost anything. Problem was we got on boat 2 going in the wrong direction. We went to the end of Grand Canal then out and around to St. Marks square instead of going on the inside. There were lots of stops, and pretty rocky on the open water, I was very happy to get off and thought I had wasted a lot of money on a 3 day pass, wasn't sure I would get back on one of those things!

First impression of St. Marks square, wow. So impressive, definitely one of the most beautiful squares we have seen. Very busy so we did not stay long. We found the place to line up for the Doge palace secret tour that I had booked already so we should be set for Monday morning.  Next we wandered the streets back of the square.



Bridge of Sighs

No we will not be spending 80 Euro to do a gondola ride.  They must love all the Asian tourists, nearly every gondola had Asian tourists today it seemed

Next we decide to go check out the Theatro La Fenice that I had bought tickets for a Jazz night tonight. It was 20 Euro each, and I knew it cost 10 Euro to visit the Theatro, so I thought a good deal for 10 Euro basically. I wanted to see if we needed to get assigned seats, or another ticket from our online printout so stood in the line for tickets to ask. Turns out the event starts at 6PM, not at 7:30 as advertised. Not sure how people were supposed to know. So it is now 5:00PM, we have not even had lunch yet, so we found a cute little corner spot, a brushetta, and a sandwich and we are set for a couple of hours.

Back to the theatre for 6, to find out it is in a smaller hall of the main theatre. I was disappointed because I really wanted to be in the main theatre, but they did let us go into the Royal Box to have a look, wow, amazing. The hall we were in was beautiful as well, just not the main theatre.

So the evening starts at 6, the nice man that told us this in English did not tell us that the first 35 minutes was all this one man talking about we think how Jazz started, in Italian. The entire audience was getting restless, even the Italians. This man was terrible, no emotion, I'm not sure how he was Italian? At one point the MC told him he had to wrap it up, we heard what we thought was 4 more minutes, I wanted to applaud at this point.

Next there was a young pianist that was very good, I think he did 4 pieces. We then had a little break, they had some posters and pictures from past jazz musicians that had played at the theatre, all from the US and very impressive. Mostly all from the 60's and 70's.

Next came the main even which was Markus Stockhausen and Ferenc Snetberger, 2 jazz musicians, one from Germany and one from Hungary. One of them played the guitar all night which was fantastic, the other alternated between trumpet and 2 different brass instruments that were like trumpets that I am not even sure what they were. It was very good, except the first 35 minute very boring part had caught up to us, I was falling asleep at this point and we ducked out when they left the stage before the encore. No lineup at the bathrooms which is a bonus, and we are off for some more adventure.

Back to St. Marks square to see it at night, beautiful. So many less people than during the day, and beautiful all lit up. We then walked over to see the Rialto bridge as we hadn't been there yet, lots of parties going on here, I think a stag or stagette, or maybe both, anyway they were having fun on the bridge. We then decide to take to a vaporetto back to the casino, and luckily we get on the right way as we are getting pretty tired by now. We get off at the casino, and are kind of lost then. We have only been to the apartment once, and everything kind of looks the same and it is now dark. I remember crossing 2 small canals so we head off in the direction we think it is, we give up on finding the grocery store we were looking for and just want to get home.

Misty night on the waterfront

Fireman or police???

View from the Rialto bridge

Rialto Bridge

We eventually find our way, and come across the restaurant on our street that Christine had recommend. We are able to get a table, but we don't have time to look at the menu as they are getting ready to close. It is now just pas 10PM, yes we are eating on Italian time tonight, the waiter recommends pasta with seafood, and crab gnocchi, we were great with both these suggestions. An amazing supper, with some wine, we should sleep well tonight. When we got our bill we asked if they had an extra loaf of bread we could buy for breakfast tomorrow for toast, he wrapped up some extra bread for us and sent us on our way, we are very happy our apartment is about 10 doors down!

Crab gnocchi very yummy