Traveling to Venezia (Venice)!

So the day starts with a minibus ride of almost 2 hours to reach the train station in Torino (Turin) to one of the best new Italian train cars we have ever been on, for 3 hrs. To arrive at Piazza Roma in Venice. 

Goodby to the world as you know it... To a collection of 122 islands connected by walking bridges. No cars, trucks, motorcycles, or bikes. Solo piedi -only by foot... Or boat. It is puzzling to imagine every item in the. It was delivered by boat. How many manhours does that add up to in a day? No wonder the prices are higher here. 

Jordan, Nancy, Greg, Me, Sky, Shakela

Academia Bridge (wooden) crossing the Grand Canal

The private water taxi picks us up at the main dock and off we go, with the threat of rain hovering overhead. It's grey, but we can see the amazing palazzi, docks, and vaporetto (water us) stops along the way down the Grand Canal. We arrive at the hotel, balancing ourselves and our baggage as we disembark in the small canal where Albergo Salute is located. Our vaporetto stop will be, Salute, and we are a short walk from the Peggy Guggenheim Museum and the Academia Bridge - the only wooden one that crosses the Canale Grande. 

So I wonder about the number of trips up and down the Grand Canale it takes to stock a pharmacy, to bring the ingredients that will make up our Continental breakfasts. How many kilo of coffee travel that route each week? Every year?

A gondolier from our taxi

The Parish of St. Stephen

How old are Venetian children before they see their first car? Road? Truck? So many questions!

We unpack and meet up for a quick overview of getting around. We have a mediocre dinner near St. Mark's and try to beat the rain back across the Grand Canal. Tomorrow morning we have a guided walking tour. Seeing St. Marks Piazza for the first time is awesome. It still is awesome for me... My 8th time seeing it.

The students are duly impressed and the rain begins. Is this the Aqua alto? That happens in Jan and Feb. where is o sole mil?.

We make it back and listen the the seagulls and rain as we fall asleep. We've been in Italy a week already!

Buona notte.