Alphabet of Travel Snaps: V for…

No, not vendetta. Or Vienetta, but VENICE!

I told you I might start this as a series and I was inspired to share my Venetian adventures after reading Minaxi’s post about her time there!

It could have easily been ‘E is for Europe‘ as our trip to this timeless area, a couple of years ago, kicked off our whirlwind ‘city breaks’ journey, which also took in the sights of Rome and Paris.

Although it was Sam’s first time, I’d already visited Venice a few years previously, on a day excursion, sailing in from Rimini further along the coast. I was immediately smitten, as so many people are – what is it that captivates the hearts and imaginations of travellers?

For me, without sounding cliché (okay, a little cliché…) I just found the culture, canals and history magical – the architecture was beautiful, yet in that ancient, almost decaying way that it has. Venice is undeniably romantic and seductive but there is also something mysterious about it. Wandering around tiny alleyways and hidden corners, I could definitely picture myself back in time, channeling my inner Assassins’ Creed!

Although the touristy areas become swamped, the main sights such as St. Mark’s square, the Grand Canal and Rialto Bridge are still worth fighting the crowds for. However, staying in Venice allows you to experience the quieter side – we only found it busy between about 11am and 3pm, when most of the cruise ships bring in their hordes.

This is when we’d skip off (well, that was maybe just me!) to the back alleys, aimlessly strolling about, grabbing some strawberries to snack on by the canal, seeing what we could discover around the corner and perhaps picking up a few geocaches along the way! In general, we’d pass only a couple of people an hour.

Italy is the one country I’ve been (so far) that I would feel at ease moving to, with Venice remaining, hands down, my favourite city of all time. Perhaps it’s the allure of the water and its dark corners for doing…dark deeds! Or maybe it’s simply because I have a thing for masks…

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Image Credits: All my own, so please be sweet and ask before sharing! 🙂

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