Guess Where We Are?

There are few cities where the preferred method of transportation doesn’t use gas, but an oar instead…and this is how you get home from a busy day of shopping…

Behold The Majesty Of Venice, Italy!

From the ground – or water – the city of Venice Italy is magical – as these aerial pictures show!

the city takes on an even more spectacular view from the air…but one of the things we discovered was that – especially in winter – mist and fog can give the city a haunted beauty…

This is the story of a trip that my wife Alex and I took to Venice over New Years…which allowed us to see a Venice that was more serene – shrouded in early morning fog…

But it also allowed us to see a remarkable city when it wasn’t swarmed by tourists…although the grand canal can still have a traffic jam during rush hour…

Yes, the first thing you notice about Venice is exactly what you hoped to discover: there are gondolas EVERYWHERE – and why not? It’s how you get around! Which means, when you wander the neighborhoods, you see an entirely different style of “street parking!”

There are gondolas and boats everywhere you look – and these gondoliers are experienced drivers – take a close look at this one – who can even read while driving!

Arriving in Venice!

After landing at the airport, you take a car to a dock, and then – yep, you finish your journey by boat! That’s how we arrived at our hotel – cruising up to the “check-in dock” by boat – and were very happy to discover that our hotel room had a view of St. Marks square in the distance….

“When In Venice…”

Our exploration had to begin, of course, with a gondola tour – it’s not only fun, but it’s a great way to see the city….

It is, of course, a spectacular journey, and even though the weather was overcast, we didn’t care, because it gave the city a grittiness that you don’t get in the summer…we had a great conversation with our Gondolier, who explained the history of the city, the problems with the rising water, and how they all know that nothing the government will do to combat it will work, but that is what Italy is, he said…

He also told us about a restaurant to visit…located across the smallest bridge in Venice….it is an island full of small canals and even smaller walking bridges…

We also explored St. Marks square…a gathering spot for everyone…

Venice By Foot!

Venice is also a fascinating city to explore by foot…from the major thoroughfares like these…

To the smallest streets like this one – seeing how Venetians live is fascinating, such as how they park their transportation right outside their homes….

There aren’t many stores to shop for everyday food supplies, as most take a boat to the mainland…so the city itself is almost completely given over to tourists….like us of course, and we headed up to the top of the tower in St. Marks to view the city…

It was a slightly chilly but beautiful day to look out at Venice…and you can see the famed Venice Lido strip as well…located a short boat ride across from St. Mark square…

Time To Eat!

Venice has a reputation for restaurants that serve mediocre food to tourists, but we loved all of our meals. We also headed to a fish market to check out the fresh seafood on display…much of it winding up on our plates that same night…like these giant squid…

Yes, I can look at this stuff for hours…huge black inky squid are rare to see in the US, but plentiful here… I also caught a shot of Alex on our boat one day as well…peaceful and relaxed…

It was a great trip to a beautiful city…and everywhere you point your camera, there are more great images to capture…

Happy New Year!

Our visit included New Years Eve, and after a great meal, we walked along the grand canal as fireworks went off above the city…

My Best Memory!

Venice is a magical city, and I hope these pictures helped capture that – but probably my single favorite picture from the trip came on our flight HOME! Yes, because as Alex was perusing the in-flight magazine, she came across an ad that had been “enhanced” by a previous passenger:

I love that picture! And of course, I love going on memorable travel adventures with Alex, like our incredible culinary tour of Provence, including a week of cooking with legendary Writer and Chef Patricia Wells:

You can read all about the food of Provence by clicking on my story here:

https://johnrieber.com/2012/06/10/tasting-provence-cooking-with-patricia-wells-food-and-travel-unite/

And we also had an amazing adventure in Spain, including biking to some of the Costa Brava’s most magical hilltop villages:

You can read about that adventure by clicking here:

https://johnrieber.com/2014/12/01/cycling-through-wild-spain-biking-costa-bravas-medieval-villages/

And let me know your favorite memory of Venice!

Categories: Books / Media, Exotic Travel, Food, Food Review, Memoirs, Recipes, Restaurants, Spain, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir, Uncategorized, Wacky Food, wine

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