Venice ...

... day 1.
We crept out of Malcesine just before 5am, because we’d been offered a lift to Verona by one of the other Australian sailors (who’s based in Munich) in his campervan. Reducing a 3-hour ferry trip + goodness knows how long on trains and whatnot, to an hour’s chatty drive alongside Lake Garda.
Of course, this meant we got to Verona to catch our 1:30 Train to Venice just a little bit early. Easy fixed though, Mr Brown simply changed our tickets and we were whizzing our way to Venice by 8.15am. Basically gaining most of a day extra in the watery town.
On arrival my (granted, wildly panicked) research actually helped, we managed to buy tickets and catch the right Vaperetto to St Mark’s Square in no time flat. Of course the hotel wouldn’t let us in the room until 2.30 but they took our bags and sent us off with a map to explore and, it turned out, stimulate the economy just a little. Hell, we even saw a little art!
I managed to fulfil one of my (set by myself) tasks too. You see, 157 years ago (give or take a few years) when I was last in Venice, I saw this amazingly beautiful silk scarf in a window. I pointed it out to my Mum who agreed it was indeed a thing of great beauty, but also pointed out it was “rather expensive”. Being a poor mouse at the time, I gazed longingly and left it at that.
I've regretted not buying that piece of loveliness ever since. But guess what? We stumbled upon that shop within the first ½ hour, and those scarves were still in the window. And reader, I bought myself a piece of sea-lettuce. Then, because I’m no longer such a poor little brown mouse, I got the most amazing bright red silk velvet version too!
Then, almost next door, I found gloves, all cut with tiny stars, almost pistachio green. Before I know what hit me they were on my (bloody hot) little hands. Bought and paid for.
I’m blaming the extreme heat for this madness, because nothing else will explain how we managed to become the proud possessors of a beautiful painting, a reminder of Venice.
Painting or print reminders of holidays are a bit of a tradition for the Brown-Mice, but we generally wait until the end of a stay, so we can scope the available material. But as I said to Mr Brown, “if we find something we like better, we can just get that too”. There is, after all, no rule that says you can only have one.
We managed to have a delightful (if a little expensive) lunch, served by a charming waiter.
The hotel staff are nice. The shop folk have been lovely. Our room is (small) beautiful with a huge bathroom (no bath, but that would have been a miracle). All in all, Venice has not lived up to my panicked worries, it’s lovely.
O, and dinner, for me at least, was two of my new absolute favourite drinks, Aperol Spritz! Icy cool, refreshing, citrusy and BRIGHT ORANGE! I’m likely way behind the time on this but my goodness, what a wonderful drinkiepoo!
Yes we had it at one of the cafes in St Mark’s Square. Yes it was violently expensive. And yes, we loved it and our utterly charming waiter.
You have to do it at least once, Si?