Waiting for the water taxi to take us to the airport. Took a nice scroll through the packed St. Mark's Square (it's the day before Easter, and St. Mark's is like Times Square but with more people and less traffic). We walked through the back streets to the Rialto Bridge (took just five minutes), and then back -- but more leisurely.
Anyhow, I will write the longer posts on our Venice trip from the airport, but since there is some time, a few random thoughts:
The best way to see Venice is to take to the back streets. Some are big shopping streets, others lead to small churches (or large), and others just have a handful of trattorias or nothing at all. But it is fun to pass over the bridges over the many canals, and spot a gondola, water taxi, or private boat.
The second best way is via vaporetto. It's essentially an aboveground subway, but on the water. There are plenty of stops, and the boats on the main routes are packed (so it's not the most comfortable ride). But, it's a great way to see the Grand Canal or go to Murano (more info on that later).
We bought a 24 hour pass (there are multiple different increments) for 15 Euro each (about $22). A one-way, one shot ticket is 6 Euro, so it takes three rides to come out ahead -- and we took six rides in the 24 hours.
Food is fine here, but if you come to Italy to eat, go to Florence, Tuscany, or Rome. We went to two very good restaurants at night, but the drop-in lunch places weren't so good. Gelatto scoops are much smaller for the same price as elsewheres in Italy, and it's not as good. Part of the reason is that it is so hard to provision Venice -- everything comes in by boat, and then is carted by guys through the streets. So you pay more and get less fresh (except the fish, which is quite good).
Time to head to the airport.
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