European Road Trip Day 5 - Venice (Sunday 3rd June)

Today after a quick play in the garden, we set off for Venice, about 45 minutes away from Sarah and Mitch's.

We drove across the bridge onto Venice (I liked the picture on the satnav!), and parked in an underground car park near Piazza Roma. We were there by about 9.30am.

The weather forecast was for rain showers, but I was so happy because it was partly hazy, partly blue skies all day! It felt good to be in Venice, and just soaking everything up!

We wandered around all the main sites and bridges, with no major plan.

I like all the 'love lock's attached to the wooden Accademia Bridge.

Not far from the Accademia, we popped briefly into this hall where Scott and I had been to a Vivaldi concert, when we were here a few years ago. I love the area around here, and have very happy memories of sitting on a bench with Scott, in hot sunshine, watching some local kids play football. It was good to be back!

We enjoyed wandering along the narrow streets...

...and finding the next little bridge with a gondola slipping by.

St. Mark's Square. Hard believe I was once the only person standing in this square! (It was late at night in the middle of an extremely heavy rain storm!)

Another of my favourites - the pink Venetian glass lamps.

We then went up the Campanile (8 Euros each) to see the views over Venice. Harry looks overjoyed, waiting to go up!

Harry looking out to San Giorgio Maggiore. Scott and I had gone up the church tower, and looked back over to Venice when we came before.

We didn't spend ages up the Campanile, because as you can probably tell from the photo below, Harry needed the toilet... (which we eventually found, and cost us 1.50 Euros each!)

The bridge of Sighs.

For lunch we got pizza and pressed sandwiches, and ate them in a little square.

Then the most important bit - choosing what flavours to have in a 3 scoop gelato.

We ate them on the steps by a quiet bit of canal.

We then headed to the busiest part of Venice - the area around the Rialto Bridge, on the Grand Canal. We listened to some musicians for a bit, bought a few souvenirs, and a tie for Scott, then sat by the canal for a while, and soaked in the sights and bustle and sunshine - loved it!!

(Kind of half hoping one of them would fall in!)

Lucy's photo in a mirrored window...

We then wandered slowly through the quieter streets back towards the car, letting Harry and Tom lead the way. It was just so nice to be taking in the special atmosphere - sometimes coming to a dead end against a canal, coming across wonderful little scenes - a solitary gondola quietly going down a picturesque bit of canal, the unique little bridges, flowers on buildings, hilariously narrow alley ways, even the day-to-day real life scruffy parts of Venice too. I was glad that the kids were all really enjoying it - and 'got it'.

Before we went back to the car, we just had a lay down in the sun in a little park area - reluctant to leave Venice, but too exhausted to do any more!

Driving back, near Vicenza.

We got back to Sarah's by about 3.30pm. The kids all went and played, Scott had a rest, and Sarah and I filled in more gaps in our lives - how we met our husbands etc, and chatted 'craft stuff'. Sarah had cooked for us again, and the kids didn't go to bed late, then we talked around the dining table till about 9pm. At about 9.30pm, Scott and I were in our room - I was downloading some photos, and Scott was reading in bed, when I felt some shaking, and a moment later there was a longer, stronger shaking - an earthquake! It lasted for a few seconds, but I was a bit worried - about the kids, and if there would be more, and stronger ones. There had been a few earthquakes in Italy the week before we came on holiday - and that had certainly been on my mind, especially when we had been going up the Campanile in Venice. I had said a prayer, asking for safety. Anyway, I went to bed a bit worried, but quickly fell asleep, and had a good night's sleep.