Ah, Venice……  The romance, the food, the water!  Our anticipation and excitement was palpable.

Venice is one of those places that feels slightly unreal the moment you arrive. A city built on water rather than roads, where movement slows and direction becomes less important than simply wandering and noticing what’s around you.

Our first stop in Europe was Venice and the Hotel Ca’ D’Oro.  A perfect little boutique hotel for our first night in this beautiful city on the water.  We chose this Hotel because it was away from the tourist area, but still central.

The Foyer still showcasing a well from years past.

A small, boutique hotel that felt both quaint and comfortable. But the real highlight was our room overlooking the canal of Rio di Ca’ Dolce. We could watch daily life unfold below us – deliveries arriving by boat, water taxis gliding past, and locals moving through their daily rhythm as if the canal were simply another street. It became our favourite kind of entertainment – slow, unhurried people-watching at its very best.

Taxi!

There’s lots of walking in Venice – it’s the only mode of transport apart from boats.  Comfortable walking shoes are a must, the cobbled streets not lending room for fashionable high heels.  For us, this isn’t an issue as we love to explore on foot. 

Our hotel was quite close to the Grand Canal, only a couple of minutes’ walk through the tiny cobbled corridors that make up this city.

The Grand Canal – such a busy thoroughfare.  Here’s us, looking a little tired but excited after our 36 hour journey from Australia.

We absolutely loved Venice.  Finding our way around the streets and tiny walkways was fun.  Getting lost was fun. 

My radar is always out for fresh food markets.

I had never seen such large pieces of dried fruits.  Australian dried fruits come either already cut up or in small packets.  I love Italy!

Navigating your way around Venice is difficult.  You simply can’t see landmarks.  Luckily Jeff has such a good sense of direction.  Many a time I was convinced we were heading in one direction, and then proved wrong. Direction in Venice quickly becomes a curious concept. The high stone walls and narrow alleys strip away any sense of north, south, east, or west, and you find yourself drifting through a maze of cobbled corridors and hidden turns. It can feel disorienting at first, but you soon realise it doesn’t matter. You’re on an island surrounded by water, and no matter which turn you take, you won’t be lost forever. Just temporarily elsewhere.

The Piazza San Marco (St Mark’s Square)

Venice is a popular stop for cruise ships, and St Mark’s Square is understandably high on every visitor’s list. Not fans of crowds, we made our way there early in the morning, just as the square was beginning to wake and stallholders were setting up for the day.

St Mark’s Campanile (the Bell Tower) rises above the square, and climbing it is well worth the effort. From the top, Venice reveals itself in full, a dense, intricate maze of rooftops, waterways, and narrow streets, offering a true bird’s-eye perspective of just how layered and closely woven the city really is.

From up there, it was easy to see how quickly the city folds back into itself to disorient you, and just as easy to understand why the best way to experience Venice is simply to wander and see where you end up.

Then it was time to leave. We found the best way to reach the train station for the next leg of our journey was by water taxi along the Grand Canal. Gliding past the familiar palazzi and bridges one last time felt like the perfect farewell to Venice, a final, unhurried view of a city best seen from the water.

Jeff and Catherine