Venice happened in January. It was cold, windy and rainy but beautiful nonetheless. A whole bunch of us crew went out together which is great, like a tour group of multi-nationalities. Hotel rooms were pretty fabulous and it's an easy walk to the bus stop where we hop on to go Piazzale Roma. From there we took the public boat to Rialto.
A slow and distracting stroll (many shops along the way and places for pictures) later we find ourselves at the must-go St Mark's Square. It's a popular spot for tourists and pigeons, also the lowest point of Venice where floods can be a threat. On one side of the square you can see the 4 famous Saint Mark's Horses but those were replicas. The real deal is in the Basilica, sheltered and protected. We didn't enter the Basilica as it was getting late, and there was a queue and entrance fees involved.
Many photos later we wandered into the back alleys in search of something to eat. Herein lies many tourists traps - souvenir shops, over-priced Italian restaurants, McDonald's (but of course...). We settled for one of the said Italian restaurants and ordered various pasta, pizza and tiramisu items. Sucking up to the atmosphere I bought a Venetian mask - a rustic black and gold, cat-shaped mask.Outing ended with a gelato, walk in the rain, the grand canal at night, and a visit to the supermarket on the way back to hotel.
More pictures here.
