Venice, Italy

When Erika and I planned our trip to Venice, we naively thought the most challenging portion would be the flight itself. Ryanair is an extremely affordable airline, but there are many quirks. Your carryon bag, for example, MUST be equal or less than the dimensions provided. There are boxes all over the airport for you to slip your bag inside, making certain it fits within the requirements. Weight is another big issue. Carryons must weigh under 10 kg., checked bags must be under 15 kg. We thought those demands may be difficult as we were packing for four people, four days each in one bag. We did it and our experience with RyanAir was wonderful! Simple and smooth. We checked in, hung out in the airport for some time, then boarded that flight. We paid the extra 5 Euro each way for a reserved seat. Although the idea of not having to entertain my children for the flight was somewhat appealing, I didn't think the unlucky passenger who was  seated next to them would be so excited at the idea. Anyway, we paid money so we could all sit together. If you don't, it is a first come, first serve kind of adventure.
We arrived in Venice, found the information booth in the airport where the kind lady, instructed us on how to get to the hotel. We first took a bus to the water taxi booth. The bus ride (13 Euro round trip) was 1 hour 10 minutes, the water taxi ride (7 Euro each way) was 40 minutes or so. Kids under 5 rode free on both of these. We arrived in front of San Marco square. AMAZING! It was all lit up and so very beautiful. We wandered a bit, asked for directions a couple of times and finally arrived at our hotel. We dropped off our things and went out for our first taste of real authentic Italian pizza. It was delish though the guys preferred the more American style pizza.We also enjoyed some delicious gelato. So yummy!

The next day we wandered around the city. It was raining, which really put a damper on the fun, but it didn't stop us. We went to the Plaza where I found a few friendly pigeon friends. Everyone thought it was nasty, but it is truly part of the Venice experience. Mya was terrified of the birds. She hid behind ANYONE who would provide some refuge from the feathered beasts. It was rather amusing. Erika was none to crazy about them either. She and Mya became fast friends through their ordeal. We walked through St. Mark's Bascillica. It was breathtaking. Each image on the walls and ceiling were created from millions of individual pieces of stone set together to create an amazing scene. It was beautiful! We paid the extra 5 Euro to go inside (kids were free) and see the museum as well as the inside of the church. Immediately upon entering, Mya began asking if the images were of God. As we were walking up the stairs to enter the church, Mya said, "I want to see God. This is the way to God, isn't it Momma?" What a beautiful, innocent child! She melts my heart. We wandered through the church, looking at various pieces of the original church--horses, columns, capitals, robes, chairs, etc. Every item is attached to an alarm, so if you get too close, it beeps. We visited on Sunday, so there was a Mass taking place.  Mya and Claire were very interested to watch. Mya stood at our legs and asked to be picked up so she could see God. Chris picked her up and immediately said, "Ohhhhh, there's GOD!" It was adorable. She was so excited and yes, baby girl, God is all around you.
Claire was much more interested in a deeper way. She wanted to know about the items, why they were there and who was pictured in the scenes. Claire is definitely a big thinker--very curious and analytical.
It rained all day Sunday, so pictures were not the greatest. The kids had fun toting around the umbrellas. I felt like a wet dog. It wasn't pleasant, but it was Venice! We enjoyed more pizza and pasta. We also stopped for some hot chocolate, but evidently something was lost in translation from one order to the next. Chris ordered first and we received something that looked and tasted a whole lot like hot chocolate pudding. (Nasty!) Aaron ordered next and they received hot chocolate as we all know it. Anyway, it was comical. A large family from Australia was seated behind us. After we were done dining, they began chatting with us. At some point in the conversation, they asked Aaron if he played sports. They noted that he looked familiar (aka. is he famous??) It was hilarious. Apparently, this happens often. I suggested they play it up and perhaps we can all benefit. It was way too funny.

The third day we went on a 2 hour walking tour of the city. It was a great tour and absolutely FREE! We walked away from the most touristy parts and into the Artsy areas. The tour guide was wonderful, very knowledgeable, helpful and the group was us plus 2 more--nice and small. Flooding is a huge issue in Venice from November to February. When it is high tide, water comes up through the 'floor" of the city and rises up to 140 cm. Consequently, the first floor of buildings is generally inhabitable. Life does continue despite the water. The city provides table like structures to walk on. I should add the water recedes nearly as quickly as it comes in--in cycle with the tides. Pretty amazing factoid. There are over 400 canals in Venice, which connect over 150 different islands. Venice is truly a city built on water and it is losing population. Apparently, most younger people leave the city when they are grown unless they are going to work/take over the family business. Tourism is what is keeping the city alive, but the number of cruise ships rushing into port is erroding the footing of the city. Consequently, it is essentially sinking into the Sea. According to the tour guide, mostly older people are left on the island today.

We also took a tour in the Gondola where we saw Marco Polo's house, the Bridge of Sighs (prisoners cross the bridge on their way to prison and let out a sigh thinking of all they must leave behind) and many other churches.

We had big plans to paint our own masks before we left Venice; however, everything is accessed via walking. Our kids were awesome, but after 3 days of walking, walking and more walking, it was too much for them to get across the island to the mask making shop. Additionally, nothing is easy to find. Every alley/street looks the same and they all weave into each other. What looks like a dead end is simply an alley with a very narrow passage on the right. It was surprising to see how narrow the streets truly were. We also thought we head to Murano island to see the blown glass, but decided that we'd all seen it at some other point (Chris and I visited a studio in Vermont), so it wasn't worth the time or effort to get there.

