I've been to Venice a couple of times and I have to say it's probably my all time favourite city. The beauty is just spectacular.
On the first visit we did the usual tours of St. Marks, 10 euro coffee in the Piazza etc but the second trip was much better because we largely ignored the usual tourist attractions.
Island hoping on the water buses was great but I just liked getting lost in the narrow streets and finding an out of the way old church or a great and not very expensive sea food restaurant tucked away down an alley or on one of the quieter canals. A trip to the old 'Ghetto' and seeing the holocaust memorial was also moving. The rebuilt theatre is also spectacular.
My advice to anybody who hasn't been is see the tourist attractions with the thousands of other tourists and then get off the main streets and search out the real Venice.
How about we just completely ignore any trolls? Don't even reply however tempted you are.
95 degrees sounds lovely LA, really enjoyed reading that too. Always fancied Venice but generally steer clear of places too touristy, even though whereever I go in the world I guess I am a tourist myself.
No cars sounds great although I wonder how they supply hotels and shops with supplies? Isn't there a bridge that links it to the mainland? Maybe they use boats from a certain point and then walk it to wherever it needs to go?
Hi Evo, yes, you can actually arrive on the island driving or using regular buses thorough the bridge, but then you have to park, there are some expensive parking silos. After that point Venice looks like an historic Italian town centre but instead of streets there are water channels!
Venice is really unique, I have been there several times but never for more of a pair of nights, it is just fine for a week end. The number of tourists is sometimes allarming but it sufficient to stay away from the top photo spots. Some hotels are truly magnificient too.
No cars sounds great although I wonder how they supply hotels and shops with supplies?
That's what caught my attention, Evo, and sparked the comparison, boats for cars. For every sort of white van man there's a white boat man. Tradesmen generally use a flat, narrow barge to transport all sorts of construction materials to the building site, and all sorts of rubbish and earth out. Produce delivery to stores - supermarkets inside the 15th century buildings are usually a series of converted rooms - is by the same method, and then portered along the canal walkways.
The number of tourists is sometimes alarming but...
I read an average of 7 out of every 10 visitors stay for no more than a few hours because they are cruise ship tourists. Then again, that's why I got a plane direct there, servicing those liners.
My advice to anybody who hasn't been is see the tourist attractions with the thousands of other tourists and then get off the main streets and search out the real Venice.
One of the surprising finds in an ancient city free of cars is model car stores! I counted five on my long walks. One had a 1/18 model of a Smart but not the Brabus. I steered clear of the glassware shops .... millions of those. I saw glass models of an E-Type, an Ason Martin, several Alfas, and one Ferrari, old school. They were all tourist tat at sky high prices. And the art galleries are for tourist taste.
One of the surprising finds in an ancient city free of cars is model car stores! I counted five on my long walks. One had a 1/18 model of a Smart but not the Brabus. I steered clear of the glassware shops .... millions of those. I saw glass models of an E-Type, an Ason Martin, several Alfas, and one Ferrari, old school. They were all tourist tat at sky high prices. And the art galleries are for tourist taste.
I haven't been to Venice, but I have been to various other cities around Italy, and there are a hell of a lot of model car shops around! It's the same in Greece and Spain too! I tend to find myself window shopping and usually treat myself to one, but I normally buy 1/43 scale models instead of 1/18!
One of the surprising finds in an ancient city free of cars is model car stores! I counted five on my long walks. One had a 1/18 model of a Smart but not the Brabus. I steered clear of the glassware shops .... millions of those. I saw glass models of an E-Type, an Aston Martin, several Alfas, and one Ferrari, old school. They were all tourist tat at sky high prices. And the art galleries are for tourist taste.
I haven't been to Venice, but I have been to various other cities around Italy, and there are a hell of a lot of model car shops around! It's the same in Greece and Spain too! I tend to find myself window shopping and usually treat myself to one, but I normally buy 1/43 scale models instead of 1/18!
I shouldn't have been surprised, Fidji - after all, Italians are famous for their love of cars, and sense of driving brio! If you live in a city of no place for cars - buy a model car!
That's one way to put it! It's Greek drivers that get the trophy though. I recently went to Greece and hired a Hyundai ix20 automatic, and I recall drivers hurtling around the mountain roads like maniacs! I saw it as an excuse to give it the beans myself, and an ix20 on crappy tyres is pretty good for some lift-off oversteer, let me tell you!
8 January 2008
I've been to Venice a couple of times and I have to say it's probably my all time favourite city. The beauty is just spectacular.
