Monday August 13 - Wednesday August 15, 2012
The last stop on our Grand Mediterranean adventure was Venice! It was a different experience arriving at this particular port because we would be disembarking the ship following the day our arrival. We thought saying goodbye to the beautiful blue waters of the Med and pulling into the port for the last time was going to be difficult – but our “sail in” to this majestic city was left us speechless. As the hour approached two in the afternoon the decks were crowded as every passenger emerged to watch the gigantic cruise ship gracefully navigate her way down the narrow canal to the port. It was stunning to see the city from the sea, and its many canals, churches and gondolas!
We didn’t have to leave the ship until official disembarkation at 9 the next morning, but we couldn’t resist an evening adventure. From the port we took a short tram commute to Piazzale Roma and off to explore Venice! We had booked a room in Venice for the following night at a hotel just off the famous Piazza San Marco – and we were hoping to find an easy path along the narrow walkways and bridges, as we would each be hauling 80lbs of luggage each the next day. Wandering through the maze of carless streets and endless canals we met numerous dead ends on our search for San Marco. Of course we had no map so we backtracked to the area near the port and instead shared a real Italian pizza at a small café on the water.
Returning to the ship at dark was eerie as we walked alone through the empty harbor. When we finally made the mile trek back we rewarded ourselves with soft serve ice cream (sadly for the last time). Three bowls each later we went back to our cabin, did a final inspection of the room and went to sleep in our comfy beds for the last time. The next morning we had to wakeup at six, rush to grab breakfast, and pack our remaining toiletries so that we could disembark by 9. Unfortunately in the hustle and bustle Megan forgot to grab her “confiscated item” from the gangway – a hand carved camel bone knife from Istanbul (we’re still working on getting this back from Norweigian if anyone has tips on how to go about doing so – we would really appreciate it)!
After collecting our luggage from the dock we headed out of the port, onto the tram and once again into Piazza Roma. The previous days adventure made us aware of the fact that San Marco by foot was out of the question and we would need to take a taxi to get to the hotel. The coolest part about Venice is there are NO roads at all; boats on the canals do everything from food delivery for restaurants to taxi service. Kyle managed to flag a boat down and Megan asked the rate the guy responded with a huge grin €60! Nearly choking as she repeated the rate – which was more than the hotel for the night – we graciously declined. The man laughed and told us that there was a public “water bus” just around the corner and rates were about €6 a person. Thanking the man as he floated away we hauled our luggage to the waterbus station and got on the first bus to San Marco.
An hour later, and slightly nauseous from zipping around on the choppy canals, we made it to the bustling heart of the city. Kyle insisted we find our hotel, but Megan once again got caught up in the many souvenir stands selling beautiful porcelain masks with intricate decorations. When we finally made it to the hotel it was still too early to check-in, so we dropped off our bags and proceeded to get lost in the magic of Venice. Wandering the streets near the heart of the city is amazing; there are so many vendors, huge outdoor cafes, souvenir shops, beautiful buildings, expensive Italian designer stores and gondolas all over the canals! Following Mykonos as being the coolest place we saw as far as landscape goes – we agree that Venice is the most marvelous European city we have ever been.
Exhausted from hauling luggage all day we went back to the hotel, finally checked into our room, put on a movie and passed out. When we woke up it was dusk and we were starving – for some good sunset pictures! Camera in hand we made our way to the Rialto Bridge, stretching the length of the Grand Canal it is arguably the most well known bridge in Venice. We were approached by a gondolier who offered us a discounted romantic sunset ride for two at the small price of only €150! astonished at the “discounted” price we graciously refused. After a few hours of walking the canals we stopped for dinner and drinks – travelers be warned it is difficult to find fairly priced food in Venice, luckily all of the food is made from scratch and delicious.
Making our way back to the hotel we passed through Piazza San Marco, which is possibly even more beautiful at night. The plaza was still as busy as midday, people danced in the streets as live music was being played at many of the cafés. All around us bright blue lights were being shot up into the night sky and slowly fluttering back down to earth (street vendors sell toys with blue LED lights that kids launch into the air). The incandescent glow of the streetlights illuminated the different types of marble on the Basilica di San Marco, Megan decided this is her favorite church in all Italy. We spent most of the night walking around, enjoying our last night in Italy and on the Mediterranean, we were flying out to London the next day before finally returning home.
The next day was exciting because we had planned on meeting up with our good friends Yara and Eros who would be driving an hour and a half down from their home town of Udine to spend the day with us! We finally met up with them around two in the afternoon, they had to park at Tronchetto (the only car park island) and walk all the way into the main part of town. Poor Eros even had a broken knee and still managed to make it over the many bridges and stairs to the city center. As we normally do with Yara and Eros we found a quiet bar off the town square and indulged in some traditional Italian Aperol spritzer cocktails – something that was new to both of us.
As time slipped away the wonderful couple offered to take us to the airport in their car, by far the sweetest gesture ever. When we got to the airport they did not drop us off but instead parked the car and came in with us. We dropped off our luggage at the EasyJet kiosk, noticing our “carry-on” bags Yara panicked at their size (clearly too big for EasyJet’s standards) as she snatched one from Megan’s hand and hauled it over to the bin used to measure width and length. It BARELY fit, so she warned us that at the gate they might charge a $75 fee to check them – we are so lucky to have met such amazing friends on our trip abroad. Having a little time left before our flight, the four of us had dinner at the airport café, strangely enough the Marco Polo airport had the best food in all of Venice, fresh pasta with a homemade alfredo cream sauce. After dinner they walked us to security, as we passed through they continued to stand and wave until we were completely out of sight. Megan couldn’t help but tear up as we walked to the gate sad to leave Italy and our wonderful friends!
Xo, M&K
