My boyfriend and I spontaneously decided to jet off to Venice for three nights. By spontaneously I mean we booked it two months before with no set plan which is pretty spontaneous for me! As expected, I fell in love with the place.

When travelling to Venice there are two airports; the one that is best to fly into is the closest one Marco Polo. From here we got water taxis to the main land which I found so exciting with the sun beaming through the window alongside the crashing waves. It was the best airport experience ever.

 

After arriving to our stop by the Rialto bridge, our lovely air b n b host met us and showed us to our home. I was overwhelmed by the run down buildings and small narrow alleys; this was art and so cultural. Our place was high up overlooking a canal; we would watch the gondalas row by in the morning whilst drinking coffee.

On our first afternoon in Venice we did so much without planning to. We roamed around the area; our place was so central but hidden away down a little lovely and quiet alley. It was only a few minutes walk from the rialto bridge and St Marks Square. On our first evening I was given three roses by a man on the street; something I thought was so nice until I saw him asking Cormac for money. This was when I realised I wasn’t the first girl and wouldn’t be the last to receive roses! Regardless, I was very happy with my sun dress on walking around with my roses.

Something I was completely blown away by was the beauty of St Marks Square. I was in awe at the architecture of the cathedral and the paintings that were so perfect. I had never seen anything like it. From that moment, I fell in love with Venice!

Our entire time away we ate the most amazing food. We had lots of pizza and pasta, similar to what we eat at home but it was PROPER ITALIAN STYLE. Which meant heaven for me. Cormac and I sipped wine with our meals and enjoyed the lovely weather by The Grand Canal.

 

 

We ventured to Museums and visited Dogues Palace; this was an incredible place. A palace that has ceilings made of gold. I found myself lost in time staring at the detail that went into the paintings and how perfect they were. I imagined what it was like hundreds of years ago and appreciated the effort and talent of this art. It made me realise the difference between life now and then. How they had such wonderful artists and architects so long ago. I thought about the way they were able to see beauty and create it; many of us in today’s world are more focused on what we see through screens or the lens of a camera rather than using our eyes and our heart& soul. They helped build and create what we are only appreciating now. Anyway, I was lost in thought and I CLEARLY still am.  Basically, I loved it.

 

Some of my favourite moments were our random adventures down narrow alleyways where we would escape the hustle and bustle of the crowds. We would wander upon a quiet canal or a little restaurant. It was so beautiful and fun. Every street corner was a new adventure.

Our nights were ever more exciting with lots of wine whilst watching the sun set by the canal. This would normally result in one too many glasses and searching for pizza slices which were always SO AMAZING.

 

One of our exciting day trips was something we had thought about doing but weren’t sure whether it would take up too much time. We decided to do a boat tour of the surrounding islands. This was a four hour trip that would stop at each island. I thought it was lovely to see life outside of the main tourist spots. First, we went to the glass making island Mirano. Here we got to see a glass demonstration where a man made a glass horse from start to finish. We then looked at all the little glass souveneirs and I brought a lovely vase home for my mum.

Next, we visited a little island that had a surrounding lagoon. There was a large bell tower that Cormac and I decided to climb even though we were under a 40 minute time limit. It was an adrenaline rush hiking to the top of the tower and worth it when we got to see a beautiful view of the surrounding islands.

 

Our last island stop was at Burano. This is such a beautiful little island and was definitely my favourite! It was full of colourful houses where the locals live. It was a quiet island and so tranquil. We wandered around and found a little school and many cute shops. Our favourite shop was one where a man sold hand made and painted ornaments!

Yes Burano was wonderful and I wish we spent more time there to walk around and chill out by the quiet pier.

Lastly, as expected we went on the Gondala because were you really in Venice if you didn’t? This was probably my favourite memory in Venice. We went at sunset after our meal by the canal. It was warm but there was a nice breeze. The gondala quietly rowed through the small alley ways and all that could be heard was the oars paddling though the water alongside some passer byers speaking Italian. We got to see all of the hidden away buildings. It was wonderful.

Venice was one of my favourite places. I think it is such a beautiful city especially for a couple holiday. I loved it so much and I’m sure I’ll go back someday.

Over and out,

Saoirse.