Venice – Murano and Burano

We landed in Venice at 1pm where we were met by a driver and taken to the canal for our Water Taxi ride to our apartment – there are no cars in Venice centre. It was a great way to get our first taste of Venice. We started on the Grande Canal which was like a highway, very busy with constant boat traffic.

Just before turning in to a side street we got to see our first famous landmark, the Rialto Bridge.

We turned off into a series of smaller canals (streets) and got to see how skilled the boat drivers were. Small and large boats mixed with Gondolas along increasingly narrow waterways.

We arrived at our apartment 20 minutes later which had its own access right on the Canal, perfect.

Our friends Ed and Shelly had already arrived, so after a quick catchup and freshen up we headed out to explore for the afternoon. Directly up the alley from our apartment was the first of many Piazzas.

The city is beautiful, a maze of streets and alleys through ancient buildings/Casas, linking piazzas throughout the island. We quickly found a place to grab a snack. A Salumi platter, and a drink of course.

We then headed off to try and find Piazza San Marco. This is when we realized how much of a maze the streets were, it was hilarious. The walk should be 5-10 minutes, it took us over half an hour after getting lost many times. So many alleys and bridges,and none are straight.

We finally got there, and it was beautiful, the Basillica San Marco was just stunning – covered in beautiful mosaics and marble- the spoils of the crusades.

It was just a quick stop, as we would be coming back for a tour. We found a place nearby for dinner and then started our walk back to the apartment. Another 30min confused walk traveling twice as far as we needed. Luckily we made it home before dark!

Murano and Burano

The following day we caught a ferry across to tour two of the neighboring islands Murano and Burano.

Murano is famous for its Glass making using colourful oxides, hand sculpting and blowing. The island is dominated by factories and shops selling Murano glassware and sculptures.

After walking the streets and looking at far too many glass shops we stopped to watch a demonstration of the Masters at work – their skills are quite amazing.

Before leaving we went back to our favourite shop and bought a momento.

Another ferry and we were at Burano. The island is famous for its colourful houses and its lace making.

We went in search of a restaurant that a guy in Murano had recommended. After a couple of laps of the island and a few more thousand steps we finally found it – and it was closed for the week!!!!$@&

Disappointed and tired we headed back to a restaurant we had seen earlier and enjoyed a late afternoon lunch.

Just after lunch the forecast storm started to roll in so we raced back to the ferry and headed back to Venice. That evening we grabbed dinner in a restaurant close by – great Pizza and then it was as early to bed after a long day.