I can't believe it's already been two months since our trip to Venice! I was so excited with the way we planned this trip because it was so spontaneous of us! Since we have x amount of bills to pay, debts, and savings to worry about each month, we had talked about a little getaway since my homesickness was at a peak in winter, but never really moved forward with that plan. Then for a few days in February, we talked about where we would go if we could and decided it would have to be Venice! On Leap Day (Feb 29), EasyJet was having a big sale on their flights and we found a really good deal to Venice and just went for it!! It was literally something we'd discussed for just a few days before booking. Ironically, our plan was (still...) to get away from the miserable gloom that is English weather, but lo and behold, the weather predicted rain and thunderstorms just before we left! Nonetheless, it's all about the experience, which is really what I should keep reminding myself in the meantime about living here!
We had been really anxious for the entire three months leading up to the trip. We found this adorable apartment to stay in and had been in touch with the owner in the months prior to our stay. We'd researched restaurants and gelato shops (none of which we actually went to) and did a little studying and practicing of the beautiful Italian language. This was also going to be our very first flight together!! :-) Kinda crazy, right?!
When we arrived, we paid for our extortionately priced bus and vaporetto tickets (more on this later), and made our way to the gorgeous island of Venice. My first feelings about this incredible place reminded me of the way I feel when I'm at Disneyland. A blissful, romantic feeling completely overwhelmed me, despite the gloomy, misty weather. As we tried finding our vaporetto route, we were told the America's Cup was currently happening (not sure how we didn't know about this!), so we weren't able to get off where our apartment was. Turned out, it was actually happening right in front of our apartment which was pretty exciting!! Luckily we took an early flight from Gatwick and it was only about 1:00pm when we got to our apartment so we had plenty of the day left to explore (and eat!).
We had decided that 200 Euros would hopefully be enough to get us through the few days we were there, but we were proved wrong pretty quickly. When we'd arrived at the airport, we paid for our return bus tickets, and 12 hour vaporetto (waterbus) tickets to get us to our apartment once on the Island, and for both of us, this came to 55 Euros. Ouch. I had been told that Venice was expensive but I didn't take it into serious enough consideration, clearly! Because it's such a tourist trap, shops and restaurants get away with and take full advantage of ripping you off. Peter and I do pretty well on a tight budget and tend to go for the cheaper options, but even the cheapest option in Venice is still ridiculous and it became really hard for me to wrap my head around and justify. That being said, we couldn't really afford much other than food.
I thought our apartment was located in the perfect part of Venice. It wasn't in the crazy hustle and bustle where all the annoying tourists lurk, but it was just on the outskirts where some of the locals live. One downside of it being such a tourist trap is that it's actually a challenge to find locals and listen to them speak or watch them live their day-to-day lives. I really enjoyed that part with where we stayed-- we could see everyone's laundry hung above us just outside the door to our entrance, and we could hear the locals walking by daily.
We spent a lot of time getting lost and did a lot less planning than I wanted to. The walk from our apartment to St. Mark's Square was about 15 minutes, so we wandered up that way everyday and used it as our landmark. One of the days turned out to be ridiculously rainy and wet, so much so, that when we got home, we had to peel our clothes off and lay them on the heater to dry them out. We stopped in a cafe that day, hopeful that the rain would die down, and when it didn't, we popped into a shop, bought a pack of playing cards and headed back to our place to let it pass. It turned out to be the perfect opportunity to rest our feet since we'd been walking and exploring non-stop.
Although the restaurants are too overpriced for me, the quality and taste of proper Italian food is more than enough for me to go back. I don't think I have ever wanted pizza as much as I did in the few days we were in Venice. The great thing about that is there are little carts/shops all over where you can pick up a slice to go for about 1,50-2 euros and the slices are massive!! As a bonus, I was overjoyed to find my most favorite toppings everywhere!!! Prosciutto & artichokes=heaven! (Artichokes are all over, which is heaven in itself for me!) It's been far too long since I've had some variety in food and Italy was the best place to indulge in that. Of course we also had to stop for a few gelatos...my favorite being pistachio, surprise surprise! Overall, the food is simply to die for and I certainly look forward to my next visit to that beautiful, delicious country!
Putting the gloomy weather aside, the over-priced (but extremely delicious) food, and a few minor flaws in our apartment (two single beds put together to make one which wasn't very comfortable to say the least), I must admit that it was such a perfect getaway for us and I know we'll go back one day when we can afford to spend out a little bit more. It was the perfect excuse for Peter and I to put our phones away and focus on each other and let the romance-filled air totally consume us. I felt so much closer to him and could actually feel the growth we'd made together from those few days away in that gorgeous city of love.
Venice from Lindsay Reynolds on Vimeo.
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