We ventured out of Catalunya this year for the beginning of the year and headed up north to Venice. We stayed in an apartment on the Giudecca island facing the canal and San Marco. I put together a slideshow movie where you can see random images, somewhat in chronological order. Most of the shots of the canal were taken from our apartment window, including the firework scene.
Venice is such a fantasy place, even though people do still live there. Although overrun by tourists, and I can only imagine what it's like in summertime, the city holds on to its magic. I think we spent most of the time walking and getting lost among the narrow streets, small canals, and endless bridges (not an easy feat with a child and a carriage, but doable once you get the system down!). Venice is a system of approximately 120+ islands connected by the famous bridge-stairs. At one time, every island had its own functioning church.
I had been to Venice a long time ago, and only for a day, so I was delighted to explore more. Venice is famous for it's masks and Carnevale gear as well as Murano glass (from the small island of Murano nearby). I was surprised to see just how many stores there were throughout the islands selling masks and glass and more masks and more glass. The amount of product was unbelievable. I wondered who ever bought so much. This time around we just ended up a small pin for Isabel, which she proudly wore for days.
It was wonderful to walk around with not a car in sight once we got past the entrypoints (bus and train stations) into the island. To get around longer distances, you have to have your own boat, take "vaporetti," small ferries sort of like a metro system on the canals, or call a water taxi. Everything is done by boat. We even saw a water ambulance, a fire "truck" and a funeral "hearse." Deliveries are done by boat and dropped off the quays. On the island where we stayed, there is a supermarket on the quay. I was looking out of our window one day and saw that they received their supplies by a semi-truck on some sort of barge.
We also did a day trip to Padua to see the Scrovegni Chapel and look around at yet another medieval city.
