Venice is unique. It's made up of 118 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea and, as such, has canals instead of roads. There are over 400 bridges linking the islands which enable people to walk around, but the pathways are rarely wide and some are as narrow as a metre; thus, it's easy to feel that the place is crowded. In May, however, we didn’t think it was overcrowded, even with four cruise ships in dock. At times, you need to go with the flow, rather than try and pass other tourists, but that’s all part of the holiday feel.
The architecture is amazing and varied. The Grand Canal is lined with impressive Renaissance and Gothic palaces, and flowing from it are narrow canals flanked by buildings in, one could politely say, elegant decay. Houses in a similar condition elsewhere would be termed run-down and in a state of disrepair, but in Venice the plaster that has dropped off to expose old brickwork with cement eaten away, and the damp stains rising from the water, are all part of the character that makes the place so special. It's a city which attracts anywhere between 22-30 million tourists a year and that has created its own problems. Residents have been moving out because of the cost of renting a property and a tourist tax has been imposed in a bid to limit the number of visitors and to pay for improvements.
The city has a reputation for being expensive and, although accommodation is on the high side, I didn’t think meals away from the centre were particularly so. For instance, to start our days, our favourite place for breakfast, which was off the beaten track, charged only 5.20€ for two intense coffees and two filled croissants (one pistachio and one honey and ginger) - amazing! Our pizzas were superb at about 11-14€ each, including a cover charge which was added to the bill. We had a lovely dinner at a vegetarian restaurant and that was about 25€ per head. Obviously, it was possible to spend a lot more, but we enjoyed our meals and didn’t feel we overpaid. That was a pleasant surprise, especially after realising that everything has to be delivered by boat on the canals and then pushed on a trolley to the various establishments.
The canals are the lifeline of everyday living. Besides the barges used extensively for such things as deliveries and removing household debris if a place is being renovated, rubbish is collected door to door and then thrown into trolleys which are emptied into boats and taken away. I also caught sight of a boat ambulance, fire fighters and police navigating the canals. The Vaporetti are the alternative to buses, and taxis, gondolas and private craft ably weave their way around each other on the water. Venice, though, isn’t a comfortable place for physically-disabled people with its many bridges, most with steps, and the narrow pathways.
We strolled around some of the islands and it was a wonderful opportunity to enjoy many facets of the city, although with all the narrow alleyways and very few signs, it was easy to lose your sense of direction. I found it amusing to see many tourists with their eyes glued to Google Maps on their mobiles and not taking in the cityscape. From the famous St. Mark's Square featuring a string quartet playing outside of Caffè Florian with its faded elegance, the numerous and varied exhibitions available, and the wonderful architecture displayed along the banks of the Grand Canal, to the many craftsmen working in small studios alongside the waterways, it was all magnificent, impressive and a very pleasant experience. Why had it taken me so long before visiting this wonderful city?