Today we arrived to Venice. Parking in San Marcos parking lot, meeting our host and then taking the Vaporetto through the Grand Canal to the Rialto in the north of San Marco sestieri (district). From here we followed a maze of calles to get to our apartment, which is located near to Piazza San Marco closer to the Castello sestieri. Will we find our way back if we leave?
We set out exploring by heading right into Piazza San Marco and right into the crowds! We press our way through the crowds and a peddler trying to offer me a red rose backhands me with it when I refuse. Soon we are on the waterfront and walking up and over bridges until the crowds thinned in Castello and we were lead up a welcoming Calle and then into Giardini Pubblici…a vast green garden. It was here I tried the Spritz – the orange colored drink that everyone seems to be enjoying at all the cafes. We ended up walking to the end of Castello and then after botching a traversal of the smaller calles, retreated to the Vaperetto and toured the lagoon and back through the Grand Canal, exiting again at Rialto.
The moment of truth … could we find our way back to the apartment? After a couple quick wrong turns we did manage without having to use GPS or a map!
Tomorrow we will get up early and go over the Rialto bridge into San Polo and then down through Dorsoduro. Then we pack up and hopefully our car will be where we left it 🙂 Florence is next!
