Day 6, it's Alex's 19th birthday, and we are on our travels again, this means an early start as we would have to check out of our caravan at around 8.40am.

Just before 9am we were making our way via taxi to Lake Garda station. Our train to Venice leaving at 10.07.

The trains in Italy are not only cheap but seem very reliable too, unlike another European country I could mention. The platforms are very low meaning it can be quite a struggle to lift a heavy suitcase on to the carriage, although the locals are very obliging helping us lift them on.

The journey from Lake Garda to Venice takes around 1.5 hours and rolls gently through the Italian countryside and various small villages as it makes it's way to it's final destination. The scenery around Verona looks beautiful avid somewhere worth a visit in the future.

The train was now slowing as it came across the bridge into Venice and we got our first glimpse of this unique City. As we were crossing the bridge an airliner was coming into Venice airport which gives it's passengers stunning views of Venice as I recall from the first time I visited Venice on our honeymoon almost exactly 10 years ago.

Once we were off the train it was a case of making our way to our hotel...by boat or rather boat bus service no.1 this is an expensive form of transport costing 7.50€ each.

It soon became obvious that Millie our 16 year old was loving Venice snapping away on her camera. The buildings here have so much character, and along with the gondolas and various other watercraft it is full of hustle and bustle.

Our Hotel (hotel Mignon) was a short walk from the boat bus stop, and amazingly we came across a McDonalds on the way in one of the streets... This after joking that we would find one but not believing this would happen.

This hotel is hidden away down a little pathway but it is beautiful inside.

As we had arrived too early for check in we decided to go and explore the streets of Venice, winding our way through the maze of streets and crossing the occasional canal which was usually an excuse to take another photograph, Venice must be one of the most photographed places in the world.

The temperature was now very warm and we found ourselves walking for a far greater distance to what we anticipated, it is very easy to get lost first of all even with a map vas especially if your eye sight is not good enough to read the small print. It's amazing though how quickly you start to recognise your surroundings.

Our aim was to get to Accademia where we had heard it is cheaper to eat. We eventually found a cafe which wasn't that cheap in the end but sometimes you just get to that point where your feet won't take you any further.

After lunch we meandered our way through the streets all of which are free of traffic and each of them unique with a shop, cafe or restaurant often found along the way, there are also some amazing religious buildings, churches and the like, with incredible and ornate, detailed interiors.

By the time we found our way across the Rialto Bridge and back to our hotel we were all a bit hot and bothered and ready to relax for a while and then freshen up ready for a night out to celebrate Alex's 19th birthday. We had splashed out on a bottle of Lemoncello and Prosecco on our walk earlier and would demolish these later in the evening.

Alex had also bought a new suitcase which was a mere 29 Euros and a pair of new shoes to boot (excuse the pun).

There is something for everyone when it comes to shopping here , ranging from the tacky gift shops and to the other extreme, some of the most exclusive clothing and fashion brands the latter of which are sited close to St. Marks Square. There are lots of shops that sell masquerade masks strangely enough not sure why this is, also shops selling local Morano glass and no shortage of exclusive shops selling handbags and shoes, some so expensive they are not priced , although I did spot a rather nice pair of shoes priced at just 595€ - just outside my price range you could say.

Eventually we would return to our Hotel and would soon be taken to our room which was out of the hotel and was infact on the other side of the pathway...our room was fantastic one room for all five of us, a junior suite...and with a contemporary four poster bed, very impressive.

Incidentally, prior to arriving in Venice we read that it was no longer legal to drag suitcases along the streets of Venice, we however saw no sign of this being the case.

In Venice everything closes down at around 10pm so with this in mind and given the fact we had a birthday to celebrate we made an early start to the evenings proceedings.

Eating out on holiday is in my opinion one of the best and worst parts of the holiday. By which I mean, once you have settled at and chosen a restaurant the experience is usually very enjoyable, with nice food, pleasant company and with the drink flowing... However it is what precedes this that is the problem and can often be very stressful.

This is the part where you walk for what seems an eternity trying to find that perfect place for dinner, one that serves the right food and at the right price especially when there are 5 of you... This occasion was no exception and the stress was compounded by the fact that one of girls who was wearing shoes not suitable for walking on for more than a few minutes wanted to go back to the hotel vas change them!

So to cut a long story short we eventually made it back to the hotel to change Millie's shoes and eventually settled on a nice little taverna and sat in a little hidden square, the owner / waiter seemed good fun and we sat and chose our dishes... And drinks , feeling a little thirsty and in the mood to celebrate I ordered a Grande beer...and it was HUGE probably getting on for a couple of pints worth. When I saw the price on the menu I'm sure it said. 5.50€ for one of these but that would come back to haunt me and contributed to what was in the end a large bill, but it was worth it and we all had a couple of drinks each and a desert too.

The girls all had pizza dishes,Josie had a tortellini dish and I had a Calzone. Prior to the food arriving , Millie had gone to the toilet and on her way back near to our table she tripped on a step and fell over , fortunately she had only grazed her leg. A young couple who it turned out were from Colchester in Essex helped out with a couple of plasters for her which was nice

Infact, prior to reaching Venice we had hardly heard any English voices, but once we arrived in Venice that soon changed with several US accents heard amongst others.

The meal was lovely and the staff verb sang happy birthday to Alex too (Josie had informed them earlier)... They even put a candle in her desert. Talking of deserts Alex chose a sorbet, but they explained this was not available - they could though offer alternative which had vodka and prosecco in it...Alex's face lit up in a split second so she was happy.

The evening was very pleasant but it was now time to ask for the bill... 147€ Wow! And those 5.50€ beers were infact 13€ each...like they say if something is too good to be true it usually is.

After the meal we went down to see the Grand Canal at night which was lovely and we took quite a few more photographs.

The evening finished off in style when we cracked open the Prosecco and had a cheeky glass of Lemoncello too. Tomorrow we would wake up in Venice but end the day in Rome.