Day 12 June 3, 2023
So, today’s plan was to be an easy one – we head to the Lagoon Islands, walk around a bit, grab a bite, then head back to Venice. When it comes to John and I, that never seems to happen. We bought an all-day pass for the vaporetto (water bus) since we knew we would be island hopping, no problem. Our first stop was the island of San Michele, also known as Cimitero, which is the cemetery island and the final resting place of Venetians and Igor Stravinsky (the Russian composer). The rose bushes throughout had a few blooms but were mostly past their prime. The trees lined the many paths of headstones, and it was very peaceful. John and I did notice that most of the headstones had a picture of the loved one and we found a mausoleum that was dedicated to infants/children. I love cemeteries (Lisa) and enjoy looking at the names/dates. The oldest date we saw was 1802, even though burials did not begin until 1826. After walking around for a while, we hopped back on the vaporetto and headed to the island of Murano, which is famous for its blown glass.
Murano was crowded by the time we arrived, but we walked up and down the streets and admired the beautiful pieces of glasswork showcased in the nearly 100 glass factories/shops. John and I found a small piece to bring back home. We had a snack and Aperol Spritz and hung around for about an hour then got back on the vaporetto toward the island of Burano, which is famous for it’s lace work. The houses here are brightly painted, which makes it pleasing to the eye. Again, we walked around for awhile and then found a great place to stop and have an early dinner. I am adventurous and will try just about anything, so the restaurant had a special which consisted of an antipasto (which was raw shrimp, tuna, and scampi), a primo (seafood stuffed ravioli) and a secondo (seared tuna). Soooooooo, I have discovered that I am NOT a fan of the raw fish. I tried all three and the raw shrimp did me in. I was fine with the rest. We did have ½ liter of wine with the meal, which was a local wine to Burano, and it was good. We then headed back to the vaporetto to head back to the main island (Venice). We did not make it to Torcello, which is the birthplace of Venice and where some of the first mainland refugees settled. (I must admit, I preferred Burano with its beautiful colored houses and slower pace, than Murano. Murano had so many glass shops that it was a bit overwhelming. They did not like you taking pictures of their glass work, which is there are very few pictures taken there).
When we got in the line for the vaporetto to head back, we got on quickly to head to Murano – then the congestion started. There was a huge line in Murano to get back to the main island (Venice) and we had to wait longer than normal as the first vaporetto was full. When our vaporetto finally came, it was like packing sardines in a can, there were so many people. I was just hoping we didn’t sink, lol!!!! The vaporetto we were on was supposed to go to all the stops in Venice, with ours being one of the last. It was supposed to be a relaxing ride through the canals back to our neighborhood. Well, things did not go as planned. Turns out there was a regatta competition of some type on the main canal, and it was closed to all vaporetto.………So, of course the vaporetto made everyone get off at the stop that’s as far away from our BNB as it can be. So, we had to walk an extra 2 miles to get back home. We were both ready for a BIG aperol spritz when we finally made it home. A late snack, consisted of meatballs, ravioli, and green beans that we cooked ourselves. John and I always say it’s an adventure when we plan something and it goes amiss, you just have to go with the flow 😊
Tomorrow is a bit of a down-day. Just stay in town and do some shopping.
Miles walked – 8.82 Ciao!
