I have been wanting to see Venice for about 50 years. Finally today I made it. And it is with mixed feelings that I report.

Firstly it was hot (39C) and humid, even at 8am when we caught the ferry which can, admittedly, affect the attitude. The first two hours were relatively tourist free then they descended in hordes, raising both the heat, humidity and frustration. Venice certainly has a lot of picture perfect spots and an energetic vibe. But I felt as if we were in a somewhat dilapidated theme park.

The Doges Palace was very much worth the 15 Euro each. The palace is very well maintained and presented and the main rooms quite spectacular. It took 2 hours to get through it all, all signage in English and other languages, and the crowds finding it less popular. Very much an excellent tour.

The cathedral on the other hand was very under whelming, and this is supposed to be the big ticket item. Crowds were massive, staff were arrogant and unhelpful, and the inside was dingy and dirty. I know we have been spoilt with visiting places in Prague and previously throughout Germany, and this was pretty poor in comparison.

Outside of that we had some wonderful exchanges with shop owners and cafe staff, and it was a thrill to wander the town taking in its famous sites. We finished the day with a water bus tour up and down the main canal. An exhausting and good day all round.

On the photo front I took over 400 today so it wasn’t all bad. It was a very difficult job deciding what to post but I have come up with what I believe is a reasonable short selection of my favourite and interesting shots.

A timely warning. We were super security conscious which means we don’t know if anyone tried or not.

An hour later St Mark’s Square is packed with tourists and vendors.

Mask shops were everywhere.

Wish I could grow tomatoes like this.

A lot of very classy speedboats.

Rialto Bridge

In the Doge’s Palace

Gondolier soup mix.

The classic Venice shot.

Here you can buy your art pigments and a sculpture to practice on.

We read somewhere that there were plenty of water fountains in Venice so don’t buy water. We eventually found one.

Tomorrow we drive to Verona, thanks mainly to the great images broadcast from there during the Winter Olympics.

David & Collette