I’ve decided I won’t narrate how the entire trip went…only the crazy that went on. I personally thought Venice was…nice. Would I go again…probably not.
I have this uncanny ability to be horrendously ill every time I travel somewhere and at least spend two days doing nothing but getting acquainted to the inside of place I’m staying. So without fail, since I planned my trip to Venice months in advance I caught the flu. My illness did not deter me from taking a flight out of country, an hour long bus ride, a water bus/taxi ride nor did it stop me from lugging my bags a quarter of a mile and up a few flights of stairs –I’m a boss like that 😉
My husband, my two sisters and I stayed in a small apartment in Venice located in the Cannaregio section at the top of Venice:
We booked our place through a little website called Airbnb. This site hooks you up with people around the world who rent out rooms/homes/apartments/motor homes to travelers. So after the long day and being horrendously ill, we found our flat with keys in a little lockbox outside the complex. I will note here that the landlord was NOT super clear on which keys I should take, which door I should try or which floor I was on. For those who have not been to Italy or to Europe, apartments are found relatively anywhere a stone, spiral, ungodly-narrow staircase can fit. Since the landlord wasn’t clear which door to try, I went up the first flight of stairs, my family in tow with all of our luggage to the first door we come to.
I’m not sure who was more surprised- the half dressed Italian man who was rummaging through his fridge when I opened the door -or me the English speaking girl who had no idea what’s going on or what he’s saying. Oddly enough, while he was surprised, the guy didn’t seem too concerned other people had keys to his place or that he was half dressed. In fact, I’m pretty sure he and his probable boyfriend wanted us to come in for a drink? Italians are such nice people! A quick call to the landlord again and apparently we were on the next floor. With a thousand apologies we headed up another flight of stairs.
I will be the first to admit I do not like to “rough it” when I travel, in fact it’s quite the opposite. I like to be as comfortable and pampered as possible. Our apartment didn’t “meet” those expectations, but I also refuse to let uncomfortable beds, zero air conditioning and a shoebox size place deter me or my travel companions from having a good time!
I honestly I’m not sure what my husband and sisters did that evening since I was too sick to go anywhere. But they did show me selfies and pictures of my youngest sister drinking a giant stein of beer. So what did I do that evening? Well…I found something interesting…our flat like all places in Venice was near the water and we were sharing that water space with a million mosquitos- who live fat and happy lives eating tourists to death. While I didn’t know there was million that night, the next day confirmed my suspicions. All across the tiny apartment in the bedrooms, the bathroom and kitchen were smashed mosquito bodies. They had died clearly at the hands of other disgruntled guests–in very odd places. And thus began our trip to Venice.
Marie's Meanderings 