We parked the car at Tronchetto, the artificial island between the mainland and the historic centre. There are loads of options, both for parking and for just getting to Venice. The closer one wants to park, the more expensive it is. Parking on the mainland is cheaper, but it’s a long way from the island and some kind of public transport is necessary, either by road or water. We just walked from the parking island, and caught the People Mover shuttle from Piazzale Roma on the way back ‘cos our legs were a bit tired by then.

Okay, so I’m going to make a confession … I didn’t think I’d like Venice much. Crowds, tourists, tacky souvenirs aren’t really my ‘thing’, but oh my goodness, it’s so beautiful I didn’t really even notice the stuff I don’t like. So much history and gorgeous old buildings & bridges, and even though there were lots of people around, we just nipped down a less crowded lane every now and then and got away from it. The Rialto Bridge across the Main Canal is being renovated, but we were still able to see all the comings and goings in the Main Canal – gondolas, boats unloading goods onto hand-carts, ferries. It was a busy Friday afternoon.

And no, we didn’t have a gondola ride. We’re far too stingey to spend EU80 on a 30-minute trip, and as neither of us are good sailors, it wasn’t on our ‘must-do’ list. I was going to add a Youtube clip of singing gondoliers, or of the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta, but couldn’t really find anything I liked, so I’ll leave you to find your own.

We’re heading East towards Trieste today