Venice on a rainy rainy day!

It was one of my dream destinations and for long. The place has been hyped up tremendously as a lover's paradise, and frankly speaking it doesn't disappoint. It is an old city and looks like one, every corner, lane and by-lane has something historical written all over it. You can spend many many days walking around, getting lost and finding something which you otherwise won't even know exists.

Once the train drops you at the railway station, most people head to the St. Mark's square almost to the other end of the town. And this is a sound idea, especially if you only have a day and want to see the most beautiful places in the city. It takes not more than an hour to reach from the station, most signage on the way also point to the square and its challenging to get lost in the midst of all this. The square is exceptionally beautiful, with a huge museum and a Saint Mark's Bell tower. I could not go inside any of these but it is highly recommended to go up the tower, the view from top is stunning (I have seen pictures elsewhere).

Our journey to the square was slightly erratic, we never followed the recommended path. I was especially least interested in going to a place which would be so obviously full of all people. Did most of my souvenir shopping on the way, had some nice red wine sitting along one of the quaint side canals, and took many many pictures. The pictures, now lost, saw more than perhaps even what I did. Every time there was a by-lane, I took that to see something new and also to get away from the crowd, much to the frustration of my companion. We ended up visiting a few art galleries (free entry, of course) and an awesome theatre. As we had already skipped the idea of overnight stay, we skipped the proposed opera at the theatre in the late evening.

The only way of seeing the place is to walk, walk and walk, and it can sometimes get extremely tiring. If one has more money, gondolas are a nice option; or the numerous water buses (vaporetti) which are much cheaper. To visit ny other island, it is essential to take a water bus, and the experience is rewarding.

We ate little in the day, and by evening our moods were absolutely sullen. Ended up eating pasta (dinner) at a decent looking place, and found the taste surprisingly Indian. I wondered if it was owned by an Indian with Indian cooks, however, there were none to seen in the restaurant. Living in the city without a hotel booking could be a challenge, unless you are planning to camp. But sleeping at the railway station on old and ruffled news papers could still be a memorable experience, apart from being an ice-breaker!

Alas my trip was too short and I could only get a glimpse of the place in the one day I spent there. I intend to visit Venice again, hopefully alone this time.

A couple of pictures which survived the trip.

Venice from the sea!

A famous Venetian canal...

By the way, if you are looking for a place to stay in Dresden, here's a former monastery right next to a church where you can actually stay: We Crociferi in Venice.