21 August 2018

Venice

If you’ve heard that Venice is smelly and dirty, don’t believe it. It’s no more crowded than any other city we have visited and we found it quite clean and not at all smelly. Hot it was! August is very hot in Europe so if you’re planning a trip be sure that you can handle lots of walking in 30+ temperatures. Venice is a pedestrian city, with narrow streets and alleyways so it is easy to get lost. It’s also easy to get un- lost if you use Google! The signposting too, is excellent. They say if you don’t get lost in Venice, you’re not doing it properly😉 l loved exploring those alleyways and interesting streets so full of vendors, shops, bars and restaurants beckoning you to part with your euros.

You cannot do Venice without going on a Gondola! This was a highlight of my trip. I think we were supposed to get an hour but it was only half that but still I loved it. Our Gondolier did not sing but we passed some lovely tenors who did!

We had some free time to explore after our ride and Lolz and I each bought a dress on a sale – just €10 each which is very reasonable.

We made it just in time to the meeting place for the lagoon trip. A boat took us to two islands. First Burona where many years ago the women made lace using needles. The lace was soon exported across Europe, but trade began to decline in the 18th century and the industry did not revive until 1872, when a school of lacemaking was opened. Lacemaking on the island boomed again, but few now make lace in the traditional manner as it is extremely time-consuming and therefore expensive.

Burano is also known for its small, brightly painted houses. The colours of the houses follow a specific system, originating from the golden age of its development. If a home owner wishes to paint his house, he must apply to the government. Permission will be granted only if the permitted colour for that location is used.

Our next Island was Murona which is famous for the art of glass blowing. It is becoming a lost art as it is time consuming and hot. It takes 20 years to become a glass master. We watched a demonstration – fascinating – and then went into he showroom where a guide showed us some amazing pieces and demonstrated how difficult it was to break a glass. The colours are absolutely beautiful. 24 carrot gold is used in some pieces as it won’t tarnish. We were not allowed to take photographs of these beautiful pieces.

It was then back on the boat to Venice where we explored a bit more. Lolz got another beautiful dress from the little boutique having a sale and then we walked to the tram station and got back to the hotel around 7 pm.

22 August 2018 – Day 10

We left Venice early this morning and arrived in Rome at 2:30pm. After unpacking and settling in we took the Metro into town and met our walking tour guide. We did all the highlights of the city and it was really awesome but I’m not going to do a blog on this as we will be in Rome for 5 days. Lolz and I will revisit the places introduced and then I will post photographs and write a bit more about them.