Unforgettable Venice

Tripoto
2nd Nov 2013
Photo of Unforgettable Venice 1/11 by Sanghita Nandi
Bridge of Sighs
Photo of Unforgettable Venice 2/11 by Sanghita Nandi
Collage Venice Landmarks
Photo of Unforgettable Venice 3/11 by Sanghita Nandi
Duomo
Photo of Unforgettable Venice 4/11 by Sanghita Nandi
Generator Hostel
Photo of Unforgettable Venice 5/11 by Sanghita Nandi
Grand Canal, Venice.
Photo of Unforgettable Venice 6/11 by Sanghita Nandi
Luca, Me, Simone, Pritha and Stefano
Photo of Unforgettable Venice 7/11 by Sanghita Nandi
Streets of Murano and more.....
Photo of Unforgettable Venice 8/11 by Sanghita Nandi
Sunset from Rialto
Photo of Unforgettable Venice 9/11 by Sanghita Nandi
That Mysterious Woman.
Photo of Unforgettable Venice 10/11 by Sanghita Nandi
The hidden lanes.
Photo of Unforgettable Venice 11/11 by Sanghita Nandi
Venetian Sunrise

From freezing Gornergrat to frying pan Rome;
From travelling on Eurostar First Class to foot board of an Euro City train;
From waking up before daybreak to capture the Venetian sunrise to entering the Zermatt Mountaineer's Cemetery at midnight to bow down to those who lost lives while climbing the Matterhorn;
From classy hotels to mountain chalets to youth hostels to sleeping on straws in a farm - Done it All!

 

We were keen on capturing the Venetian sunrise. Just before day break we left our bunk beds, grabbed our vaporetto pass, grabbed the camera and stepped out of the hostel. It was chilly when we stepped out with no one on the walkways, except for a garbage cleaner. The Guidecca Island is not exactly on the central islands of Venice, but it is just across Piazza San Marco and that made it easier to capture a sunrise over the San Marco.

During breakfast we met a lot of people, all belonging to different ethnicity - European, African, American, Middle-Eastern and there we were - Indians too. It felt like a little world. I have always hated the word 'hostel' in India, but I can vouch for these hostels meant for travellers spread all over Europe. They are great place to live in if you are on a tight budget and if you intend to meet new people. Generator, in particular, has hostels at Barcelona, Berlin, Copenhagen, Dublin, Hamburg, London and Venice. Just a word of caution: The showers have transparent doors ;-).

After checking out, we took Vaporetto no. 4.1 down the canal and were soon at San Marco. Piazza San Marco or the St. Mark's square was heavily crowded and it suddenly appeared to us that it was a weekend. We could easily spot the Lion of St. Mark as soon as we entered the square. It's a bronze winged lion surmounted on a column as a symbol of the city of Venice. The square also has the Doge's Palace, which was once the residence of the Doge of Venice, and the Campanile di San Marco - the Bell tower of St. Mark.

The turn off was that the square was flooded with water at many places due to acqua Alta, with people walking around in plastic rain boots. Though there was a makeshift wooden walkway leading to the Basilica entrance to help people avoid wading through the water, the crowd, the water and the fact that we have had our fair share of church trips at Rome made us give the Basilica a skip; and with that we skipped entering Doge's Palace too.'I want to see 'Real' Venice' - that's exactly what I told my friend. The hidden lanes, the small canal bridges, gondoliers rowing their gondolas through narrow canals singing sweet barcarole... - For me that was real Venice.

We saw the Bridge of Sighs while walking along the Riva degli Schiavoni promenade. The bridge connects the prison to the interrogation rooms in Doge's Palace. The convicts could see Venice for the last time from the windows of this bridge before being taken down to the prison. It’s a popular saying that the prisoners would sigh at the final glance of beautiful Venice and that's how the bridge was named.

We got onto Vaporetto No. 4.1 from San Marco - Zaccaria and after a trip that felt like hours (but was actually for 20 minutes), we got off at Murano. Murano is a small island that is considered part of Venice. The island has rows of colourful houses, each house in different shades. It is also famous for murano glass that is made in its glass blowing factories, its very own glass museum and numerous shops selling things made of murano glass. There we found the real feel of Venice - we walked aimlessly through the alley ways, along the many canals, crossing small canal bridges whenever we had to. We saw the church of Santa Maria e San Donato. We shopped Murano glass jewelleries and souvenirs. We sat in a trattoria by the canal, sipping wine and sighing at the beauty surrounding us.

We again boarded a Vaporetto 4.1 to reach Ferrovia, the stop near the Venezia Santa Lucia railway station. There we booked an evening's train for Milan and boarded Vaporetto 1 to reach Rialto market. The market was overwhelming and if I wasn't on a tight budget I would have gone on a shopping spree. So all I bought was this Venetian mask, something I couldn't resist splurging on.
It was nearing sunset and we were at the best place to witness it - Rialto Bridge. Both sides of the Grand Canal near the Rialto Bridge are lined with open-air restaurants and cosy cafes. We chose one of canal side restaurant and ordered pizza and wine. The experience of dining by the canal was quintessentially Venetian; where else could we experience such bliss otherwise. 

Remember one thing if you are in Venice - Walk, walk, walk and try losing yourself - literally. It’s worth it! Here ended our short and sweet Venice trip. We boarded a vaporetto en-route to Ferrovia and boarded the Euro City to Milan just a minute before its departure. 

Giudecca is an island in the Venetian Lagoon, in northern Italy. It is part of the sestiere of Dorsoduro and is a locality of the commune of Venice.
Photo of Giudecca, Venice, Italy by Sanghita Nandi
Piazza San Marco, is the principal public square of Venice, Italy, where it is generally known just as "the Piazza". All other urban spaces in the city are called "campi". It is also known as St. Mark's Square.
Photo of Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy by Sanghita Nandi
The interior design of the hotel is modern and clean and most of staffs are very friendly .This hostel is exceptional. The rooms are spacious and clean, the beds are really comfortable, and the lock up storage is good. Nearby is the San Marco square which is such a relief!
Photo of Generator Hostel Venice, Fondamenta Zitelle, Venice, Italy by Sanghita Nandi
The Doge's Palace is a palace built in Venetian Gothic style, and one of the main landmarks of the city of Venice, northern Italy. The palace is full of grandeur and opulence. Well worth the visit.
Photo of Doge's Palace, Venice, Italy by Sanghita Nandi
Photo of Doge's Palace, Venice, Italy by Sanghita Nandi
The Bridge of Sighs is a bridge located in Venice, northern Italy. The enclosed bridge is made of white limestone and has windows with stone bars.It’s a popular saying that the prisoners would sigh at the final glance of beautiful Venice and that's how the bridge was named.
Photo of Bridge of Sighs, Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy by Sanghita Nandi
Murano is a series of islands linked by bridges in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy. It lies about 1.5 kilometres north of Venice and measures about 1.5 km across with a population of just over 5,000.
Photo of Murano, Ponte San Donato, Venice, Italy by Sanghita Nandi
The Rialto Bridge is one of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. It is the oldest bridge across the canal, and was the dividing line for the districts of San Marco and San Polo.
Photo of Rialto Bridge, Venice, Italy by Sanghita Nandi