Early October in Venice

We have enjoyed all of our Gate 1 tours in Europe. We see them as a sampler to give us inspiration on places we want to return to on our own. One of the places that was high on our list was Venice. We were there in April 2018 and while we found it fascinating, the overcrowding really diminished our experience. My memories of the visit are vague because I was so uncomfortable from all the jostling and crowds. We longed to go back when there were fewer visitors. It turns out that early October during a pandemic is a really good time to go. We just got back from six days in Venice, strolling around on our own.

Tip: If you have any interest or inclination to visit Venice, do it now. Or at least, go before high holy tourist season starts again. Travel here in Europe is opening up more and more every day. It was just wonderful to be able to wander and explore without being overwhelmed by humanity.

Upon our arrival, we treated ourselves to a private water taxi from the airport right to the dock at our hotel, which was a five minute walk to San Marco Square. The next morning, we walked around San Marco and enjoyed the sounds of an orchestra at a cafe and enjoyed the relative calm. The last time we were there, you literally could not move in the square because of the crowds. The weather was lovely.

We climbed the stairs to the top of the cathedral to take in the panorama and see the original bronze horses from the front of the cathedral.

On our second full day, we took the water bus to the charming island of Burano. This is a fishing village. We were told that the houses are painted in bright colors to help the fishermen find their home after enjoying a night out in the bars. The shops on Burano were really nice -- not just fridge magnets and the like. We had a very nice lunch and enjoyed some high quality people watching.

Burano is also notable as the home to another Italian leaning tower. It was hard to get photos that really showed the angle but it is quite pronounced. One of the photos above was taken from the water bus on our way into town.

We started the next day with a tour of La Fenice, the opera house. We had stumbled across it when we were out for dinner earlier in our visit. It was quite close to our hotel. La Fenice is very impressive, especially because it had been rebuilt twice due to fires. The phoenix rising from the ashes is an important theme. I found the juxtaposition of the modern set for Rigoletto with the classic architecture and decor very interesting. The audio guide they provided was really good.

Our next stop was the top of the San Marco bell tower. Fortunately, you are not allowed to climb to the top but are obliged to take the elevator. We were not disappointed. The views were spectacular. While we were up there, the bells rang for 2 p.m. which scared the bejesus out of us and all of our fellow visitors.

Our next day started with a wonderful, leisurely tour of the Doge's Palace, accompanied by a terrific and informative audio guide. It was here that the lack of crowds was most pronounced. What a treat to just take your time and really have a chance to see the many treasures. They certainly did ceilings right. No popcorn here. The photo on on the lower left is from the Bridge of Sighs on the way from the courtrooms to the prisons. The photo on the lower right is from somewhere inside the palace to illustrate how the other 99.9% lived.

From there we went to the Museo Correr which is also in San Marco square. It is a lovely museum with a varied collection from coins, to weapons, to archeological treasures. We got the ticket for free when we bought the entry to the Doge's Palace and we were glad that we went.

On our last day, we mainly just meandered and enjoyed the beauty of the city. We took in a music museum in an old church which had everything you ever wanted to know about old stringed instruments. We found a very cool gallery of modern art with a courtyard of large and eclectic works of art.

All of our explorations were interrupted by frequent stops for drinks, food, and world class people watching. The last couple of days of our visit was marked by some showery weather. Luckily, we never got stuck in any real downpours. San Marco square flooded a couple of times during our visit. They just put up risers that form walkways to get across. Our favorite cafe in San Marco square provided covers for your food to stop the aggressive pigeons and seagulls from stealing your expensive lunch. While pricey, the food and drinks were excellent, as expected. Our last lunch, we finally got some pizza. In earlier posts, there have been comments about not having pictures of us. I have made it my life's work not to allow my picture to be taken. But here is a picture of Will as a proof of life.

I must admit that taking a water bus to get back to the airport is a fine way to go. The Venice airport is not huge but it is notable because it is quiet. They do not make any audio announcements. This makes the experience much more peaceful, if not completely enjoyable.

One final note: Once again, we felt that COVID precautions were taken seriously. We could not fly unless we had our proof of vaccination. We had to show our "Green Pass" to enter all museums or inside dining. There were hand sanitizers everywhere. While masks were not required outside, we used them every once in a while, if we felt that social distancing would not be possible.