Getting started
Rather than go into museums that I have limited interest in, I thought I’d explore the outer islands of Venice. I bought a 1 day vaporetto (waterbus ticket) which was valid for 24h. This would still be valid for when I need to get to the railway station tomorrow 😊
I started with a ride to the train station to check things out for my departure tomorrow. I noticed a promo at a café for coffee and a croissant for EUR2. It sounded like a good deal until I got the coffee which was a little more than a thimble. This is Italy and that’s how they have their coffee, I forgot.
View from near St Mark’s across the Grand Canal to San Giorgio Maggiore.
Lido Island
From the station, I was able to take a single ferry to Lido Island, a very long island off the main islands of Venice. At their closest point, Lido isn’t very far away.
Lido didn’t feel like Venice at all. It charming old (rather than ancient) homes and they weren’t set close-up against each other. I walked a short distance to the other side of the narrow island. I looked out into the open Adriatic Sea. The beach was nice and sandy but the sand was grey. I can imagine it being a very pleasant place to be in summer.
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- Looking back at Venice on the ride to Lido.
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- Looking back at Venice on the ride to Lido.
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- Looking back at Venice on the ride to Lido.
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- Looking back at Venice on the ride to Lido.
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- Near the ferry stop on Lido.
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- Nice building on Lido.
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- Nice building on Lido.
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- Some nice buildings on Lido.
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- Lido’s Adriatic coast.
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- Nice building on Lido.
Murano
Next on my preferred list was the island of Murano. The glass artisans of Venice were moved to Murano in historical times as their trade presented a fire risk to the whole city.
To get there from Lido, I had to change at Fondamente de Nove. It was all very easy except that the ferry was nearly full having come from central Venice. I was hoping that my Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine works well in giving me good protection. I got off at the first stop on Murano to get away from the crowded ferry.
Hopping off the ferry and starting my walk, I noticed the pavement was wet in parts. I realised that the sea was sloshing in as it was the same height as the pavement. There had been warnings back in Lido of ferry disruption due to high tide and I’m guessing it may be a king tide right now.
Murano feels like a lower-rise and smaller version of Venice. It is very pleasant and the canals are much bluer and clearer than in Venice.
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- High tide at Murano; the sea has come up to the pavement.
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- High tide at Murano; the sea has come up to the pavement.
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- Around Murano.
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- Around Murano.
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- Basilica of Saint Mary and Saint Donatus.
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- Mosaic floor in Basilica of Saint Mary and Saint Donatus.
San Michele Cemetery
My last stop by ferry today is Cemeterio, Venice’s cemetery island of San Michele. It is in between Murano and the main islands of Venice so it was an easy stopover. To my surprise, there were a lot of underground graves, marked by a cross, or plaque or statue.
I had expected lots of elaborate graves like Pere Lachaise in Paris or Recoleta in Buenos Aires. There were some of those crypts but by-and-large, most were in-ground.
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- San Michele cemetery.
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- San Michele cemetery.
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- San Michele cemetery as seen from the Venice side.
Back in Venice
Back in Venice, I considered visiting the Doge’s Palace next to St Mark’s. Entrance for that along with two other places was EUR25. With limited time and interest, I couldn’t justify that kind of money.
I noticed the ground in St Mark’s Square was wet. Had it been raining? I asked a street vendor who confirmed that the sea had come up to the square during my outing today.
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- Plankwalks for when the ground gets wet.
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- Sill-raisers for when the streets get wet and you want your shop to remain dry.
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- Bridge of Sighs, so-named because prisoners would sigh as they get their last glimpse of Venice as they get shipped away.
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- One of Venice’s picturesque canals.
Dinner gone wrong
After a rest, I thought I’d have a few tapas and a drink. After that, dinner wouldn’t quite be necessary anymore. Perhaps a tea and cake will see me till bedtime and the morning?
Well, that proved like a bad decision. Tea and pistachio cookie turned out to be EUR9.50, nearly the price of a dinner (about half for each item). I had known that prices shown in the shop windows are for takeaway and there’s a premium for eating in.
But I hadn’t expected it to add up to that much. Tea was about the same price as wine, the cookie was about the same price as a good sandwich. Lesson learnt!
As it was my last night in Venice, I thought I’d make the most of my ferry ticket with a couple rides at night. It wasn’t actually that great as most buildings are only dimly illuminated. In fact, it wasn’t that bright in the Grand Canal either as gondolas (with their romantic passengers) jostle with ferries for space.
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- View from the Grand Canal by night.
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- St Mark’s area from the Grand Canal by night.
Some snippets of life in Venice
Walking back to my hotel I realised that the pasta shops are Chinese-run. Choose your pasta, they boil it, choose your sauce. Takeaway.
Here are some more insights into Venetian life in photos.
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- Natural light seems to be overrated in the architecture. In summer, It’s probably good. But poor locals have to put up with the noise of tourists through these alleys.
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- The canals are living working roadways. Refrigerated barges, fleet of ambulance speedboats, cargo barge and rubbish collection.
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- Pisa isn’t the only leaning tower. There are plenty leaning tower in Venice.
