Adventures in Italy: Venice
This is how the Italy vacation started. My friends, Linda and Chris, ran into Hilary and I at dinner one night so they joined us. They were talking about how they signed up for Challenge Venice 140.6 and how excited they were about it. I looked at Hilary and said that we should go cheer them on. Hilary happily agreed and we started working on a plan. Thanks Linda and Chris for helping get my Italy vacation started. Venice was a beautiful city. We didn't have any plans when we went and I think we enjoyed that. Our favorite moments were getting lost in the alleys and canals and just enjoying it. We randomly followed locals to see what bakery they shopped at and again enjoyed plenty of gelato.
Day 8: The day started with an uneventful drive into Florence and to the train station to get to Venice. I have rarely used trains to get around but it is the easiest way to get around Italy. The trains are pretty nice with air conditioning (except on the smaller ones which we learned later), reserved seating, and an ability to charge your electronics. We usually used this time to get some reading done or to review some pictures we had already taken. We arrived in Venice around 1 and got some lunch after confusion on the time to meet our Airbnb host (his fault, not ours). It is crazy how busy things are around the train station in Venice. So many people and things are very overpriced in that general area. We ended up grabbing lunch in this area but luckily it wasn't too expensive and the pasta was good. We met our host's friend on a bridge near the Jewish Ghetto (always entertaining to find the host for these Italian Airbnbs). The apartment was nice with a second bed in the loft and it had air conditioning! We had planned to meet Chris, Linda, and Turbo for dinner at 6:30 so we had a few hours to walk around and see the sites. This is when we enjoyed walking the island and getting lost in alleys and passing over canals. This city is so beautiful and being surrounded by water everywhere just makes me happy. Random note, there is no grass in Venice so the poor dogs in the city have to do their business on the streets. We stumbled upon so many churches and all have their own unique design so I would just pop my head in for a glance. We ended the journey in the Piazza San Marco admiring the Basilica and Doge's Palace. We didn't go in either, but now I have something for the next trip. We met Linda, Chris, Turbo, and the rest of their cheering crowd for dinner on one of the main streets. We enjoyed the company but the food was nothing in comparison with the previous food we had. We found gelato and called it a night.
Day 9: Race Day and Trip to Murano Island
Race day always makes me feel happy, especially when I am not racing. Hilary and I decided that we needed to go wish them luck and cheer on the swim start since we were staying minutes away from the start. I became the official Facebook race updater for Chris, Linda, and Turbo so that everyone at home could keep track of them. They all seemed semi ready for the race and we enjoyed being able to keep them calm and ready. We left them a little late so we actually had to run over the bridge to get a view of Linda and Turbo starting. I am very jealous of the swim since they swam 2.4 miles from Venice to the mainland (epic swim). Then they has 112 miles of biking through the Italian countryside and 26.2 miles running five horribly turny loops around an unshaded park. We stayed to watch them start the swim (and took our race photographer roles very seriously). Then back to bed for a bit (up at 5am is too early on vacation).
We finally got moving to try to catch a free walking tour, but sadly it was booked (we needed someone to drop to get in) so we followed some locals to a bakery and made the most of our morning. We caught the water taxi to Murano Island and enjoyed looking at Murano glass in every form you can imagine. Everything was beautiful, but not cheap. If I had room in my house, I would have dropped some money, but luckily I have no more room in my house. I did end up buying a pretty necklace, but mostly we just walked around and enjoyed looking into different stores. We grabbed pizza back in Venice for lunch and walked around a bit more. We went back for another nap (vacation is wonderful) before going to cheer on the racers on the run. We took the bus over to the mainland to get off at the park to watch the runners. The run course was so confusing and twisted and hot! The runners already looked miserable and it was only 6 (race finish at 11:15). We hung out where we could see the runners at two parts of the course and I started cheering. There were not many people cheering so I felt it was my duty to help the racers out. We saw Chris, Linda, and Turbo many times and were able to hopefully cheer them up for a bit. We made the mistake of not putting on bug spray and were punished for it. The mosquitos were horrible and we couldn't do anything about it. Reminder to self, if hanging out in a park, use bug spray first. It was so much fun watching Chris and Turbo finish with smiles on their face. Linda was struggling with horrible knee pain (which I can relate to) so she was power walking. I joined for small bits to ensure she was doing ok. I admire her pushing through a marathon with sharp knee pain at every step. It takes determination and a bit of craziness. The Challenge staff started to take down the run course about an hour before the race ended so we started to worry about Linda and Hilary and I decided to go find her to ensure she was safe and moving forward. To prove how twisty the course was, Hilary and I actually had no idea where to go so we started to just walk it backwards and then had to just wait for Linda since they had already taken down the cones and banners marking the course. Linda was still power walking and we enjoyed the last 1.5 miles with her. She was that last finisher and enjoyed a huge celebration with the Challenge Staff when she crossed the finish line, complete with a Prosecco shower. All three finished with smiles on their faces and received their Murano glass medals.
The story for the day should end here but it didn't. We didn't exactly know where the bus stop was and if it would still be running after 11pm on a Sunday. I decided to go ask the ambulance drivers to see if we could get directions (with a huge hope that they would help us with a ride). Much to my surprise, after giving hard directions to the bus stop, they just told us to jump in the ambulance and they would get us there. They saved us so much time and allowed us to make it back into town before all the cafes closed for the night. We made it back to Venice around 11:30, grabbed quick sandwiches, and passed out after the long, itchy day.
