Doug is always the first one up in our crew. He's known to frequently slip out for a morning run while the three of us ladies are still slumbering. The canals of Venice didn't stop him from getting out for a trot.
When he got back Doug raved about how amazing it was to experience Venice in the early morning hours, without the throngs of crowds. He encouraged me to get out for a morning walk. On our final morning I set my alarm and rallied to slip out of our hotel room unnoticed just after 7:00am. I 'm incredibly glad I did! Getting to watch the city waking up, amidst only a few locals, was very special.
I walked over to the fish market, stands being set up for a day of commerce.
I saw the rubbish collection barges go by, and construction being transported along the canals. Amazing to see the canals virtually empty; none of the throngs of gondolas or pedestrians.
I walked through a virtually empty St Mark's Square. Unheard of during the day!
We unanimously loved our time in Venice. I visited Venice once during my year studying abroad in college (1997/98), but it had been a quick visit & long enough ago that I remembered relatively little. Funny enough one of my strongest memories of Venice was the women's toilet in the main train station; it was the first time I'd ever seen a mere hole in the floor for a toilet. Ha!
Happy to report that I'll be leaving Venice this time with far more lasting memories. In spite of being completely overrun by tourists, Venice is a city that manages to retain its magic. It's such a unique spot. It drew the four of us in and we will cherish our time exploring its charming, maze-like canals. Sadie was especially smitten.
After a final breakfast we hopped on the vaparetto and journeyed a few stops down to the train station. From there we made the short walk to our rental car which we had parked in a massive garage during our time in Venice proper. We hit the road for Modena (~2 hours), where we proceeded to have the best lunch, impromptu balsamic vinegar tasting and wine afternoon ever!
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