Exploring Venice

Wednesday 21^st August

No matter where you go in Venice there are shops and views! I can walk around the corner of my hotel and see four arched bridges, a canal, laden gondolas coming through (sometimes with an old man serenading his customers, along with piano accordion accompaniment – O sole mio) and tourists, tourists, tourists!

(See below on the right the water door to our hotel. This is where the water taxi dropped us.)

It is impossible to avoid fascinating views. It is also impossible to avoid the shops! I joined my friends for a wander, but once I realised that they intended to spend the day looking in the shops, I decided it was time to part. It meant too much stopping and starting for me to deal with well. I am better off sitting or striding. I set off through Venice to find favourite places from previous visits, to find new places, and to get lost! Getting lost in Venice is fun because of the fascinating lanes you find. You can’t stay lost for long as there are always yellow signs around pointing you to the closest vaporetto stop, but it’s fun trying!

It was an exhausting day, and I decided I never again want to visit Venice in Summer’s heat, but it truly is a lovely place to visit.

After dinner and our evening ramble in St Mark’s Square, I returned to my room to find that the room had been sprayed with a perfumed room freshener, despite my asking that morning for it NOT to happen. Very unpleasant. I tried opening doors and windows, but then realised that it was on the sheets and bedspread. There was no way I could sleep like that. I have too many perfume allergies. In the end I went down to Reception and explained the situation. They offered to put me in a double room; I asked if we couldn’t just change the bed coverings. In the end I had to pack up all my stuff and I was moved to a junior suite! It’s right at the top of the hotel, with attic style ceilings. I have a single bed in the reception room, a lobby (corridor) with a desk, and a bedroom with a huge bed and a Juliette balcony. This room, too, smells of revolting air freshener but at least it is not on the bedding. I’ve opened the windows and hope to get it liveable by the time I go to sleep.