Heading Off To Venice!
Leaving Hotel Constantine, we met our prearranged taxi. Off to the train station to pick up our stored luggage and get to our seats. We actually arrived quite early so we grabbed a coffee.
After visiting Pisa and heading to Florence, we noticed Roxanne was having trouble rolling her luggage. It turns out one of the wheels had broken off. With so much more travel ahead of us, we looked around the city for a new suitcase. Finding a slightly larger bag at a shop near our hotel, she bought it. The guy who helped us was SO nice! He delivered the purchase straight to the hotel room for us. The front desk lady sent a txt asking if she could set it inside our room. Wow! Yes, that would be a great help!
So, Roxanne picked up the broken suitcase and repacked in the downstairs area of the train station. Setting the old one off to the side after it was emptied, we soon noticed security and police tagging it as a dangerous item. Roxanne told them the wheel was broken and wasn’t sure what to do with it. As it turned out, a lady walking buy saw the whole situation and asked if she could have it. She was beyond excited! So it all worked out :-)
Arriving to Venice by train was very important to me. It is such a powerful site! I will never forget the first time I visited… with Corey, we walked off the train and the view before us was stunning. So here, we are crossing The Laguna.
Venezia Santa Lucia train station pulls right into the rim of the Grand Canal. When you get off the train, the first thing you see is the busy waterway! It’s beautiful. Preparing to take our luggage to the storage location, we must have looked confused. A nice gentleman came with this cart, loaded all of our bags and took us to the hotel … not our hotel but a close one that offers overnight storage.
From the train station, we had a nine-minute walk. Traveling along the canals, down alleyways and winding around, we could easily have gotten lost but google maps is a lifesaver! Of course, we had to stop for an obligatory selfie along one of the many canals…
Almost to our hotel, we passed this little shop. This specialty shop had cheeses, olives, meats and wines. Once we got to our room, we realized how close this was. We will visit this again for sure!
Booked at My Rialto Palace, it was not as close to the Rialto Bridge as expected. However, it was in a perfect location. We saw several intriguing restaurants on our walk. As we approached our destination, I sent a quick message to Monica to let her know we were outside. An arched door in a high-walled alleyway opened up to an outdoor garden space that was quite charming. Going up a few steps, we were led through a second door which surprisingly had a knight in shining armor!
Next was yet a third door! A dining room table and a piano were the first things we noticed… looking to the right, we saw three beds, so we realized we had reached our room. Marble floors, antique furnishings and a very ornate baroque ceiling made this room feel as though we had stepped back in time.
Across the room we noticed two shuttered windows. Opening the wooden shutters, we were excited to find a canal. These waterways are the only form of transportation, so it was fun to see boats and gondolas floating by.
Through Rome, Pisa and Florence, we never had a disappointing meal. Every bite of food has been fabulous! Once again, choosing a place on instinct rather than reviews, we had a great lunch! There has been no issue with gluten-free/tomato free pastas and pizzas. Fresh fish is also a great option everywhere we’ve been!
The photos show clearly…. food is amazing! We started with a late lunch…
Since arriving in Italy, never have I felt that my diet was restricted. Pizza and pasta can be adapted for me at almost every restaurant. In fact, many of the locations have signage out front to announce the availability of gluten free pastas and/or pizza. I’m in heaven!!!
