Venice
Our first stop was Venice. We had just taken 2 flights and were really tired, so the majority of our first day was spent resting and doing basic orientation. We didn't have any special tours arranged or formal visits to museums. We were encouraged after reading the Rick Steeves reviews to just wander and see what we found. As a result, these pics are for the most part organized in the same way as they were shot.
Venice is very different. It should have been obvious, but there are no roads or wheeled vehicles anywhere. Everything is brought in by boat and you see smaller cargo boats delivering produce and materials to stores and homes throughout the canal system. They pull up to the side of a canal and someone transfers the goods onto a small carrier, and move it to its destination.
Unlike the rest of Italy, there are no bikes, scooters or any kind of wheeled people mover. Everyone walks, and for the most part Venice is flat with a lot of small bridges to get over the canals, so it is a simple walk. The Grand Canal runs down the middle and it is loaded with boats of all kinds: vaporettos, motorboats, gondolas, cargo carriers, kayaks, etc.
We arrived on the Alilaguna airport boat which docks at Fondamenta Nove at the North side of the island. From there a 15 minute walk, schlepping our suitcases took us to the Maison Venice. Fortunately the hotel was in a quiet area but was only a few steps to the main street, Strada Nova, where the night-time pictures were shot.
The centre of this photo is the access from the north shore to the walkway. The church on the right was soliciting contributions from tourists to go inside.
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