Venezia, Italy

Leg #2 brought us to Venice. We’d heard horror stories of the crowds, getting lost, and how touristy this place was known to be. After 3 days here, we’d argue that winter time, especially Christmas is a great time to visit Venezia. The first couple days we were able to meet up with a friend, which made exploring the city pretty fun. We stayed in an ideal location (a 5 minute walk from the main piazza – St. Marks Square) which we’d strongly suggest if you’re ever visiting.

While walking around Venice there are several things that were tough not to notice: pigeons, designer knock-offs, beautiful stained glass shops, paper merchants and gondolas.

First, the pigeons are famous in St. Mark’s Square. Vendors sell cornmeal for tourists to feed these birds. This is easily the worst waste of money we have come across in any of our travels. (Note: we did not partake). Tourists feed the pigeons by placing the meal on theirs arms, hands and even heads. As you walk through the square you can easily spot twenty tourists covered head to toe with birds. Our initial thought was bird flu, closely followed by spending most of our time avoiding birds who are known to “leave their mark” all throughout the continent. For a good description of this see this picture, for a better one by us a drink when get back.

Secondly, the relentless bag salesmen. After spending several days in Milan it was impossible not to notice how important designer handbags are to Italian women. Moments into any Venetian adventure you’ll quickly notice fake handbags sold at every turn. We were shocked.

There are 2 spots in Europe we had heard all about glass – Prague and Venice. As Prague did not expectations, we were skeptical for what Venice had to offer. Our friends were right, Venetian glass was extraordinary. While did not get to visit the island of Murano (where much of the glass is blown), the countless shops were unique and worth more then a quick glance. Venetian paper shops, while not as frequent offered excellent quality and distinctive designs.

While the gondolas are no longer used by the locals, it is a must for the tourist. Your best bet is to go with as many people as possible (we did, thanks to our friend!) as it can help defer some of the overpriced costs. Don’t waste much time trying to find a good price, all of these Gondolamen are in cahoots. Spend the time haggling with your driver and agree on a price/time up front. We spent most of the time wandering around the streets (don’t bother with the map) and through the main canal on the Vaparetto (local waterbus). Check out the famous bridges, fish market, San Marco (incredible ceiling mosaics and great Christmas Mass), but stay away from the local penitentiary which we happened across on a long stroll Christmas afternoon…