The Grand Tour - Grand Canal to Grand Palace – Venice to Bangkok January 2017 Day 2 (Venice)

BONZO · 1 Feb 17, 12:14 AM

The Grand Tour - Grand Canal to Grand Palace – Venice to Bangkok January - 2017

Link to trip report index: Here

Day 2 - Sunday 8th January 2017

The bells, the bells!

Being Sunday morning they were certainly making sure that the faithful weren’t considering a lie in this morning!

No big deal as it was about 9am by now and Alison had managed to sleep through all the alarms she had set.

It was another lovely sunny (but cold day)

We tried to shower but the pressure was so low it wasn’t worth it – we assumed there were a lot of people showering and decided to just have a wash and go and have breakfast first and shower afterwards.

We went down to breakfast and found the usual mix of people in the breakfast area, predominantly tourists from various other parts of Europe, so we people watched for a while over breakfast.

The breakfast buffet itself was quite good – scrambled eggs, sausage, potato croquettes, cold meats and cheeses, pancakes, rolls, pastries, croissants, fruit, fruit salad, cereals, juices, coffee and tea a crowning glory of prosecco!

Part way through there was a lot of murmuring as the coffee machine broke down, which turned out to be due to no water pressure. We waited a while to see if the issue could be fixed but gave up and went back to our room. And found that we had no water at all – couldn’t even flush the loo!

There was a tiny dribble of water out of the tap so we managed to brush our teeth. We rang down to reception who said there was a problem with the whole street and it was being worked on. We just left it at that and headed out for the day.

We walked through San Marco

Today we decided to have a day of island hopping around the lagoon so bought a 24 hour pass for the boat system at 20 euros each. Our first stop was the island of Murano, famous for the glass making, and although the weather was quite fresh the sky was the most beautiful blue colour.

Once off the boat there was some soft pressure to go and visit a glass making factory / glass blowing demonstration but we politely declined. We pottered around the island taking in the sights.

We stopped at Campo Santo Stefano, which is notable for its clock tower that dates to the 19th century, and marvelled at the huge glass sculpture that had been installed which reflected the colour of the sky.

We pottered around for a bit and had a coffee and panino (yup, Panini is plural!) each at a total cost of 12 euros.

We window shopped in the many independent glass shops were you could literally buy anything in any size and shape imaginable. We settled on a very small shop, well away from the main tourist drag and bought a glass ornament for our Christmas tree. (We try to buy either a tree ornament or a fridge magnet – sometimes both – from all our travels. Lots of happy memories every year when we bring out the tree!)

We decided that that was enough of Murano (it’s a very tiny place), and to move onto Burano Island. We had a bit of a faff trying to find the right pier but quickly got back on track and on our way.

Arriving at Burano was a bit like landing at Balamory with all their brightly coloured houses, not pristine but slightly “shabby chic” and more of a real community feel than Murano. It felt slightly intrusive, nosing around the island and backstreets of people’s everyday living but interesting all the same.

After a long wander round we decided to have a last break before heading back to central Venice and we had coffee and a cake each in a small restaurant, mainly locals in here with the odd tourist, not including us

Total cost 8 euros

The sun was slowly dipping down on the horizon so we thought it would be time to make a move back. With elbows sharpened we managed to get some seats on the boat and watched the spectacular sunset as we made our long way back.

We didn’t take in La Isla de San Michele or Cimitero as it was getting late and dark by now and we were not sure how much we’d be able to see in the dimming light.

Alison had a brainwave (she does get them from time to time!) and we went and found our next hotel that we’d be using at the end of our trip on the return leg just to get our bearings. It all looks good from the outside and just down the road from McDonalds!

Once back at our current hotel we found that the water issue had been sorted so it was time for a shower and get ready for a meal tonight.

We settled on a small restaurant nearby that seemed to fit the bill, not too far from our hotel. It was not too busy here although I think most locals don’t eat until later and when the server asked me what size beer I wanted I settled on a large one. Little did I know that large equals 1.5 litres! I manfully drank it all down, partly due to the fact that I probably hadn’t drunk enough throughout the day.

We considered having some wine but at 30 euro’s a bottle we decided against it. We shared a platter of meats and cheeses to start and then had a pizza each.

