"Where 'Water' is 'Land'"
Written on : 29-November-2016
Visted During : November 2016
Some more Information
Venice is a group of Islands and all these are connected only through boats and bridges. You cannot find even a single vehicle once you park your vehicle in the Mainland (Mainland is the city from where the trip to Venice islands starts) Hence do not forget to observe and enjoy the vehicle free lanes and streets.
Do not miss to visit some Murano glass outlet + factory. This is one of the unique experiences you get only in Venice.
You are in most unique part of a different country and hence expect least luxuries when it comes to food and weather. There are hundreds of restaurants but you may or may not find the one of your expectation. Also, keep some euros handy. You never know when and where you need them.
Venice might soon loose its tag of World Heritage Sight given by UNESCO. Huge increase in the number of tourists and increase in number huge boats which has resulted in damage to old buildings is one of the reason for this. This city deserves being in the list of world heritage sites and I hope local government takes necessary action to retain the title.
My Experience and Opinion
Writing this post as first post of a series of articles to follow about the Europe trip. I cannot imagine a better way to start my journey outside India than going to Europe.
Chose to write about Venice first because Venice is the unique location amongst all the places I have visited in my life, and one of the most impressive 'arrangement' of buildings. It requires some thought and observation to really feel that you have visited a city which is running without any vehicles. It is doing business, millions of people come here and more importantly, it is spread across miles together. Unless you think over to sink it into your mind, Venice is just yet another beautiful sightseeing and heritage location.
It is an amazing feel when you get to know that the buildings here are built over water and the base of these buildings are wooden planks put hundreds of years ago. It is only when a guide explains you about the history and formation of Venice, you enjoy the city more. Also, the Carnival of Venice is one of the world famous events and the carnival masks being kept to be sold in all souvenirs shops speaks a lot about the importance of the Carnival here. (Carnival usually happens in the begining of the year and got information that it is quite an expensive deal to participate!)
The weather was perfect when we visited during the month of November. However, it is better to avoid peak winters here since you may not be able to enjoy everything. Also, I would suggest to avoid summers since there will be too much of crowd which is worser than cold weather. Try off season so that you get a chance to see Venice with less people photo bombing your photos.
The Boat bus, Boat Taxi, Boat car and Boat ......
You name it, and they have it in boat. Yes, Venice is one place where everything is through boats. They have public transport like bus service through boats and they have boat busstands where people board the boats just like they do in normal buses. They have boat taxis, private boats, the fast boats, boat courier service and what not. Witnessing this kind of living itself is an amazing experience in this city. Our trip started on boarding a boat bus from Mainland to the Piazza San Marco stop. Rest of italy, the bus charges are 1.5 Euro each time you board and here, the boat buses ticket price is 7 Euros. A ride in Grand canal of Venice takes you to the main square of Venice which is the main tourist attraction out of 117 islands of Venice.
St.Marks Basilica and St.Marks Square
This is the major attraction apart from the whole setup where a city lives beside water is St.Mark's Square and St.Mark's Basilica. Entire of Italy has Basilicas and Cathedrals as major attraction. Churches have been a part of their culture since ages and were center of all activities. Hence you get to see atleast one main Cathedral in every city which is now the major tourist attraction. So is Venice. The St.Mark's Basilica is one of the most beautiful Basilicas. But, more beautiful is the St.Mark's square which is in front of the Basilica. The boxed structure and the old buildings give you the feel of heritage city.
The Gondolas
Gondolas are another major attraction of Venice. Highly expensive rides (~90-100 Euros for a ride of 45 minutes. Add 200 more Euros if you want a couple of musicians along!) Even if you do not go for a ride, they are the major attraction who make the city beautiful. It is must to see atleast a few Gondolas passing below the tiny bridges and narrow canals between buildings.
Restaurants in Venice
There are hundreds of Restaurants in Venice. The prices are pretty normal when compared with rest of the Italy too. But, be aware that here there is a differential pricing within a restaurant based on where you sit. Sitting outside the restaurant is more expensive than inside. Do check the prices before deciding.
Murano glasses
A visit to Murano glass manufacturing unit is a must in Venice. Had seen videos of these units long back. It was exciting and fun to see it live. Murano glasses are extremly expensive but at the same time beautiful piece of art that you can buy and keep it in your home. A wine glass set costs you something around 1500-2000 Euros which simply translates to INR 1.5 Lakh to 2 Lakh! We visited one of the Murano glass dealers and it was a scary time for me to walk inside the store with my heavy bagpack put on. Everything kept there had price tag of nothing less than 100 Euros. Breaking anything meant I would lose a few thousand rupees.
Photos
One of the paintings in St.Marks Basilica
The view of St.Marks Square (Piazza San Marco)
Gives you the sense of chilled weather in Venice during November
Beat it!
Beat it!
Beat it!
A photo with Gondola is a must here.
Narrow streets and bridges along the canals
Shopping streets as seen in the evening
Murano glass under making
Murano glasses on display
Birds are common to find in St.Marks square
