TRAVEL
first destination was to make our way
to St. Marks Square. I am bound to say
that I could not help just standing in
the square for some while just taking in
the surroundings and almost pinching
myself at this unique destination. In
addition to the most wonderful
architecture and history of the
square itself, San Marco represents
one of the most beautiful churches
with fascinating architecture of
both Eastern and Western culture.
We were advised that the church
was consecrated in 832 AD. We had
been warned that to wine and dine
within St. Marks Square would be
an expensive experience which was
evidenced by the fact that during the
afternoon of our visit I purchased
four ice creams costing £10 each!
I was determined to visit the
famous Rialto Bridge which crosses
the Grand Canal into the heart of
Venice and over 400 years old. We
also visited the Rialto Market; an
interesting and lively place with
many other surrounding local shops
and speciality glass, pottery and a
variety of colourful handcrafted masks.
Some of the masks were paper mâché
and I couldn’t resist purchasing one as
a memento. My friends had decided to
book tickets for a local concert taking
place in one of the local churches. We
booked a local side street restaurant
that had been recommended by the
local police, to enjoy an evening dinner
after the performance was due to finish
just after 9pm. An audience of over 100
people watched a fascinating string
quartet from China and the encores
extended to nearly 10pm. As the
restaurant advertised closure at this time
we had more or less resigned ourselves to
abandon any idea of food that evening.
However, we made our way to the
restaurant and as we looked down the
long narrow street we saw this hearty
Italian chef standing in the middle of
the street looking towards us. We waved
to him which was returned with a huge
hearty smile and a gesture to follow him
into his restaurant. What an evening
that turned out to be; we were given
a complementary bottle of wine and
several courses of the most wonderful
Italian food as he and his family enjoyed
entertaining us until nearly 1am behind
closed doors.
The following day we had decided to
go our own ways to explore the city and
report to each other over dinner in the
evening. Whilst we had considered a
gondola experience we decided to make
our way to the Vaporetto Water Bus
ticket office and explained our desire to
see as much of the city as possible and
were encouraged to purchase a one day
Waterbus Travel Card, which enabled us
to hop on and off over the day travelling
over many of the water ways and official
routes and at the same time taking in
the wonderful scenery, with many people
on board wishing to give us their own
personal tourist guide. The main Rialto
Bridge Restaurant is perhaps one of the
finest located within the city but at the
same time one of the most expensive
specialising in exquisite foods with a
wonderful evening atmosphere. Whilst
walking over the bridge back to our guest
house I witnessed the waiters preparing
the tables delicately for evening dinner
and ventured down to speak to them and
was informed that the restaurant was
fully booked many weeks in advance, but
so that we could experience the setting a
receptive young Italian waiter allowed us
to purchase a coffee and sit at a table for
a short while as a special treat.
We decided to conclude our stay
with a visit to two of the most popular
islands, Murano, which is famous for its
glass making and Burano, which boasts
a host of wonderful coloured houses
and is very famous for its lace making.
The boat trip to these islands was so
worthwhile, let alone the experience of
quite different lifestyles.
As we returned once again across the
Venetian lagoon to the airport for our
flight home I looked back from the boat
reflecting on what had been a wonderful
experience on one of th