We arrived in Venice around 5:00 am at Mestre Station. As luck would have it, the next bus to the island of Venice was already there at the station to leave, so we took the next bus to the island of Venice. The journey took about 30 minutes. When we got there, we went to eat our breakfast at a stall next to the station. I had a sandwich and a croissant with cappuccino, while Ingrid just ordered a sandwich with hot chocolate. We spent around 14 euros to buy everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We then walked to the hotel, where we struggled to get in and unlock the door. This is because we have to ask the hotel manager for access to the doors. He gives us access codes, we type the code into the padlock and take the keys to get in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As soon as we had solved the problem of getting in, we slept for a while, about 3 hours. When I woke up, it was around 12 noon, so I went out to enjoy Venice. I left first and Ingrid stayed asleep. Then we met on the street by the Rialto Bridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walking through Venice until I reached the Rialto Bridge, I realized how well preserved the city is, how history has been maintained there over the years, history is alive. The monuments are very old, some of them very well preserved, others not so much, others abandoned. The streets where cars would pass are like canals, there are no cars in Venice, but there are several boats. I realized that everything there is done by boat. Goods are transported as far as the entrance to Venice by truck or conventional transport, but from there in, only by boat. People literally carry everything in a boat, food, groceries, I saw people carrying a huge piece of glass, quite possibly for decoration or for a house or bathroom. I saw people carrying various boxes, food, very unusual things. There are also gondolas for lovers in the center, near the Rialto Bridge, where you pay 80 euros and take a short tour of Venice’s canals. It’s a very romantic stroll, especially if you do it at sunset, for couples in love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The streets are too narrow for a car, so it’s left to the tourists to walk. Speaking of tourists, there are a lot of people there, and you can see that Venice is a small town that lives off tourism, as there is no other activity there that keeps the place economically alive. Restaurants, hotels, local accommodation, the sale of traditional masks and costumes, decorative items, souvenirs, cultural events, the promotion of Italian culture and food. I realized that Venice has more to do with promoting Italian culture, food, traditions, keeping that local culture alive and perpetuating local history than actually making money and turning Italy’s economy around. Of course, there are people who go there and spend a lot of money, but compared in a macro scenario, that’s what I realized, Venice is more about promoting Italian culture itself than generating wealth in financial terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I went for coffee, had a croissant with orange juice and a cappuccino. I paid 5.5 euros for everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Insert breakfast image<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Then I met Ingrid at the Rialto. We walked around the center of Venice and had a slice of pizza. It’s a very crowded area, you’ll be amazed at how many people there are.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGetting to know the Rialto Bridge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n