Venice

Canals from Burano island near Venice

Venice, that most romantic of all cities, threaded with canals instead of streets. Bridges span the myriads of waterways. And, there are lots of dead ends into canals. But, that's all part of the draw of this unique island city. For the hard core walker, it is a dream, as even bicycles become impractical when every route crosses multiple bridges. Luggage also seems pretty impractical, so, pack light -- you will be carrying it up and down multiple bridges with accompanying stairs. Bring your comfy shoes to navigate the entirely cobblestone paved "streets". For those who get motion sickness on water, be forewarned that the public transportation system in Venice is water "busses".

Here were a few of my favorite things in Venice:

Gondolas on the canal

Gondola ride. If you're on a budget, you don't need to rent an entire gondola for 80-90 Euro for 40 minutes. They are not quite as romantic as the movies have made them out to be. I only heard one gondolier even singing! The alternative is to take the 2 Euro/person gondola ride across the Grand Canal at certain shopping locations. Only a minute ride but very worth it.

Riding along the sea barrier in Lido

Lido. One of my favorite mornings was spent taking the water bus to Lido, renting a bicycle, and cycling along the sea wall barrier. On one side of the pavement, the sea stretched into the horizon. And the other side was bordered by lush vegetation. Some locals even stopped to pick the raspberries along the barrier. About two thirds across the island, there is a tiny community called Malamacco. From the sea barrier, I rode a sloping gravel path down into Malamacco and around its streets.

St. Mark's Basilica

St. Mark's. There's a variety of sites to see in St. Mark's square. However, the Basilica is the pulling feature. It is free to enter; but, the lines are long. There are two ways to shorten the wait. The first is to bring a large enough backpack that they allow you to check it, which is a shorter entrance line. The second is to simply attend mass at apprx 6 pm. While you won't be able to walk through the church, you'll get to sit inside for a half hour during the service.

Mummy brought back by a Venetian explorer

Natural History Museum. Yet another museum that I could spend an entire day within! While the collection is a bit eclectic, its all intriguing. There are rooms dedicated to early Venetian explorers and the collections that they've brought back. There are rooms with fossils and rooms dedicated to animal flight. While the entire museum is captioned in Italian, upon purchasing a ticket, the staff immediately provides a translation guide of the major information into English.

Tiramisu

Food. In Venice, my favorite foods were cappuccino at a cappuccino bar (that means no seats -- standing at bar only), tiramisu, a Nutella crepe, and Alfredo's Pasta (ranked #1 in Venice on Trip Advisor). A word to the wise -- there are no free seats in Italy. If you sit down in any cafe/bar/restaurant, there is an automatic cover charge that is usually about 2 Euros. You don't even need to eat or drink anything. Just sitting incurs the cost.