Venice, The Second Time

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAMA!

I love you and I can't wait to see you soon.

Love,

Kayni

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It was my second visit to Venice, and boy, I was so thrilled to see the "City of Canals" again. We boarded the ATVO bus (make sure you board the Venice Piazzale Roma: Express Service) from the Marco Polo Airport, which only cost 3 Euros per person. This is a cheaper alternative to taking water or land taxis from the airport. And since we were taking a cruise ship the next day, we decided to stay at a hotel near Piazzale Roma, which is the main hub for all types of buses and is walking distance to the Venice Santa Lucia Train Station and the Stazione Marittima (Main Terminal). Also, cruise operators offer a free shuttle pick up from Piazalle Roma to the cruise ship.

Venice felt chilly in autumn, but it's the welcoming kind. As I dragged my noisy (thumping through the cobbler stones) wheeled luggage from Piazzale Roma to our hotel, I heard the familiar hum of the vaporetto (water taxis) making its way through the Grand Canal, a shop keeper shouting in Italian on the background (sounds more like singing actually), an elderly woman walking a poodle with a coat, a colorful fruit stand with chestnuts roasting on the side, and the churning of the canals' currents and tides as the water taxis buzzed their way to the next stop. Everything felt familiar yet also new. Seeing Venice again is like seeing an old friend because it was the city that I fell-in-love with during one of my trips to escape the noise and hustle of Rome.

Here are my first few shots of Venice on our first day.

Shops and shops

A man and his dog making their way through the canal

A mask shop

Blue moons

Sweets

Quiet

I took this photo from a mask shop display, but photos weren't allowed inside the store

A parked gondola

Waiting

Attraversiamo (borrowed from Eat, Pray, Love) or let's cross over

No traffic

Red boat