Lastnight our host family printed a suggested itinerary for us based on only a single day in Venice without a travel pass. They also told us a bit about what to expect at Murano and Burano. They shared their favourite restaurant and ice cream shops and also the things that they enjoy most in Venice. We decided that we couldn’t come this far and not see all of it so we came to terms with the fact that we would need to spend 100 Euros on a day pass. However, we needed to get into Venice to buy our ticket.
We were up at 7:00 and had our Frosties for breakfast (thanks Sandra). Then we dressed into our coolest clothes because we knew it was going to be a hot day. Nadia (our host) drove us to the train station at 8:00. We purchased 5 tickets to Venizia Santa Lucia (9.50 Euros) and walked straight onto the train. We had to connect to a different train at Mestre but a fellow passenger was very kind to show us which platform to get to. We walked straight onto that train and by 8:45 we were in Venice!
We met a passenger on the train who spoke English and directed us toward a booth where we could purchase our day pass. When we spoke to the woman at the desk she asked about the age of the kids and then told us it would be 70 euros (much cheaper than the 100 we would have paid the day before). We were quite excited to have saved so much money and she was happy that we were excited. She said that she wished all of her customers were like us.
Next we set out on foot to explore the city using the guide that Nadia and her family provided. We were amazed at how the canals seemed to be an every day part of living in this city. The canals are an integral part of the transportation system in Venice. They also have several alleys, some much more narrow than others. While we were walking the streets it was still very quiet and not crowded at all. The shops were just opening and setting up their seating on the streets. The buildings in the city look very old and tired… and completely different from what we saw in Switzerland.
Another thing we noticed was how much the city caters to tourists. We couldn’t walk more that a few feet without seeing a souvenir shop or street vendor. They all seemed to have the same things too. We walked through several alleys and crossed a few bridges. Before we knew it we were half way through Venice. We decided to get onto a boat to get a different view of the city. The boat we caught was quite crowded and we couldn’t sit together. We did manage to get window seats and enjoy the view. It was crazy watching boats with huge bags and boxes of supplies, fishing boats, boats with cranes, dredging boats, and even car ferry boats. It was very smoggy down town and watching all the exhaust from the boats it wasn’t hard to see why.
When we arrived in Santa Marco we got off and decided to find a boat that took us out to Murano. We found a boat station that had a sign saying to go to the next dock. When we got there we realized it was only for a tour and were directed to the boat station a bit further down the road. We eventually found the correct place and after a short wait we were on our way. It was about a 30 minute ride around the island of Venizia to Murano. t is neat how there are poles that guide the boats. It almost looks like a highway on water… you just have to stay between the poles. We got off on the second stop at Murano and transferred directly onto the boat that took us out to Burano.
Burano is quite different from the busy streets of Venizia. It was very quiet and the houses were all brightly painted. Everything looked well taken care of. It seemed like we just walked through mostly residential areas with a few shops along the way. There was a main path that had several street vendors and stores along the side but for the most part it was very quiet. After wandering the island the temperature started getting very hot and humid. We decided to look for a geocache, then we started looking for a place to have lunch. We found an empty restaurant with decent prices so we walked in and sat down. When we looked at the menu I noticed there was a cover charge of 3 euros for each person. We asked if it was for all 5 of us and when they said “yes” we decided not to eat there. Instead we ordered traditional Italian pizzas at the outdoor restaurant just across from the boat station. It was only 7.50 – 9.00 for a pizza so we ordered 3 and enjoyed our meal in the shade with a nice cool breeze. There was also a water fountain across the street that had a line of people filling up water bottles. We finished our water and refilled our bottles before catching a boat back to Murano.
When we arrived in Murano we walked along the canal and popped into the glass blowing stores along the way (mostly for the air conditioning). A few placed had glass blowing demonstrations but since we already experienced that in Switzerland we decided not to pay the 20 euros. One of the stores had a video on a large screen that showed the process. The kids especially enjoyed sitting in the air conditioned shop watching the video. The glass blowing here is incredible. One of the shops had a sign out front that said no pieces made in China, all 100% Murano glass blowing. We got a chuckle out of that. We also made our way to a huge glass Christmas tree on display at a popular square. Next we decided to find another geocache before making our way back to the boat. This time though, the man running the flow of people at the boat station was terrible. The signs told us to catch boat 2.4 or 4 to go back to Venizia. We were there 2 minutes before the boat left but the man wouldn’t let anyone past the gate. By the time he opened the gate to let us through the boat had dropped off some passengers and left. We had to wait another 20 minutes for the next boat! He seemed very disorganized and the line up was very long. When the next boat approached he let us all go onto the platform before it unloaded. It was the most frustrating part of our day (which really wasn’t all that bad).
After arriving back at San Marco we walked along the promenade a bit. Then we visited the Basilica of San Marco. We could not all go in at the same time because we were not allowed to bring our backpacks. Instead, Tavis went in with the kids and did teh self-guided tour while I stood outside guarding the bags. When they finished, Ayva came through again with me. We could have gone up to the top of the building and viewed the streets but it was 5 euros, not very high, and we were too hot to go up. This chapel was amazing though. It was not like anything we have seen in Germany or Switzerland. The detail was immaculate and grand. There were gold statues and artwork and the enormous pillars all seemed to be made of different types of stone. many different types of stone. I admit that I don’t truly appreciate churches but this one wowed me!
Next we found a spot to view the Ponte Dei Sospiri which is one of the symbolic bridges of Venice. To be honest we didn’t really get the whole meaning of it so we just took a photo and continued on our way. I guess the walking tour would have been helpful here. The heat and humidity was really started to get to us so we walked through the alleys trying to find a smoothie shop which we found earlier in the day. We eventually found one and all of us enjoyed cold fruit beverages which helped cool us down and quench our thirst as we had run out of water. We then decided that we had seen enough of Venice so we walked through the winding alleys and over bridges all the way to the bus station.
This bus station was not as easy to navigate as we had hoped. We knew we had to catch bus 53E but didn’t see any signs for that bus. We asked 2 different people who kept pointing further down the street. We eventually saw our bus pulling up to the very end of the bus station. It was very crowded so instead of sitting we stood at one of the connecting parts that had air conditioning. It felt quite nice but the 30 minute bus ride on our feet wasn’t as relaxing as we had hoped. We met a nice woman who helped us find the right place to get off and told us where to go for groceries. We went to the local Coop and bought grapes, pasta, lasagna, 3 litres of water (50 cents), and 1.5 litres of iced tea (75 cents). We then walked the 10 minutes back to the house.
Once home we made dinner and also did a load of laundry (thanks again Sandra for the soap). We now have enough clean underwear to last the rest of the trip. We are now packing our bags and getting ready to move on to our next destination… Pisa, then La Spezia.