Adventures of a Wandering Thirtysomething

Strolling through the quiet lanes of Venice, we had a great time getting lost in the quaint neighborhoods alongside quiet rivers (only 3 canals are large enough to be called canals, all the others are called rivers) sans gondolas. It was the Venice we had hoped to see all along. While most of the buildings have lost their 15th century luster, we found a couple charming streets and squares tucked back away from the tourist trappings. On our favorite street, we popped a squat next to the river with some treats from our favorite pasticceria (pastry shop) and just visited for over an hour, enjoying the calm and imagining what Venice must have looked like 500 years ago. It was a perfect date.

After watching gondola after gondola glide by our hotel room window like a Disneyland ride for far too many Euro, we’ve opted to skip the tradition in favor of the opportunity to see Leonardo’s The Last Supper in Milan. We anticipate audible gasps when we get home and tell people that we skipped this Venetian must, but if you have ever been to or ever go to Venice, you’ll likely understand why. However, we have taken lots of video from our hotel of all the suckers who spent hundreds of Euro for the opportunity, so we’ll share that when we get home.