48 hours in Venice

Bridge of Sighs

What a great trip to Venice we had our friends the McGraths. It was a little dodgy getting there but once there it was a glorious 48 hours.

We left the day after we didn't get to go to Amsterdam. We knew there would be some snow on our route but we didn't correctly anticipate quite how much. Once the McGraths made it to our meeting spot (two of the three roads out of their town were closed due to fallen trees) we headed south. Less than an hour into a trip it got very, very, very snowy. 4-6" on the unplowed mountain roads. It was more than a bit slick. Steve and Cheryl did a fabulous job navigating through the snow and sliding up one mountain and thankfully not into anyone or anything else. Lots of cars were stuck and as we headed down another mountain there was a line of traffic behind a truck that couldn't get up the road, the driver was busy putting the chains on his wheels.

Cheryl & Missy - we made it, the sun is out!!

But the further south we headed the warmer it got and by the time we got to Venice (it only took two extra hours) it was awesome. We parked in the last two parking spots in the lot across from the main train station in Maestre. Our luck was changing! We hopped a train to Venice and walked through the winding streets to our hotel at the base of the Rialto bridge!

AJ & Missy

It was late afternoon but we had enough time to see Doge's Palace. The Palace was amazing and incredibly ornate. We all took our time across the Bridge of Sighs, sighing along the way. Apparently it's just a legend that prisoners sighed as they walked from the palace to the prison and took one last look at Venice. That is most likely true because you can't see much through the windows!

AJ, JC, Chris, Stefanie, Brianna & Rachel

View from The Bridge of Sighs

Afterwards, we walked along the water and checked out the bridge from the outside.

Steve & Missy

Rachel, AJ, JC, Chris, Stefanie & Brianna

Then we decided to find the famous "Harry's Bar". The adults enjoyed a bellini while the kids were sent to look for drinks outside - bellinis were too pricey for teens!

Steve, Missy, Cheryl & Steve

Saturday was a beautiful day. St Mark's was closed at the morning but Steve & Steve found us a tourism deal which included a free taxi ride to Murano. It was a great and quick ride and then we had a fabulous glass blowing demonstration. There was of course the obligatory hard sale to buy something in their store but we all safely walked away.

AJ & JC

Rachel, Brianna, Stefanie & Chris

The kids had fun exploring the island and finding fun souvenirs to buy. It's a pretty island and there are so many great shops to visit.

Chris, JC, AJ, Stefanie, Rachel & Brianna

 Afterwards we headed to Burano. This island is so very pretty with all of it's differently painted houses. We had lunch and Cheryl and I desperately tried to buy something with the lace that is made there but just couldn't find anything!

Murano

We did the must see Grand Canal boat ride next. It is nice to just cruise down the canal looking at all the grand and formerly grand mansions that line the canal.

The six kids wanted to have dinner on their own so we sent them out for a pizza night while we had a double date. We had a lovely dinner and then of course an even lovelier dessert and of course lemoncello and grappa.

Our last day in Venice we finally visited St Mark's. It had been a little tricky finding it open, the risk of visiting right before Easter. Everyone was properly awed by the size and intricacy of the designs. I think the kids really had the most fun on the roof overlooking the squares.

Roof of St Marks - Rachel, JC, Chris, AJ, Stefanie & Brianna

The Steve's opted out and we're sitting on St Mark's Square enjoying a beer when we came down. Cheryl and I joined them for a drink while the kids went to get gelatto.

Gondola rides were the last thing on our list. Since Steve and I had been on one we opted to take pictures. Cheryl and Steve had a romantic ride and the six kids had a fun one. Another great thing to do on a beautiful day in Venice!

Steve & Cheryl

JC, Brianna, Stefanie, Chris, Rachel & AJ

It was a great 48 hours and more than made up for the Amsterdam travel problems.