Venice where the taxis go by water
10/07/07 13:27 Filed in: ExploreBlog
The idea
for Venice arose because we were
looking for somewhere to spend a long weekend that
would be truly memorable and different. Somewhere
were we would not be tempted to try to cram too
much into our time. Most importantly, somewhere to
relax.
Venice seemed the obvious choice. The fact that San Marco is a relatively small island would mean that we could explore quite widely in two days and not feel that we had barely scratched the surface.
The difference starts immediately when you arrive at the airport. Instead of walking outside to search for a taxi or the bus to the car hire lot, we simply walked through a door to a wooden pier to get the water taxi to the hotel.
You set out across the bay past a couple of islands and then in the distance you see Venice. As the taxi accelerates along the marked lane the back of the boat goes down and the balmy Mediterranean air rushes past your face. This is the way to start a weekend break.
Our hotel was the Bauer Grunwald, a four-star hotel quite close to Piazza San Marco. Our route therefore took us down the Grand Canal which was bathed in golden evening sunlight.
An evening gondola ride in Venice
The gondoliers were out in force and the sight of the famous Ponte Rialto added tothe rising excitement at arriving in this most romantic of cities.
Along narrow canals, our "driver" squeezed his water taxi through seemingly-impossible gaps between the canal walls and oncoming gondolas. How do they do it. Water is never as precise a medium for manoeuvring as tarmac, yet never did we bump and scrape despite only having inches to spare.
The famous Piazza San Marco in Venice
At the Bauer Grunwald we arrived by the water entrance straight into the lobby.
Our Junior Suite was perhaps a little less impressive insidethan we had expected. However the view of the city out the window was impressive. Opening the window, the sound of classical violins floated up from the square below, mingling with the occasional serenading gondolier passing along the canal.
The Piazza San Marco has to be one of Europe's great squares. Huge and impressive it has oudoor cafes on either side with two small orchestras on stage battling with their music across the breadth of the square.
For dinner that night I had secretly planned to find the famous Harry's Bar. Set up by a Venetian barman with money from an American customer who had reason to be particularly grateful for his assistance, it has since hosted crowned heads of Europe, top politicians, film stars and celebrities.
Deliberately the bar is difficult to find, with little more than the name etched on the windows to confirm its location. Open the door and you are faced with a busy scene. This is a bar foremost, but it is famed for the quality of its cuisine.
We had not booked and feared we might not get in. But luck was on our side.
After a welcome drink of Bellini we were ushered to a table upstairs where we ordered salads and the waiter's recommended pasta dishes.
We had been warned that Harry's Bar was expensive, but we were determined splash out for this special occasion. Still, eyebrows shot skywards when we noted that the insalata pommadore e mozzarella (tomato and mozzarella salad) which I had ordered for a starter cost more than the wine! But it was absolutely superb. Also superb was the pasta main course.
In the end, although staring in disbelief at the size of the bill (it translated into more than £100 for the Bellini, the wine and the food for two), we voted it a worthwhile investment for a great evening, a special atmosphere and outstanding food.
True to our plans the next two days were spent soaking up the atmosphere, watching the gondolas from the terrace, walking the narrow streets and alleyways of Venice and visiting the shops.
It was July and the city was busy. Giant cruise ships were visiting and disgorging hundreds of passengers.
But Venice is such a different experience that it has to be.... well... experienced. Ensure your credit card has space and pack your bag and enjoy the place.
Venice seemed the obvious choice. The fact that San Marco is a relatively small island would mean that we could explore quite widely in two days and not feel that we had barely scratched the surface.
The difference starts immediately when you arrive at the airport. Instead of walking outside to search for a taxi or the bus to the car hire lot, we simply walked through a door to a wooden pier to get the water taxi to the hotel.
You set out across the bay past a couple of islands and then in the distance you see Venice. As the taxi accelerates along the marked lane the back of the boat goes down and the balmy Mediterranean air rushes past your face. This is the way to start a weekend break.
Our hotel was the Bauer Grunwald, a four-star hotel quite close to Piazza San Marco. Our route therefore took us down the Grand Canal which was bathed in golden evening sunlight.
An evening gondola ride in Venice
The gondoliers were out in force and the sight of the famous Ponte Rialto added tothe rising excitement at arriving in this most romantic of cities.
Along narrow canals, our "driver" squeezed his water taxi through seemingly-impossible gaps between the canal walls and oncoming gondolas. How do they do it. Water is never as precise a medium for manoeuvring as tarmac, yet never did we bump and scrape despite only having inches to spare.
The famous Piazza San Marco in Venice
At the Bauer Grunwald we arrived by the water entrance straight into the lobby.
Our Junior Suite was perhaps a little less impressive insidethan we had expected. However the view of the city out the window was impressive. Opening the window, the sound of classical violins floated up from the square below, mingling with the occasional serenading gondolier passing along the canal.
The Piazza San Marco has to be one of Europe's great squares. Huge and impressive it has oudoor cafes on either side with two small orchestras on stage battling with their music across the breadth of the square.
For dinner that night I had secretly planned to find the famous Harry's Bar. Set up by a Venetian barman with money from an American customer who had reason to be particularly grateful for his assistance, it has since hosted crowned heads of Europe, top politicians, film stars and celebrities.
Deliberately the bar is difficult to find, with little more than the name etched on the windows to confirm its location. Open the door and you are faced with a busy scene. This is a bar foremost, but it is famed for the quality of its cuisine.
We had not booked and feared we might not get in. But luck was on our side.
After a welcome drink of Bellini we were ushered to a table upstairs where we ordered salads and the waiter's recommended pasta dishes.
We had been warned that Harry's Bar was expensive, but we were determined splash out for this special occasion. Still, eyebrows shot skywards when we noted that the insalata pommadore e mozzarella (tomato and mozzarella salad) which I had ordered for a starter cost more than the wine! But it was absolutely superb. Also superb was the pasta main course.
In the end, although staring in disbelief at the size of the bill (it translated into more than £100 for the Bellini, the wine and the food for two), we voted it a worthwhile investment for a great evening, a special atmosphere and outstanding food.
True to our plans the next two days were spent soaking up the atmosphere, watching the gondolas from the terrace, walking the narrow streets and alleyways of Venice and visiting the shops.
It was July and the city was busy. Giant cruise ships were visiting and disgorging hundreds of passengers.
But Venice is such a different experience that it has to be.... well... experienced. Ensure your credit card has space and pack your bag and enjoy the place.
