FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX: Venetian New Year

Happy New Year from Venice!

It was a smooth transfer from Verona to Venice. We based ourselves in Mestre as we had all been to Venice before and we wanted to explore other cities, but didn't want to pay the Venice price. Our base would be the Hilton and only because we had status there and get free breakfast. Otherwise I would recommend either staying closer to the station or in Venice proper if you have never been.

We bussed into old town Venice to take photos at the main tourist sites. We were last here 10 years ago on New Years Eve! It was much busier today than we expected despite most attractions being closed. We mainly wandered through Cannaregio to get some peace and quiet. We encountered many dead ends.

Our main activity today was an sunset row on the Grand Canal with RowVenice. We were taken aback to hear an Australian accent when we met Jane, the co-owner. A brit, who grew up in Australia, and has lived in Italy for the past 33 years! Her partner, Regina, a born and bred Venetian, was her partner today to teach us how to row as well as to steer and navigate. The 90 minutes on the batellina went by quickly. We all took turns to row standing up, facing forward with one oar, in the traditional Venetian style. It was initially daunting entering the Grand Canal, but Regina had it all under control. I'm sure she did most of the work! It was a great way to spend the New Year as well as to see Venice. Definitely something we'd recommend everyone to try!