Alison just had a coke and then a bottle of sparkling water and then I had a small beer! Total cost of the meal was 100 euros. We were spending money far faster than we thought we would here!

The night was still young and we fancied a night cap - luckily we came across the Hard Rock café, probably the world’s smallest one ever. Tiny bar area with a few Korean tourists around and before long the video was playing Gangnam Style, which the waitress keenly engaged the Koreans in some impromptu dancing. I respectfully declined, not wanting to show them up

It was a great atmosphere in here – all the tables around the bar were taken, but it wasn’t packed. The staff were good fun and we had a laugh with them. Alison had a cocktail

followed by a coffee and I had a Jameson’s followed by a Glenmorangie so that rounded the day off nicely, if not in a somewhat unexpected and bizarre way. We were slightly dreading the bill but it turned out to be a reasonable (for Venice!) 32 euros.

We wandered back to the hotel at 11pm and crashed out for the night.

Guest · 1 Feb 17, 12:31 AM

Fabulous. I love Venice - there is just so much to see. Something to be found around every corner. Fabulous picture of St Marks from your hotel! Loved your comment re panino. Everybody knows Scampi but doesn't realise a single one is scampo! Nice to see PROPER pizzas too and not the doughy, thick rubbish you get so often in the U.K. Looking forward to more of your trip. Bring it on! Prendilo!

rens · 1 Feb 17, 11:30 AM

Beautiful weather- my sister was in Venice a few days ago and it rained non stop! Food looks lovely but very pricey!

disney owl · 4 Feb 17, 11:49 PM

another lovely day

Infinity Red · 18 Feb 17, 11:36 AM

The food does look lovely,love the colourful houses, every photo looks so beautiful.

Melbatb · 18 Feb 17, 01:24 PM

What interesting architecture. Love the glass work.

And to repeat what I wrote on day 1 - ouch at the prices. I would love to go but at that much for meals I am not so sure!

**BevS97** · 5 Mar 17, 06:32 AM

Your food bils are scaring me! But it looks a great trip.

