My expectations for Venice were low. I had heard a lot about how overrated it was, and that it’s very dirty. My interest in Venice only came from the idea that it was sinking – I wanted to experience it before it went underwater. But in a turn of events, I thoroughly enjoyed Venice! It was charming and cute, especially when you wandered away from the main tourist streets and canals.
The city of Venice actually consists of an island, many actually, 118 islands divided by canals and open water bodies. I didn’t stay on the island, instead I stayed near the train station on the mainland in Venice Mestre. There wasn’t a great deal around here, and it definitely didn’t look like how you picture “Venice” but it was a lot more affordable and the island was easily accessible. It only took 10 minutes on the train, and the trains ran pretty consistently all day.
I spent the better part of 2 days wandering around the canals and streets, finding all sorts of great food and gelato. Both the streets and canals were a lot cleaner than I expected! In some areas, there definitely were a lot of puddles, and waves washing over the footpaths, so you did get damp feet. But prior to arriving, I had seen photos and videos that looked much much worse. While I was there, the weather wasn’t amazing, with regular rainy showers, and wicked thunderstorms. I had been planning to take a boat trip to two well known islands Burano and Murano, but with the weather the way it was I decided not to.
Venice was neat, I’m glad I went. The canals were stunning, the streets adorable, and there were so many family owned restaurants with good Italian food. Yet there’s not a whole heap to do, it’s a nice little weekend getaway, but you certainly don’t need to spend more than a couple of days there. I used it as a time to relax and re-energise, it’s surprising how exhausting full-time travel gets (but no matter how tired I am, I’m always grateful)!
~ Nikita’s Nomadic Notes
Nikita’s Nomadic Notes 