Terry
spoke to the concierge about how we might get around Venice, given the problems we encountered
yesterday evening. With a map he showed
us that we must first get the Vaporetto to Lido
and then change to a Vaporetto from which we can “hop on, hop off”, avoiding
the bridges. I had found a disabled
travelling website which said Venice
was 50% accessible and there were no cobblestones. We eventually found this to be true. The Vaporetto routes were a little confusing
at first but we then worked it out. We
got the Vaporetto and we were pleasantly surprised to find there was a
wheelchair spot where I could be belted in, so I didn’t have to worry about
sliding around. Unfortunately, we later
found on crowded Vaporetto, this spot could be taken by almost anyone.
Our
visit has coincided with the 55th Venice Biennale so there were a
number of large statues placed strategically throughout the city. Many buildings were open to the event and
there were special tours to see them. We
only saw the statues that could be seen as we passed by in the Vaporetto. We disembarked at the St Marks Square stop and made our way to
the square. This is the major attraction
in Venice and
was crowded with tourists. We went
inside the Basilica San Marco which was beautifully decorated inside but had a
gloomy atmosphere. I was a little
disappointed with it. There is some
refurbishment work happening outside the building which detracted from its
appearance. There was a large billboard
advertising MaxMara, with a woman sitting on the ground with a handbag. It seemed incongruous.
We
looked through a lovely arcade which had many shops including a mask shop with
some incredibly elaborate masks. The
arcade led into a lagoon where many gondolas were parked. We stopped for some lunch there and admired
the intricate artwork on the gondolas. They
are all different. It seems to take a
lot of effort for the gondolier to push the gondola along. We had lunch nearby and then made our way
back to the Vaporetto stop to continue exploring. The crew on the Vaporetto were all very
helpful in getting me in and out of the boat.
I had to wait till other people were off the loading ramp so it would
not rock when I was on it. The journey
is always beautiful with so many wonderfully colourful buildings as well as
others that are not colourful. The blue
buildings and ochre coloured buildings really stand out.
We
then disembarked at the nearest stop to Ponte di Rialto. I was unable to go to the bridge myself so I
found a great spot on a platform next to the water while Sharney and Terry
climbed the steps to the Ponte di Rialto.
The volume of tourists was incredible.
I gave Terry my camera so he could take photos from the bridge. I enjoyed my spot on this covered platform as
I could watch the passing parade of gondolas going out right in front of me. I realised there was a man on the platform
with a walkie-talkie who was directing the gondoliers as they were coming
out. For example if a large boat was
going by he would tell the gondolier to wait.
It was all very interesting.
We
boarded a Vaporetto again and got off at Palazzo Ca’ D’Oro stop. There were many shops and tourists. Fortunately as there are no cobblestones, it
was easier to wheel over the large tiled paths.
We didn’t go in to the palace but walked along the streets and stopped
to rest in a square. We then got a
Vaporetto to Lido, stopped there for a
refreshing drink at a bar near the Vaporetto station, as it was a hot day. The Lido island is a 12 km sandbar serving as
a barrier between the open sea and the main part of Venice.
Vehicles are allowed here which was strange to see after not seeing any
for a couple of days. From the Lido we caught a Vaporetto back to the stop near our
hotel. On the way we saw a large cruise
ship on its way in to Venice. We ended our day with another delicious meal
at da Jonny, sitting outside, where we met two nice middle-aged Americans
talking about their work and their cruise experiences.
No comments:
Post a Comment