Walking Through A Picture Book

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Venice, Italy

We got up early and made a quick exit from the hotel to head to Venice.  We stopped along the way to grab breakfast and find a bank.  Once again we failed in selecting the water without gas (co2), might be great for Europeans - but it's just not for us.

This trip we were successful in finding the train station that we had been unable to find on our previous visit to Venice.  Although it took sometime to find it.  The train ride was uneventful, we enjoyed our final minutes with air conditioning.  The temperatures in Venice were in the mid 90's and the establishments aren't equipped appropriately for cooling.  On the same note - the 90's were a welcome change from our weather in London.

Jen & Mark in Venice
Venice, Italy

Abbey's First View of Venice
Venice, Italy

We made our way to the Hotel Rialto on the Grand Canal near the Rialto Bridge.  The view from our room was the Grand Canal.  

Hotel Rialto Room View
Venice, Italy

After checking into our hotel we explored Venice and the various shops while sampling local Italian cuisine, including fresh fruit, pizza and gelato.  After that we took Abbey to see St. Mark's Square where we relaxed and people watched while enjoying some extraordinarily overpriced drinks.

Abbey & Jen in St. Mark's Square
Venice, Italy

Dinner for the evening was at La Porta D'Acqua.  The table shared an appetizer of zucchini blossoms and bruschetta.  We shared 4 dishes for the main course, shells stuffed with ricotta in a red sauce, mushrooms and sausage with pasta in a white sauce, grilled tuna and veal with mushrooms.  The proprietor of the establishment provided entertainment and top notch service.  For dessert we indulged on tiramisu, which was very good.

Grand Canal at Night
Venice, Italy

Rialto Bridge at Night
Venice, Italy