Our trip to Venice started out on the wrong foot. I had accidentally looked at the arrivals and not the departures schedule at the Verona train station. So we had the unique opportunity to watch our train depart while we were left standing on the wrong platform! Then, in a panic, a purchased two tickets to the wrong town. Third try was a charm and we finally headed to Venice an hour later.

When we arrived in Venice I somehow managed to get the wrong directions to our Airbnb. We had hiked about a half mile from the train station in the opposite direction of our place before realizing my mistake. Needless to say I wasn’t on Ray’s ‘A list’ at this time! We did, however, finally arrive at our lovely Airbnb.

After getting settled in, we set out to explore Venice. We could not believe how different this was from anything we had seen before. Finding our first stop, the Rialto bridge, was like seeking a treasure by treasure map. Sometimes we found ourselves turning onto 3 foot wide alleyways with huge buildings on either side of us. Everywhere we turned there was another tourist looking at their phone to help them find their way around. It was almost like reliving the Pokémon craze!

Once we crossed over the Rialto bridge, and saw the beautiful sight of the Grand Canal, all of our troubles to get to Venice were worth it. It was amazing to watch the gondoliers navigating their way through the canal as the private boats and water buses and taxis were doing the same. Walking a few steps further and seeing our first glimpse of St. Mark’s Square was also magical.

One of our favorite thing we did in Venice was take a food tour that included five food stops and took us through many different Venetian neighborhoods. We were able to experience our first Cicchetti (small snack or side dishes, typically served in traditional “bàcari” (cicchetti bars)) and also tour the town with people from all over the world. It was a great way to experience Venice and learn about its culture and customs from someone who lives there. We had plenty of fun getting to know people from our group and eating traditional Venetian food!

Some of our other favorite things we did were; seeing the view from the Campanile (large tower in St Mark’s square), riding the water bus, finding a Venetian thrift store, and simply getting lost in Venice and finding ourselves sipping a spritz under an umbrella in a new neighborhood.