We also headed back to the Plaza to allow Claire the chance to hold the pigeons. She became the bird girl :) Mya also gathered up the courage to give it a try. She was less than thrilled when one landed on her hat.
We left late Tuesday evening. It took some planning to coordinate the taxi schedule with the bus schedule and flight, but we made it happen. The downfall is that we arrived 4 hours early at the airport. Apparently there were no buses between the hours of 3:30 and 7:40, so we had to get on that 3:30 bus. Regardless, we made it safely. 4 hours to kill in a teeny tiny airport with children is painful. We saw a sign for McDonald's, so we decided to put that 3 minute measurement to the test. Little did we know it would add the adventure that this trip hadn't provided. it goes a little something like this. We walked, walked and walked some more. Chris and Aaron grabbed the bag, while Erika and I wrangled the two little ones, their bags and our backpacks. We walked some more. After having walked 2.5  miles or so with no golden arches in sight, we were about ready to turn back.Icing on the cake was that the side walk also ended at this point (all we could see was road with about one foot of walking space between that and the drop off  to the stream below), so the next 200 yards or so would be one of life risking adventure. Chris and Aaron decided to run ahead to see if McDonald's was around the corner. They ran, Aaron with the big bag on his back and Chris with his backpack, having left our luggage behind with me and the children. Alas, they found McDonald's. Chris stayed to watch Aaron's bag, while Aaron ran back to tell us to come. Onward we went. I pulled our bag, carried Mya's backpack, my own backpack and Aaron's backpack, while Erika grabbed Asa and Mya and Claire took up the middle. We waited until there was a clearing with no cars then made our move. Walking quickly with 2 3 year olds really isn't possible, we soon discovered. We made it about half way when we saw the headlights of a semi truck coming down the road. We hugged the white line, said our prayers and waited. I tried to put myself out beyond my kids so that if someone was hit by the oncoming traffic, it would be me. All I could think was that one of my kids was going to get struck by a flippin' truck at the end of this trip. That would be the nightmare I'd be living for the rest of my life. Once again, I saw a clearing of a couple hundred yards between cars, I yelled at Erika to go, but she thought I was crazy. Aaron quickly ran to us, grabbed Asa from Erika's arms and ran back. Yet again, we hung onto that white line. Erika began telling Claire to sidestep. At this point, Mya, who was tugging along Asa's little backpack on wheels, got flustered and let go. Down the backpack went into the stream below. She started screaming, Claire started screaming and I just froze. I started to go down for the backpack, but Erika said she'd get it. Down she went. Claire was about 10 feet away from me. She veered to the white line, I quickly yelled at her to move in and come to me. Erika put one foot in, then another. She grabbed the bag, then made her way up the bank, gathering a handful of worms as she grabbed the side to pull herself up. What a nightmare! She had the bag, we laughed at the surreal moment we were having, then tried to figure out a plan. During the chaos, a clearing existed once again. Erika tried to grab Claire, but at this point, Claire was scared, crying and only wanted me. I quickly picked her up, Erika took the bag and Aaron ran back for Mya with Asa in his arms. We all moved as quickly as possible to the vast piece of cement in the distance. We arrived safely and laughed not knowing  or wanting to cry at the terror we had just survived. We enjoyed our dinner, then begged the staff at McDonald's to call us a cab. They did and we are forever grateful. The next 2 hours were spent at the airport, reliving the moments of the frightful experience and planning our next adventure(less) adventure. :)

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Venice. Many people comment on how they visit Venice many times. While I had a great time in the city, I don't think I'll be yearning to go back any time soon. We did most of what there is to do (outside of seeing every museum and church), shops all sell basically the same thing (Murano glass and masks), while you can walk nearly everywhere, it is extremely difficult to find particular things that are not around San Marco Square, food is also expensive. We rarely made it out of a restaurant without paying less than 40 Euro (and that was on a good day). We basically ordered pizza (typically 7, but sized to serve 1, so we ordered 2 for our family) and water (4 Euro for a big bottle). The clincher is that nearly every restaurant tacks on a 12% service charge or 2 to 3 Euro/person convenience fee. This increased our bill by 8-12 Euros each meal. It was ridiculous. We finally wised up and found 1 restaurant without any additional fees and ate our last 2 meals there.



I have to edit these photos as I realize many are upside down....ugh.

Goofiness at the airport.

Walking to the plane.

Excited little passengers.

Erika getting  the lowdown on the bus using her mad language skills ;)

Oooo, sheer excitement!

Bus tickets!

Riding on the water taxi.

Checking out that gelato!

Chris and Claire on the water taxi.

Love despite the rain.

Mya enjoying her pizza.

Us in front of San Marco Basillica.

Chris and the girls on the Rialto Bridge.

Pigeons on the Plaza.

Good friends.

Construction workers even use the boats to haul debris.

View from Rialto bridge.

Our tour guide, Kathryn.

Gondola repair shop. There used to be 10,000 gondola, but now there are less than 1,000.

Acadamia Bridge--built as a temporary bridge, but now seems not so temporary.

Mya and the birds. 

Locks on bridges are in EUrope as well. I thought it was just a Korea thing....

These are the platforms used when flooding.

Fun on the gondola.

These three make fun wherever they go. 

Claire, Mya and I on the Rialto Bridge.

Examples of masks--all hand painted.

MOON BOOTS!!!!

Each piece pictured is made from glass. So tiny and intricate.

Chris and I.

Our hotel.

Aaron, Asa and Erika

All in all, it was an AWESOME experience and a city full of rich history.