Ciao, Venezia---our last day

We've had a beautiful trip and unfortunately, it's coming to an end soon.  This morning we woke up early (poor planning after last night's fun!) and enjoyed a tour of the highlights with Walks of Italy.  As we trekked across many of the 400 + bridges over the Venetian waterways, I was reminded of how difficult it must be to live and work here. The highlight at the end was a gondola ride through the canals. Just beautiful.

We decided to succumb to the wandering streets and do what any good tourist should do at least once per trip...get lost. Such fun. GPS quit working here and there, and the map? Ha! I used girl scout instincts and remembered the sun the same time yesterday was facing us as we looked across the Grand Canal. Bingo! That navigation method got us back on course.

Pat let me surprise her with the lunch order. I knew there were certain Venetian specialites that I really wanted to try, so I ordered a few: a "Spritz" for each of us to drink (a prosecco wine spritzer, the bitter version includes Aperol), marinated sardines and onions with pine nuts and raisins (nothing like those one gets in a can), cuttlefish with black squid ink over white polenta, and baby clams (beautiful varigated shells) over pesto with pasta. For dessert, we enjoyed the most delicious tiramisu I've ever tasted, along with that put-hair-on-your-chest espresso again.

As we wandered around for souvenirs and got lost again, the sun started setting and the air turned cooler. We took a few night pictures of St. Mark's Square (at least a pigeon didn't poop on me like the last time I was here) and found yet another gelato shop. 

Pat, thank you for being such an easy-going and fun-loving travel companion. I have had the pleasure of knowing you since I was 17 years old and first started dating your son--thirty years ago. It was so enjoyable traveling through Italy with you. I hope you remember it for all the years to come, as I know I will.

Happy Birthday and many more.

Love, Mich

Now THAT'S a proposal.

We had a little view of the Grand Canal from our hotel room--this was taken the morning of departure.

Scenic Venice on the Grand Canal

After one last breakfast on our terrace in view of the Duomo, we left Florence on the Freccia (fast) train around 10:00. Unfortunately, the earlier trains were booked.  Italian train stations are clean and organized.  They were also packed with tourists and locals.
We arrived into Venice around 12:30 starving, so we had the one mediocre meal of the trip--a slice of pizza at the station before boarding the vaporetto for another 45 minute ride to the hotel. It wasn't even that bad, but we were so spoiled by all the other meals that we have become food snobs. Hey, at least the lunch included a token to use the clean restroom for free. I had to pay 70 cents in a Rome bus station and 50 cents somewhere else, and we are talking about paying for squat over the hole in the ground type bathrooms (truthfully).
As we unknowingly boarded the wrong boat (which traveled one stop and we were informed to get off, that it was the end of the line), Pat and I laughed it off, walked a few feet, and boarded the correct slow boat.  We plugged in our Rick Steves audiotour and listened to him talk all about the sites along the Grand Canal of Venezia.
Our hotel was a block from the last stop, San Zaccaria.  Hotel Campiello is a classy place and we had plenty of room to stretch out here.  Around 6 pm, we walked across Rialto Bridge to meet a fun guy named Alessandro who led 8 of us through the baristas of Venice. He taught us some Italian, introduced us to cicheti (bar snacks like marinated octopus on crostini, fresh sliced prociutto, and half a boiled egg topped with a piece of anchovy), and red wine without sulfites they call "next door wine." We drank and laughed a lot, returned to the hotel and passed out without brushing our teeth. As Alessandro promised, the next morning, we woke up without even a hint of a hangover. Bellisimo.

Rialto Bridge

Alessandro and the Prosecco and prociutto stop

 So many Murano glass gifts to choose from...

What a ham