The next day dawned bright and early - very early! I was awakened by the deafening roar of my brain chortling “We are in Venice! We are in Venice!”
6am? Seriously brain?
I got out of our very comfortable bed and pulled back the drapes to a glorious view of sunshine and flowers and canals. Naturally the first thing I did was take a photo then bound over to the bed, pounce on my poor sleeping husband and make him look at the photo of the view from our room. I was like a kid on Christmas morning! Its proof that he must really love me that he puts up with such antics!
After quickly getting dressed we made our way downstairs to the ‘breakfast room’. This is a small room with a lovely view of the canal and an even better view of a fine selection of pastries, meats, cheeses, fruits, cereals and most importantly … coffee!!! I opted for a power breakfast of cereal, with a hardboiled egg and coffee. It hit the spot resoundingly and I was ready to face the day!
Which reminds me, since returning home I have put in a review for Hotel Arlecchino on Tripadvisor and in the process was baffled to find a review from someone who was complaining that the staff had no idea how to cook eggs. Sometimes I read these reviews and wonder if the reviewers are even on the same planet as me. Did they expect the egg to be soft-boiled and were overcome with consternation and dismay when they found it was hardboiled? Because seriously folks, who the hell hard boils an egg? This is not the Dark Ages!!!
Speaking for myself, I am partial to a hardboiled egg at breakfast so I was quite satisfied and revelled happily in my protein and caffeine fix.
After breakfast we decided to leave the room as it was and go for a walk. By that time it was only 7:30am and we didn't need to check out till 11am - plenty of time for a stroll and a meander!
Exiting the hotel admired the exterior of the hotel and its little docking area for water taxis and then we were charmed to find an absurd congregation of bridges right outside the hotel. Here two canals intersected and there were five bridge spans connecting just three corners of the land. It has obviously arisen over time without any consideration of logical urban planning. In many ways this epitomised Venice for us.
We decided to retrace our steps from the night before - we walked over the glass bridge and down the street of cafes and restaurants. Everything looked very different from the night before and the morning sun was bright. We were in Venice!!! Everything delighted us and I can say with all honesty that it is a good thing the shops weren’t open as I was revelling in my glee at being there and all self-control was right out the window!
Having no idea where we were going and no real goal except to see Venice and perhaps get lost, we simply followed the signs that said ‘Per S. Marco’. We passed heaps of fascinating shops with brightly coloured and compelling wares. We even passed a Disney shop! And whilst my beloved husband shook his head at the crass commercialism of it, I mourned that the shop was still shut and vowed to return when it was open. What can I say? I have an eight year old and a six year old!
I particularly coveted this mask. I have a six year old who is incorrigible about getting out of his bed through the night. I figured that judicious application of this mask would ensure that he never gets out of bed till its light again. Of course, it would probably also cost us a fortune in therapy when he is older but you win some, you lose some.
As we wandered we were continually delighted by compelling vistas of little canals and ornately decorated churches and quaint little passages through buildings. Coming from NZ, whose history is barely a shallow puddle, a city like Venice is astounding in its age and history.
Next Post - Day 2: Venice Part B
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