Enchanted Venezia: Day 1

by wh

Winged Lion, Symbol of Venice

Venice, or known as the Queen of the Adriatic, the city of water, the city of bridges, and the city of light. For me, Venice is unreal, every second in that island is like living in a dream, maybe that's why most people says that she's a beautiful and a romantic place. Indeed Venice is a floating city with 400 bridges, me and SC walked through lots of bridges and pass thousand of small rivers, there are only boats or gondolas, no cars or road transportation. It will be hard for those to even think to cycle across bridges after bridges.

Day 1, after arriving Trevisco Airport, we got on a bus to Venice. After that, we probably used almost an hour to look for our hostels. The island is like a maze, and Venetian doesn't really speak English so it was crap. But we found it in the end and along our way, we were amazed by the wonderful places in Venice. It's like we escaped from our use-to-know world to a small village with it's own culture, the river is like our road, the boats is like our cars, and mask-selling shops are all around the places. Venice is well-known of its Carnivale once a year with people wearing masks around the place. There're some traditional one we saw, like Bauta and Moretta.

The old-time Venice is famous for its comedic theatre with actors wearing those traditional mask during their performance. Every character with the mask has given its name. I saw this act just few days ago in movie "Casanova" which film based in Venice.

Fresh produce market on a boat...

WH & SC at the city of bridges...

Beautiful bridges and river of Venice...

Beautiful buildings alongside the Grand Canal...

Decorative Venetian Mask

with a small bauta on the bottom left...

Meschere di Venezia...

SC with meschere shop...

Venice is well-known for not only its tourist attractions, and also its expensive foods and drinks. A coke for 4 euro, a spaghetti for 8 euro and haven't added with taxes!!! But day 1 we have some authentic lasagne and caborana. It's unlike creamy caborana in the UK, it's made by egg yolk, delizioso~! But we never knew we were treated dinner in McDonald's by a auntie and her daughter. Ha!

In the afternoon, we were walking around places near San Polo area and then San Marco where most tourist attraction near there. Bridges after bridges, rivers after rivers, we saw some gondolas crossing by the rivers, beautiful old shops and old churches. It's hard to describe, every angle in this island is a beautiful picture we probably imagine long time ago. We saw beautiful gondola by the river and some tourists are negotiating with the sailors. Gondola is a traditional Venetian boat now used as public transport. When I knew that a gondola ride costs 80 euro, those funny looking sailors probably wana earn more money from innocent tourists like us. 80 euro?! what a joke...

Venetian's symbolic Gondola...

SC with moored Gondolas...

As we taking pictures along our way to San Marco, an asian-look auntie with a young european-look girl asking SC about sharing the ride of gondola. If we shared a gondola, it would just cost us 20 euro each which is not bad actually. Honestly, fly to Venice that far seeing people on the gondola and not seeing ourselves on it would be quite a regret. They are actually from Belgium, the mom is Philippines, her husband a Belgian and her daughter's Belgian. (I've truly forgot their names after they introduce themselves, sorry...) It's a favour from them but we kinda need it anyway, so we accept the favour. In the end we got a gondola which cost us 80 euro and we'll have a night ride! The night gondola ride supposed to be extra charged (100 something euro) as the environment is much more quiet at night compare to daytime (rubbish!)

Riding on the Grand Canal, only by that time I felt the houses in Venice are floating. The gondola's sailor will wear a traditional strip shirt, tight trousers, and a stupid hat. When we sail into small rivers, the sailor will scream Italian by the time our gondola almost reach a junction. This is an old way for them to prevent crashes along the small rivers. It's really suitable for couples to get on this gondola ride, it's like back to old times, romantic ride it is in this magical place.

Venetian Gondola's sailors slacking near by the river...

Me and SC on a Gondola...

Sharing the Gondola with

the Belgian mom and daughter...

Taking with the sailor and the mom...

Passing by Rialto Bridge

The imaginary floating city...

Small canal inside the city of Venice...

Night view along the Grand Canal...

Romantico feel near the

Rialto Bridge during the night...

After the ride, they wanted to treat us McDonald's as we've help them with the favour thingy. We tried to reject it but it's hard. In the end we've a wonderful night and a dinner with this lovely pair of mom and daughter. We've a great chat about their holidays in USA, our life in the UK and lots of stuffs. Before we gone back to our own hostels, we exchanging emails and they asked us to visit them in Belgium in future time just by letting them know. Ha! suddenly we got friends from Belgium during our trip in Venice, unbelievable...

That's it for now, it's too long already... it has been an interesting day1 for us in Venezia. Thanks for the Belgian mom and daughter who suddenly appeared in front of us and makes our trip in Venice a little bit special~... ^^