I loved Venice! I was happy with our two days there (only missed a few tours of the Basilica and Doge's Palace). It is a very cute area and around every turn is beautiful picture perfect scenery. I am not in a hurry to head back, but loved our days there.
Day 8: The day started with an uneventful drive into Florence and to the train station to get to Venice. I have rarely used trains to get around but it is the easiest way to get around Italy. The trains are pretty nice with air conditioning (except on the smaller ones which we learned later), reserved seating, and an ability to charge your electronics. We usually used this time to get some reading done or to review some pictures we had already taken. We arrived in Venice around 1 and got some lunch after confusion on the time to meet our Airbnb host (his fault, not ours). It is crazy how busy things are around the train station in Venice. So many people and things are very overpriced in that general area. We ended up grabbing lunch in this area but luckily it wasn't too expensive and the pasta was good. We met our host's friend on a bridge near the Jewish Ghetto (always entertaining to find the host for these Italian Airbnbs). The apartment was nice with a second bed in the loft and it had air conditioning! We had planned to meet Chris, Linda, and Turbo for dinner at 6:30 so we had a few hours to walk around and see the sites. This is when we enjoyed walking the island and getting lost in alleys and passing over canals. This city is so beautiful and being surrounded by water everywhere just makes me happy. Random note, there is no grass in Venice so the poor dogs in the city have to do their business on the streets. We stumbled upon so many churches and all have their own unique design so I would just pop my head in for a glance. We ended the journey in the Piazza San Marco admiring the Basilica and Doge's Palace. We didn't go in either, but now I have something for the next trip. We met Linda, Chris, Turbo, and the rest of their cheering crowd for dinner on one of the main streets. We enjoyed the company but the food was nothing in comparison with the previous food we had. We found gelato and called it a night.
Day 9: Race Day and Trip to Murano Island
Race day always makes me feel happy, especially when I am not racing. Hilary and I decided that we needed to go wish them luck and cheer on the swim start since we were staying minutes away from the start. I became the official Facebook race updater for Chris, Linda, and Turbo so that everyone at home could keep track of them. They all seemed semi ready for the race and we enjoyed being able to keep them calm and ready. We left them a little late so we actually had to run over the bridge to get a view of Linda and Turbo starting. I am very jealous of the swim since they swam 2.4 miles from Venice to the mainland (epic swim). Then they has 112 miles of biking through the Italian countryside and 26.2 miles running five horribly turny loops around an unshaded park. We stayed to watch them start the swim (and took our race photographer roles very seriously). Then back to bed for a bit (up at 5am is too early on vacation).
We finally got moving to try to catch a free walking tour, but sadly it was booked (we needed someone to drop to get in) so we followed some locals to a bakery and made the most of our morning. We caught the water taxi to Murano Island and enjoyed looking at Murano glass in every form you can imagine. Everything was beautiful, but not cheap. If I had room in my house, I would have dropped some money, but luckily I have no more room in my house. I did end up buying a pretty necklace, but mostly we just walked around and enjoyed looking into different stores. We grabbed pizza back in Venice for lunch and walked around a bit more. We went back for another nap (vacation is wonderful) before going to cheer on the racers on the run. We took the bus over to the mainland to get off at the park to watch the runners. The run course was so confusing and twisted and hot! The runners already looked miserable and it was only 6 (race finish at 11:15). We hung out where we could see the runners at two parts of the course and I started cheering. There were not many people cheering so I felt it was my duty to help the racers out. We saw Chris, Linda, and Turbo many times and were able to hopefully cheer them up for a bit. We made the mistake of not putting on bug spray and were punished for it. The mosquitos were horrible and we couldn't do anything about it. Reminder to self, if hanging out in a park, use bug spray first. It was so much fun watching Chris and Turbo finish with smiles on their face. Linda was struggling with horrible knee pain (which I can relate to) so she was power walking. I joined for small bits to ensure she was doing ok. I admire her pushing through a marathon with sharp knee pain at every step. It takes determination and a bit of craziness. The Challenge staff started to take down the run course about an hour before the race ended so we started to worry about Linda and Hilary and I decided to go find her to ensure she was safe and moving forward. To prove how twisty the course was, Hilary and I actually had no idea where to go so we started to just walk it backwards and then had to just wait for Linda since they had already taken down the cones and banners marking the course. Linda was still power walking and we enjoyed the last 1.5 miles with her. She was that last finisher and enjoyed a huge celebration with the Challenge Staff when she crossed the finish line, complete with a Prosecco shower. All three finished with smiles on their faces and received their Murano glass medals.
The story for the day should end here but it didn't. We didn't exactly know where the bus stop was and if it would still be running after 11pm on a Sunday. I decided to go ask the ambulance drivers to see if we could get directions (with a huge hope that they would help us with a ride). Much to my surprise, after giving hard directions to the bus stop, they just told us to jump in the ambulance and they would get us there. They saved us so much time and allowed us to make it back into town before all the cafes closed for the night. We made it back to Venice around 11:30, grabbed quick sandwiches, and passed out after the long, itchy day.
I loved Venice! I was happy with our two days there (only missed a few tours of the Basilica and Doge's Palace). It is a very cute area and around every turn is beautiful picture perfect scenery. I am not in a hurry to head back, but loved our days there.