Venice

Married for 20 years? HOW?

(not 'how are we still together....' but 'how are we this old'?!!)

So, we I decided we needed to go away for more than the annual cheeky one night and maybe go for 2 or 3. It was the first time away for more than one night without children so I got on to the jet2.com website and put in the dates...I didn't really mind where we went.

When Venice looked like a relatively cheap flight option I thought, 'bit predictable, bit safe, but need to see before it sinks...etc' and booked it.

 

I genuinely thought we would like it, but then feel it was ticked off the bucket list.

How wrong I was. I LOVED it, and can't wait to go back.

I chose a hotel in the Dorsoduro district, (Hotel Moresco)which is a good walk from the main tourist attractions. I'm really glad I did - it was a wonderful hotel in a beautiful part of the island.

It might even be my favourite hotel ever - not because it was any more beautifully styled (although it was) but because the service was amazing. 

 

That rare combination of beautiful and luxury but with warmth and friendliness so often lacking in snooty upmarket boutique style hotels.

The lounge/library was beautiful - and provided fruit and cake all day (yippee) followed by antipasto in the evenings.

It also had a small, quiet garden...a wonderful place to indulge in a late afternoon bottle of prosecco

For three days we wandered - that's it. Mooched. Ambled. Gazed. ooohed and ahhhed.

It was so pretty, a photographers dream. Around every corner another view. We drank coffee (/Peroni!) and people watched. The biggest effort was picking a flavour of ice cream.

                                   

No shopping, no rush, no need for a watch. And (those with rascals like mine will appreciate this) no 'come away from the edge'!! 

 

Cleggy unintentionally dressed as a Gondelier!! It would have made my LIFE if someone had asked him for a ride!!

It was particulary nice to wander at dusk - the warmth was perfect and the views magical

 

where else would you come across an attractive young man, sitting in a window, reading a book?

                   

(Yes Granny, I walked the cobbled streets of Venice in those silly heels!!)

 

 

Lots of balconies to take in

 

 

...and slightly creepy masks

We didn't ride in a gondola and we didn't even see St Marks (gasp!) We got to The Rialto bridge and found it SO busy with tourists (why so many smelly armpits in this day and age?) and so hot and busy it was unbearable. Instead we saw it from the Vaperetto (water bus) and I looked at photos on the internet when I got back to see what I'd missed. (Cleggy had been before when a student)

BUSY

 One of my favourite places was Academia Bridge, where, inspired by a fairly recent novel, lovers write or engrave their initials in a padlock, attach it to the bridge and throw the key into the canal.

 Apparently they are unceremoniously removed by the authorities every now and again...

 

It was also fun visiting the markets near the Rialto - the fish was incredible

spot the crazy lady?it's NOT me!!

One of the oldest gondola repair yards - has been in action since the 17th Century

 One thing I was surprised about was the amount of graffiti - sad to see. Of course some of it might constitute art...

My favourite bit was on the side of a concrete post - Cleggy spotted it. Very subtle.

We took the late night vaporetto down the grand canal to see it by night - of which ALL my photos are rubbish! (MUST read the manual)

I love this image though - the statue outside the gallery was huge - but her shadow on the wall was even bigger!

 

On our last day took a boat out to Burano - a small island about an hour away but within the lagoon.

When I was doing my research (a bit I find as much fun as any holiday) I took one look at the photos of this place and knew I had to visit.

It was ACE. Pretty much every single house is painted in happy colours - and not just the houses on the main canals - every nook and cranny was colour. I took millions of photos and almost drove myself mad with the amount of times I commented on a particular colour combo. It even has it's own leaning tower.

If I had a boat it would look like this...

It really was as beautiful as the pictures...

We saved our spends for two special meals on our anniversary - which was our last full day. The first was in a restaurant in Burano and the evening meal was at The Riviera, on the wide canal overlooking Guidecca

 

It was special. So special there were no prices in my menu. (eeek!)

I later found out that there WERE prices in the man's copy (as if that still happens!) which Cleggy neglected to tell me, probably fearing I would blanket ban half the options. (I would!)

We were treated to the view of this magnificent ship sailing by at dusk...

It was amazing food, with a beautiful view and best of all my soul mate for company.

I can't tell you just how much I love him.

Fee x