The second day, we were up before the sun came up to head to Venice!  In one word: Italian Disney World.  Ok, 3 words.

VENICE

Since Venice is complete tourism (really, I’ve heard its e m p t y at night) and the touristy part is on an island, it is quite expensive to stay there for the night.  For that reason (coupled with the fact that it’s small!), we decided to just go for the day and leave our suitcases at the train station while we explored.  I was a little nervous about doing that since people tend to say “you need at least two days in Venice!”, but I think that depends on your goals and what you want to see.  We headed to the train after breakfast and packing up…

^Sleepy eyes!!  And yesssss mom, my forehead is big and I need bangs.

We slept a bit on the train and woke up when we arrived in Venice…or so we thought.  When we were getting off, I mentioned that it was strange that not everyone was getting off, but we got off anyway, and sure enough, we weren’t in Venice (St. Lucia), we were at the station before!  So that was the first dilemma of our mostly smooth trip!  We had to figure out how to get from that station onto the island.  Tricky, tricky.  I’m a super level-headed person and didn’t blame anyone for this mistake 😉  Luckily, it was a super easy fix, since you can buy an inexpensive (1.25 Euro) ticket for the 15 minute ride onto the island. (FYI, they didn’t check the tickets on the train.  Not that spending 1.25 will break the bank, but just so ya know).  Pheeewwww.  The second (not really) dilemma came when we saw that everyone and their mother wanted to leave their bags at the train station and the only (yes, singular, ONLY ONE) man working at the station previously held a job at the DMV.  Or he should consider getting one.  The line moved sloooowly, but we entertained ourselves with bocadillos (luckily we had them, we were starving!) and finally (FINALLY!) got through the line.  I would still do it again, since it made it possible to go for the day, but something to keep in mind!  With empty hands, we were off!!

I think the best way to see Venice is to wander.  Get lost.  Go down small alleys.  Stop for coffee.  Take pictures.  EXPLORE!  And don’t rely on your phone to guide you.  It won’t work.

That last picture is proof that there is at least one non-tourist living on the island!

Be sure to stop for gelato and inexpensive sandwiches that you can eat on the various cathedral steps you’ll find.

By the end, we were wiped, but we all that winding leads to getting lost.  TIP:  Leave yourself enough time to find your way back to the train!  Google maps won’t work well and you WILL get lost.  It’s better to get to the train early than to panic.  

And when in doubt, follow these yellow signs to find the train, though they are only so helpful:

By the end of the day, we had eaten more than 8 sandwiches, walked over 27,000 steps, and (I had) fallen in love with Venice.  With that being said, I think one day is the perfect amount of time to experience the magic of the city (and not go broke 😉 ).  Would I ever want to LIVE in Venice?  Absolutely not.  But it is completely different from so many other places (except maybe Amsterdam, with the canals).  It’s worth seeing and exploring and you can take lots of pictures and then play Where’s Waldo with the gondola men and their striped t-shirts.  What else could you possibly want from a city?

We grabbed our bags, waited for the train, bought two more sandwiches (hey carbs….) and headed off to FLORENCE!

Coming soon!

Overall tips:

• Go for just a day and leave your suitcase at the train station
• Leave plenty of time to get back to the station at the end of the day
• If possible, pack a lunch for the day
• Wear sunscreen if it’s sunny.  We both got neck and shoulder burns from being out all day.