Venice by Day, Venice by Night

PERHAPS we made a bit of a tactical error when we decided it would probably work to stuff all of the kids in the car, drive all the way from Rome to Padua for 6 hours on the road, get unpacked, and then head right out to check out Venice around dusk.  I think we assumed it was a 20-minute train ride from Padua (because that is precisely what we were told) but the total commute ended up being more like two hours, broken down roughly as:

1. 8 minute ride to the train station
2. 8 minute ride back home because we forgot the camera
3. 8 minute ride back to the train station
4. 10 minutes figuring out how to buy the right tickets
5. 5 minutes walking to the track
6. 15 minutes to walk back to the station and find a bathroom for Camden
7. 10 minute wait for the train
8. 51 minute train ride into Venice.  

Here then, at last, was the view back to the mainland as the sun was setting over the causeway: 

The tiredness was setting in on all of us the minute we walked out of the train station, and to top it off, sometimes being a tourist means standing in long lines. In this case, we started our Venice tour with a 30 minute wait in the Vaparetto (water bus)  ticket line, only to find out the Vaparettos were striking in a few hours and for the rest of the day tomorrow.  So we splurged for a chance for a one-way ride down the main channel to Piazza San Marco.

And, allow me to state the obvious: Venice is beautiful at night.

Of course, it was beautiful.  It's hard to take a good picture at night riding on the back of a Vaparetto, but a few pics turned out good enough to capture the environment of Venice lit up.

We reached Piazza San Marco assuming the crowds would have cleared out and headed back to the main-land.  Boy were we wrong!  It was hopping!  Music, dancing, lots of ritzy people, and lots to see.

We then meandered through the back streets of Venice (without a map) searching for the train station where we started, stopping for supper and snacks along the way.

Here the kids spy a Morano glass store featuring lfe-like glass balloons. Good souvenir?  No...500€ per balloon.

Gelato!

Did I mention Venice is beautiful at night?

We got back to the apartment at about 11:30pm and bedded everyone down.  We slept in (it was needed).   Once we got moving the next morning, we boarded the kids back up onto the train with much more efficiency and headed back for more.

And allow me once again to state the obvious: Venice is beautiful by day.

Anna bought some Murano glass.

Where is a pleasant passing tourist who could take a family picture when we need one!?

 Venice is beautiful....but it requires a lot of walking (unless the water bus isn't on strike the ONE day of your life you plan to visit)... and like many sights in Italy we discovered it is not stroller-friendly (so many arched bridges with only stairs), which meant we had to keep constant watch and hold of Jazlynn all day.  That makes a long walk a gazillion times longer, even with Gelato stops in between.

Even so, it was worth it, and our family got to check another famous sight off our list.