Oh, Venice… you get me.

Dear Venice,

I want to thank you for today.  You showed me a great time in our last stop through Italy.  I was a little skeptical after last night.  It was a long day of traveling, which went extremely well, but all I wanted was a nice hot shower and a good relaxing meal.  We had trouble finding our hotel and when we stepped in the room it was very basic.  That wasn’t a problem, but after the amazing room we had in Cinque Terre, I was a little spoiled.  We took quick showers and headed out to dinner. 

We found a nice casual patio and ordered some seafood dishes since that is what Venice is known for.  However, our service couldn’t have been worse.  It was very clear that they could careless that we were there.  We didn’t stay for long after the meal, even though our original plan was to enjoy a nice espresso or another glass of wine at the finish of our dinner.  We paid and headed out in search for a café to enjoy a cappuccino and some gelato to make up for dinner.  We found a great little spot down the street and started to take our first bite when the server brought over our bill.  (It was late and they were closing down so we paid up front.)  20 euro!  For 2 cups of coffee and two scoops of ice cream.  Are you kidding me?  The night ended there for me where I went back to the room to read while Logan hit the local casino.

Venice, you made up for it in style this morning.  We woke up early to hit the more touristy spots and caught San Marco before it got over crowded with tourists.  The rest of the day was spent getting lost down various allies and crossing every bridge we could find.  We enjoyed the beautiful views of canals.  When it got a little later we began popping into little ‘snack shops’ where they sold small portions of sandwiches and various lunch treats for only a few euros.  We got a taste of what the city was known for.  The best was our last stop where we each had some white wine and the best lasagna we’ve ever tasted.  It puts my lasagna to shame.  At least now I have something to aspire to.

As we roamed the city streets heading towards our hotel to relax before getting ready for dinner we sighed as we reflected on the time we’ve spent in Italy.  The last two cities have flown by and it is bitter sweet to say goodbye.  We know we will not be back for a long time, if ever and have enjoyed our stay here.  I think we are both ready to take in one last meal in this romantic city before experiencing a completely different culture before embarking on our journey home.