Posts tagged as:

Venice

Venice: Things to Do

My number one tip for Venice things to do? Walk.  Take a break from maps, guidebooks and lineups, and simply wander the streets.
Leave your list of “must see” buildings behind in the hotel. If you happen to stumble across one of the big attractions in your wanders and the lineup is not bad, pop in [...]

Read the full article →

Venice: Vaporetto Tour on Grand Canal

One of my favorite Venice things to do is a vaporetto (water bus) tour on the Grand Canal.
On Day 2, before we went out to dinner, we spent a couple of hours doing just that. A Grand Canal vaporetto tour is a great budget alternative to the traditional gondola ride. (Riding the vaporetto costs only [...]

Read the full article →

The Kindness of Strangers in Venice

We’d just arrived in Venice after a 20 hour flight. Somehow I had mislaid the map with directions to our guest house. Tired and confused, I went into a tiny little snack bar. I figured since this was a tourist street the guy would certainly  speak English. Using my one Italian word, I said “Scusi” [...]

Read the full article →

Finding our Guest House In Venice

Even though I thought I was  organized, somehow I had forgotten to bring the piece of paper that had the directions to our guest house in Venice. At this point we’re 23 hours without sleep and trudging down a main tourist drag (Strada Nuova) against the current of a  sea of people.
It was magical
Nonetheless, it [...]

Read the full article →

Day 1: Nanaimo to Venice

It’s a long way from Nanaimo to Venice, and I wanted to make the journey as fast as possible.  Alas, my chauffeurs had a different idea.
I really should be grateful to them for hauling me out of bed at 3:30 for a 6:10 a.m. flight out of Nanaimo, which is only 30 minutes away by [...]

Read the full article →

Calli, Campielli e Canali: Ultimate Map of Venice

Calli, Campielli e Canali is generally agreed to be the ultimate map of Venice. With this book in hand, you will be able to find even the most out-of-the-way places in Venice.
However, it is distinctly more difficult to carry than the average map, because it is in fact a true book of 226 [...]

Read the full article →

Rick Steves Italy Audio Tours

My friend Diane suggested that I go to Rick Steves’ site and download some free Italy audio tours of the major sights in Venice, Florence and Rome. This is a recorded version of the highlights from his guide books. They are designed to give you a private walking tour. They are so descriptive that it [...]

Read the full article →