We arrived into Heathrow, an interesting place with a 2 hour wait at immigration before heading onward to Gatwick for a night of much needed rest. From Gatwick we caught an Easyjet flight to Venice.

Our Airbnb host in Mestre provided us with a few tips around visiting the island and we headed off to explore. Essentially he told us to “get lost” in the alleys and check out the least busy bridges...great advice! Our first evening we strolled through the old Venetian ghetto and found a little bar for a drink and some people watching. Lots of fashionable people strolling along with very sensible footwear for the cobblestone pathways. We found dinner, a bit of pasta, off the beaten track and continued our walk as the sun started to set...pictures say it all!

Our first day was filled with walking, and the second was a water day traveling on various boats. Our walking tour took us through alleyways on both sides of the grande canal into little shops, exploring more bridges, as well as some dead ends. For those of you who like to walk and talk you might end up in the canal as there aren’t any barriers! We did stop into Piazza San Marco, the Doge’s Palace and Frank explored the gelato vendors. The basilica is huge with different levels and back rooms, along with a terrace overlooking San Marco square. We visited the Doge’s Palace toward the end of the day when the crowd had thinned a bit, and weren’t disappointed. Day two we jumped on a waterbus and took a trip along the grande canal to Lido, over to Burano and then Murano. Lido is the thin strip of land that protects the lagoon from the Adriatic as well as providing a beach for kicking back. We were there long enough to have lunch and catch the next boat over to Burano, one of the islands about an hour boat ride from Venice. It’s a little community with brightly colored houses, more canals and bridges, and handmade linens etc... As we headed back to Venice we stopped at Murano famous for its glass blowing. All in all a quick couple of days in Venice to explore and take in some sunshine! It’s beautiful and a walker’s paradise, as long as it’s not high water season!