Crossing the Grand Canal in Venice, local style

The Grand Canal is a 3800metres long snake, weaving its way to the lagoon. With only 4 bridges crossing this canal , it can be very frustrating  getting around, trying to find the best bridge to cross to get to see the sights or do the shopping.
Its not exactly a secret, but certainly not well known unless you actually live in Venezia, there is a local way to cross the canal.  Use a gondola!  Not just any gondola,  but a specific type, with their own little stations.  It will cost you Euro2. And you have to stand up! Well, that's not actually compulsory, but the locals do stand up for the crossing.

crossing the canal, local style standing up

gondola ride in traffic

 These 5 fotos were taken within minutes of each other, late June.  If you are considering a quiet, relaxing or romantic ride in a gondola, choose your  time and place for getting into the gondola carefully. This looked like peak hour.  How skilled the gondoliers are, never touching each other's gondola, passing and waiting for one to turn into the canal.

Even the motor boats have a little difficulty passing each other in some of the narrow canals.

Think carefully too before you take a ride in a gondola  on the Grand Canal.  Can often be very busy: other gondolas are not the problem... think of the ferries!

Florian Venice

 One of Italy's oldest caffe establishments, Florian has been operating since 1720 in the heart of Venezia at Piazza San Marco .  In summer it's best in the morning or evening as the full sun is a killer , not to mention the tourists, in Piazza S Marco.

An orchestra plays at most hours. On the occassion of our visit in late June we had a pianist, a cellist, a violinist and a man playing the piano accordion.

There's Florian's Tea Rooms, Florian's Bar, and a good section of the piazza also.  A great spot to stop for a drink or snack.  You could get a coca cola for Euro11, a cappuccino for Euro 12.50, a gelato for Euro19.50, or an aperitivo rosso florian for Euro 12.50.  And many other treats on offer of course also. A bottle of Bollinger would set you back Euro300.

Harry's Bar, Harry's Dolci: Cipriani in Venezia

On my final day in Venezia we decided to take a trip to Giudecca, the long thin island not far from San Marco square in central Venice. A short trip on public transport (ferry) Linea number 2 took us to stop Planca Giudecca at around 1.30 pm,
peak time for a light lunch.  The temperature was 30 degrees plus, so somewhere in the shade on the lagoon's edge was  the place to go.  Not wanting to go into the nearest restaurant we strolled along to Fondamenta San Biagio and a restaurant that took our eyes, an all in white terrace with a floating white canopy right on the water's edge.  It wasn't until I read the
menu (with prices) that I realised we had inadvertently landed at Harry's Dolci, a less formal side of one of the Cipriani family's upmarket eateries. Service was courteous, food was simple and well presented, table cloth and serviettes were of white linen,  acqua frizzante was cold,  the waves of the lagoon almost lapped at our feet and the busy movements of hundreds of various boating vehicles kept us entertained and relaxed: postal service, tour groups in private boats, wooden taxis, builders carrying heavy equipment, ferries with trucks on board, even a "Red Bus" (in this case a red boat) for tourists' views of the city by boat.

kept us entertained and relaxed.

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