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Tuesday June 8th we leave for Venice. The sky is clear over the Alps before we dive and land in Marco Polo airport at 13.30.

1st day. We arrive and explore the neighbourhood.

Eric
2005-12-08 18:59:09

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Tuesday June 8th we leave for Venice. The sky is clear over the Alps before we dive and land in Marco Polo airport at 13.30.

Our luggage arrives quickly and at the Alilaguna office we pick up the Venicecards, we bought on the Internet. A Venicecard is an unlimited ticket to drive or sail with ACTV, the local transport company. ACTV-bus number 5 is just outside and takes us from the mainland to Piazzale Roma in Venice. Here I ask a fellow passenger for directions to Vaporetto #1, which stops at all stops along Canal Grande. Canal Grande is the main waterway and cuts through Venice like a mirrored "S". There are no cars or bikes in Venice and you must either walk or go by boat. After 20 minutes on #1 we get off at San Silvestro, the first stop after Rialto.

We're in the heart of the city, in the part called San Polo, and there's but 5 minutes' walk to the hotel - if you can find it! The narrow alleys offer an instant impression of a labyrinth-like city, but even though the hotel, Ca' Arco Antica, is well hidden, we find it with no detours - just two looks on the map and some slight hesitation.

The porter at this mini-hotel with 7-8 rooms speaks excellent English. We are expected and check in is quick. The house is old and the room small, but it has charm with beams in the ceiling, terrazzo floor, golden tapestry and a nice bathroom. The rooms don't have numbers but are named after famous Venetians. Ours is "Tiepolo", a painter born in 1696. The banister to the first floor is quite something.

It is now 4 p.m. and everything has been very smooth. The porter directs us to the nearest ATM on a small square 50 meters away, and some Euros richer we find a restaurant with tables outside and enjoy a refreshment. On the small square a man plays classical guitar; pieces by Robert de Visé, Bach and others that I have practiced and practiced but never mastered to my own satisfaction. Now and then he ...

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