Ciao,Venice!

Hi, all!

As promised(about 2 weeks ago, lol!), here´s the finale of my Italian escapade last August. The trip ended in Venice, probably the most romantic city of the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site.



It was a rainy day when we visited the place but the heavy downpour and occasional bouts of sunshine could never taint the beauty of Piazza San Marco (Saint Mark´s Square). The first thing that our Italian guide told us especially for coffee drinkers was that there´s a HUGE difference in the price of a cup coffee between  the coffee shops lining on the left and right side of the plaza facing the basilica. Coffee shops on right usually charge 12 euros(!!!) because they say you´re drinking coffee in one of the oldest coffee shops in Venice while those on the left usually charge around 2 euros. Don´t say that I didn´t warn you! By the way, only those bars/coffee shops with chairs have toilets. Be sure to buy your water at these places if you need to take a leak later. ;)

Saint Mark´s Basilica

side of the Piazza San Marco where they serve the 12 euros a cup coffee

There are two ways to get around the canals, first through the water taxi:

water taxi

and second through the gondolas:

Here´s  a photo of me on one of the gondolas. Never mind the small radio hanging on my neck( we booked the tour through a travel agency) and the bulging eyebags( lack of proper sleep due to a very hectic travel schedule), just focus on what´s behind my back. ;)

As for buying your souvenirs, there are a lot of shops around St. Mark´s Square including the high end brands found near the tourism office but  you can also buy your knick knacks just around the Rialto Bridge.

view from the top of Rialto Bridge

There were a lot of historic sites and beautifully designed buildings to remember like this place where Mozart once stayed and the Peggy Guggenheim Museum to name just a few:

apartment where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart once stayed

Peggy Guggenheim Museum

By the end of the afternoon, the rainclouds began to gather and covered the whole city in darkness, literally! Then came the heavy downpour. Oh my God, for a few minutes I thought the water´s going to drown us all, hahaha! Good thing the city´s got a very good drainage system. Whew.



A parting shot just before we left on one of the museums´ stairs:

top, sandals and hat- Zara, skirt-local store, bag- hubby´s gift

So there went my Italian tour. I hope you enjoyed reading this post and remember about the coffee price tip when you´re stranded in Venice. ;)

xoxo,

Che