On the first visit we did the usual tours of St. Marks, 10 euro coffee in the Piazza etc but the second trip was much better because we largely ignored the usual tourist attractions.
Island hoping on the water buses was great but I just liked getting lost in the narrow streets and finding an out of the way old church or a great and not very expensive sea food restaurant tucked away down an alley or on one of the quieter canals. A trip to the old 'Ghetto' and seeing the holocaust memorial was also moving. The rebuilt theatre is also spectacular.
My advice to anybody who hasn't been is see the tourist attractions with the thousands of other tourists and then get off the main streets and search out the real Venice.
17 July 2009
How about we just completely ignore any trolls? Don't even reply however tempted you are.
95 degrees sounds lovely LA, really enjoyed reading that too. Always fancied Venice but generally steer clear of places too touristy, even though whereever I go in the world I guess I am a tourist myself.
No cars sounds great although I wonder how they supply hotels and shops with supplies? Isn't there a bridge that links it to the mainland? Maybe they use boats from a certain point and then walk it to wherever it needs to go?
1 June 2010
Hi Evo, yes, you can actually arrive on the island driving or using regular buses thorough the bridge, but then you have to park, there are some expensive parking silos. After that point Venice looks like an historic Italian town centre but instead of streets there are water channels!
Venice is really unique, I have been there several times but never for more of a pair of nights, it is just fine for a week end. The number of tourists is sometimes allarming but it sufficient to stay away from the top photo spots. Some hotels are truly magnificient too.
17 July 2009
No cars sounds great although I wonder how they supply hotels and shops with supplies?
That's what caught my attention, Evo, and sparked the comparison, boats for cars. For every sort of white van man there's a white boat man. Tradesmen generally use a flat, narrow barge to transport all sorts of construction materials to the building site, and all sorts of rubbish and earth out. Produce delivery to stores - supermarkets inside the 15th century buildings are usually a series of converted rooms - is by the same method, and then portered along the canal walkways.
17 July 2009
The number of tourists is sometimes alarming but...
I read an average of 7 out of every 10 visitors stay for no more than a few hours because they are cruise ship tourists. Then again, that's why I got a plane direct there, servicing those liners.
17 July 2009
My advice to anybody who hasn't been is see the tourist attractions with the thousands of other tourists and then get off the main streets and search out the real Venice.
One of the surprising finds in an ancient city free of cars is model car stores! I counted five on my long walks. One had a 1/18 model of a Smart but not the Brabus. I steered clear of the glassware shops .... millions of those. I saw glass models of an E-Type, an Ason Martin, several Alfas, and one Ferrari, old school. They were all tourist tat at sky high prices. And the art galleries are for tourist taste.
15 June 2012
Poorly spelt drivel. Noone's interested ...
Noone's? As I said, irony is lost on you.
As well as 'irony', 'hypocricy' is another word that springs to mind, LA.
15 June 2012
One of the surprising finds in an ancient city free of cars is model car stores! I counted five on my long walks. One had a 1/18 model of a Smart but not the Brabus. I steered clear of the glassware shops .... millions of those. I saw glass models of an E-Type, an Ason Martin, several Alfas, and one Ferrari, old school. They were all tourist tat at sky high prices. And the art galleries are for tourist taste.
I haven't been to Venice, but I have been to various other cities around Italy, and there are a hell of a lot of model car shops around! It's the same in Greece and Spain too! I tend to find myself window shopping and usually treat myself to one, but I normally buy 1/43 scale models instead of 1/18!
17 July 2009
One of the surprising finds in an ancient city free of cars is model car stores! I counted five on my long walks. One had a 1/18 model of a Smart but not the Brabus. I steered clear of the glassware shops .... millions of those. I saw glass models of an E-Type, an Aston Martin, several Alfas, and one Ferrari, old school. They were all tourist tat at sky high prices. And the art galleries are for tourist taste.
I haven't been to Venice, but I have been to various other cities around Italy, and there are a hell of a lot of model car shops around! It's the same in Greece and Spain too! I tend to find myself window shopping and usually treat myself to one, but I normally buy 1/43 scale models instead of 1/18!
I shouldn't have been surprised, Fidji - after all, Italians are famous for their love of cars, and sense of driving brio! If you live in a city of no place for cars - buy a model car!
15 June 2012
sense of driving brio
That's one way to put it! It's Greek drivers that get the trophy though. I recently went to Greece and hired a Hyundai ix20 automatic, and I recall drivers hurtling around the mountain roads like maniacs! I saw it as an excuse to give it the beans myself, and an ix20 on crappy tyres is pretty good for some lift-off oversteer, let me tell you!