Despite a comfy bed, I had a shocking night last night. I woke almost every 2 hours, a combination of cigarette smoke drifting in the open window, an early morning coughing fit, an overdose of breakfast prunes having an explosive result in the middle of the night (!), an inconsiderate client ringing Neil at 4am, and the nearby church bells going crazy at 6 am. Travel is not always wonderful!
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| The Gardena Pass |
However, we didn’t need to rush this morning as the drive to Venice wasn’t long. The clouds had rolled in again and we left Castelrotto with a sinking sensation that the Dolomites would be hidden from us. However, as we drove through the Val Gardena and up to the spectacular Gardena Pass the clouds drifted away and the massive, grey, craggy Dolomite mountains were revealed in all their drama. They are unlike any mountains I’ve ever seen, incredibly high, jutting and jagged peaks.
We drove over a succession of passes and boggled at the continuing succession of ski resorts. We passed through the towns where they held the 1956 Winter Olympics as well as the place that will host the upcoming World Ski championships. Of course at this time of year they are all very quiet and most hotels etc are shut but there are still plenty of keen hikers around, wielding their fancy walking sticks.
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| Neil giving the Cable Car a thumbs-down… |
At the Falzarego pass we stopped briefly to consider taking the cable car up to the heights for a closer view of the peaks, but Neil took one look at the cable car and gave it a thumbs down! Not the ideal place for anyone with vertigo. It also wasn’t the ideal place to desperately need to pee, I guess I’ve been lucky to avoid them up til now but this was the first time I’ve had to use one of the dreaded squat toilets. Not what I’m accustomed to!!
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| Squat toilet? hmmmmm… |
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| Taxi to the hotel |
It took about 2 hours to drive from the heights of the passes down to sea level at Venice, and it really WAS downhill, every single step of the way. But at nearly 3pm we were driving the causeway across the lagoon to the city. We felt fortunate to find a parking spot in the massive Piazzale Roma parking garage where we’d been told to leave our rental car, but once we’d handed over the keys it was a short walk down to the canal and onto a water taxi for the 20 minute ride to the hotel.
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| Neil was very happy to be in beautiful Venice |
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| We had to dodge a boat race |
What a thrill to finally be on the Grand Canal and puttering past gondolas, and other oats of all shapes and sizes. The traffic seemed a little chaotic, Neil thought the boatmen drove on the water exactly the same way that most Italians do on the road! We managed to get slightly tangled with a colourful group of boats and boatmen engaged in a race just in front of tje Palazzo Ducale but eventually our driver was heading up the side canal, under the Bridge of Sighs to the landing stage of the Columbina Hotel where we will spend our last 3 nights in Italy.
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| The Bridge of Sighs |
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| The view from our room! |
Checkin went smoothly until the clerk explained apologetically that they had a technician fixing the lift and that we’d have to walk up 4 flights but at least the bellboy helped with the luggage! It was worth the effort when we reached the room- it’s charming, decorated in grand Venetian style and has a wonderful view straight down the canal to he Bridge of Sighs and the Grand Canal beyond. We wandered down to St Marks square and I was a bit dismayed to see that the top of St Marks Basilica is covered with that European menace , scaffolding!! . So no wonderful pictures of the basilica for us! The square and waterfront was packed with tourists so we wandered through back lanes, stumbling on little campos ams pretty shops, and taking note of a nice little restaurant near the Grand Fenice Theatre where we returned later for dinner.
In the hotel room in the early evening we listened to the musicians and singers drifting past on the gondolas below our window and the colossal noise of St Matks bells ringing at 6.30 and 7 pm. We heard them again later when we were at our restaurant and are hoping they don’t start too early in the morning, we are very close to St Marks and the bells Re LOUD!
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| Mixed venetian seafood specialties – delicious! |
At the restaurant we had a wonderful entree of Venetian seafood specialties, I particularly loved the marinated Sardines, followed by a couple of tasty pizzas.
The walk back to the hotel was wonderful, it was so much quieter in the evening when all the bus and cruise crowds had returned to their hotels on the mainland and their cruise ship. The gondolas bob up and down on the water and beautiful San Giorgio Maggiore Church is lit up against the sky across the canal. The orchestras were still playing at the cafes in St Marks square but now you could really appreciate them.
The view down “our” canal at night is so beautiful, Venice really is an extraordinary place! I can’t wait to explore more tomorrow…