A Day Out With The Boys
After dropping my luggage at my Venice apartment I was ready to discover the city; with my best friends, Gary and Sean…
A romantic gondola ride along the Grand Canal was not on the agenda, but we got a trip in! Still, we made sure we were going to enjoy the visit and see as much as possible – we were in Venice! Map in hand, we set out to find our first destination, St. Mark’s Square.
We could not believe the number of flying “rats” in the square – it was as if an entire pigeon army was going to war with the pedestrians in the piazza. Gary wasn’t a fan of the scavengers that tried to rest on his head, Sean and I made a point of capturing a Kodak moment. A word of advice – if you are watching your cash or on a budget, stay clear of the little cafés and shops in the square. Even though they’re convenient and appealing, for three small foamy coffees we had to fork out 15€!
Palace Life
After saving Gary from the flock of birds, we set our sights on indulging in the cultural riches Venice has to offer, and trust me it comes in bag loads. We made our way to the Doge’s Palace, which is situated near St Mark’s Square. When we arrived, we were faced by a long winding queue that almost put us off going in. Fortunately, we were eager enough to go in and visit the museum and the queue eventually died down. A word of advice; to avoid the queue, get to The Doge’s Palace first thing in the morning – its the only way to beat the hoards of tourists.
The Palace is a must for everyone; jaw dropping paintings by Veronese and Tintoretto and beautiful sculptures. The main attraction though was the Palace itself. Not only is it a Museum, but it was also used as a fortress and a prison…not a bad prison to live in!
Gondola
Sean had stated before we went to Venice that he couldn’t leave the place without taking a Gondola ride along the canals. Gary and I were not so keen on the idea, as the price of the Gondola ride would be too expensive and we reckoned things like that should be saved for our girlfriends and not three men in a boat. However with Sean’s encouraging/cajoling we went. Sean used his initiative and took us on a 20-minute walk from the Doge’s Palace to a back canal, which was completely free of tourists. Not only that, but the price for a 30-minute boat ride for the three of us was only 60€ a bargain price.
Feeding Time
Food was next on the agenda, and you cannot come to Italy without tasting some authentic cuisine. Our Gondolier spoke English and he was able to drop us off at “Thee most buuoootiful resturanti in the whole of Venezia”. We said our “ciaos” and made our way to the cafe. Initially, we were a little sceptical about believing him, but, truth be told, he was on the money. As you would expect, the majority of restaurants serves up pasta, pizza, calzones and any other typical dish you can associate with Italy. I choose the spaghetti carbonara and a nice glass of ice cold Peroni to have , and watched the sun sink over the beautiful backdrop of St. Mark’s. What an end to a perfect day!