The Hulk · 5 Mar 17, 11:31 PM

Another great day,beautiful pictures and delicious food

1 Feb 17, 12:14 AM	#1
	1 Feb 17, 12:14 AM BONZO Imagineer
BONZO Imagineer Join Date: Mar 02	The Grand Tour - Grand Canal to Grand Palace – Venice to Bangkok January 2017 Day 2 (Venice) The Grand Tour - Grand Canal to Grand Palace – Venice to Bangkok January - 2017 Link to trip report index: Here Day 2 - Sunday 8th January 2017 The bells, the bells! Being Sunday morning they were certainly making sure that the faithful weren’t considering a lie in this morning! No big deal as it was about 9am by now and Alison had managed to sleep through all the alarms she had set. It was another lovely sunny (but cold day) We tried to shower but the pressure was so low it wasn’t worth it – we assumed there were a lot of people showering and decided to just have a wash and go and have breakfast first and shower afterwards. We went down to breakfast and found the usual mix of people in the breakfast area, predominantly tourists from various other parts of Europe, so we people watched for a while over breakfast. The breakfast buffet itself was quite good – scrambled eggs, sausage, potato croquettes, cold meats and cheeses, pancakes, rolls, pastries, croissants, fruit, fruit salad, cereals, juices, coffee and tea a crowning glory of prosecco! Part way through there was a lot of murmuring as the coffee machine broke down, which turned out to be due to no water pressure. We waited a while to see if the issue could be fixed but gave up and went back to our room. And found that we had no water at all – couldn’t even flush the loo! There was a tiny dribble of water out of the tap so we managed to brush our teeth. We rang down to reception who said there was a problem with the whole street and it was being worked on. We just left it at that and headed out for the day. We walked through San Marco Today we decided to have a day of island hopping around the lagoon so bought a 24 hour pass for the boat system at 20 euros each. Our first stop was the island of Murano, famous for the glass making, and although the weather was quite fresh the sky was the most beautiful blue colour. Once off the boat there was some soft pressure to go and visit a glass making factory / glass blowing demonstration but we politely declined. We pottered around the island taking in the sights. We stopped at Campo Santo Stefano, which is notable for its clock tower that dates to the 19th century, and marvelled at the huge glass sculpture that had been installed which reflected the colour of the sky. We pottered around for a bit and had a coffee and panino (yup, Panini is plural!) each at a total cost of 12 euros. We window shopped in the many independent glass shops were you could literally buy anything in any size and shape imaginable. We settled on a very small shop, well away from the main tourist drag and bought a glass ornament for our Christmas tree. (We try to buy either a tree ornament or a fridge magnet – sometimes both – from all our travels. Lots of happy memories every year when we bring out the tree!) We decided that that was enough of Murano (it’s a very tiny place), and to move onto Burano Island. We had a bit of a faff trying to find the right pier but quickly got back on track and on our way. Arriving at Burano was a bit like landing at Balamory with all their brightly coloured houses, not pristine but slightly “shabby chic” and more of a real community feel than Murano. It felt slightly intrusive, nosing around the island and backstreets of people’s everyday living but interesting all the same. After a long wander round we decided to have a last break before heading back to central Venice and we had coffee and a cake each in a small restaurant, mainly locals in here with the odd tourist, not including us Total cost 8 euros The sun was slowly dipping down on the horizon so we thought it would be time to make a move back. With elbows sharpened we managed to get some seats on the boat and watched the spectacular sunset as we made our long way back. We didn’t take in La Isla de San Michele or Cimitero as it was getting late and dark by now and we were not sure how much we’d be able to see in the dimming light. Alison had a brainwave (she does get them from time to time!) and we went and found our next hotel that we’d be using at the end of our trip on the return leg just to get our bearings. It all looks good from the outside and just down the road from McDonalds! Once back at our current hotel we found that the water issue had been sorted so it was time for a shower and get ready for a meal tonight. We settled on a small restaurant nearby that seemed to fit the bill, not too far from our hotel. It was not too busy here although I think most locals don’t eat until later and when the server asked me what size beer I wanted I settled on a large one. Little did I know that large equals 1.5 litres! I manfully drank it all down, partly due to the fact that I probably hadn’t drunk enough throughout the day. We considered having some wine but at 30 euro’s a bottle we decided against it. We shared a platter of meats and cheeses to start and then had a pizza each. Alison just had a coke and then a bottle of sparkling water and then I had a small beer! Total cost of the meal was 100 euros. We were spending money far faster than we thought we would here! The night was still young and we fancied a night cap - luckily we came across the Hard Rock café, probably the world’s smallest one ever. Tiny bar area with a few Korean tourists around and before long the video was playing Gangnam Style, which the waitress keenly engaged the Koreans in some impromptu dancing. I respectfully declined, not wanting to show them up It was a great atmosphere in here – all the tables around the bar were taken, but it wasn’t packed. The staff were good fun and we had a laugh with them. Alison had a cocktail followed by a coffee and I had a Jameson’s followed by a Glenmorangie so that rounded the day off nicely, if not in a somewhat unexpected and bizarre way. We were slightly dreading the bill but it turned out to be a reasonable (for Venice!) 32 euros. We wandered back to the hotel at 11pm and crashed out for the night. __________________ http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sign...igpic534_1.gif 1988 ~ Contemporary ~ Honeymoon 1989 ~ Off site 1994 ~ EuroDisney ~ Santa Fe 1999 ~ Off site 2001 ~ CBR (Aruba) ~ Poly (Tahiti) 2003 ~ WL & HRH 2004 ~ Pop Century, RPH, CSR, PBH, Contemporary 2006 ~ DLP ~ Newport Bay 2007 ~ POR ~ HRH ~ GF 2008 ~ All star sports, BCV, RPH, Vero Beach, VWL 2010 ~ OKW ~ BCV ~ HRH ~POP Century ~ Vero Beach ~ VWL 2013 ~ AKL ~ HRH ~ BCV ~ Vero Beach ~ VWL Edited at 12:19 AM.

1 Feb 17, 12:31 AM	#2
	1 Feb 17, 12:31 AM Guest Guest
Guest Guest	Fabulous. I love Venice - there is just so much to see. Something to be found around every corner. Fabulous picture of St Marks from your hotel! Loved your comment re panino. Everybody knows Scampi but doesn't realise a single one is scampo! Nice to see PROPER pizzas too and not the doughy, thick rubbish you get so often in the U.K. Looking forward to more of your trip. Bring it on! Prendilo!