Our last Day in Venice, Burano and Torcello

I will admit that when we planed the trip, I thought that 4 days in Venice was going to be a lot. I stand corrected and thank you  Tanya for setting the schedule on that one. Every minute we have had, has been so much fun and so interesting. This morning when we got up Tanya without hesitation suggested a trip out to Burano. An island about 50 min boat ride out of Venice. Pretty gutsy with her response to travel on water and then her reaction to Travelcalm which oscillates between semicomatosely tired and appearing very grumpy ( all of you that know Tanya, know she does not get grumpy!)

We did, however come up with a solution to this, by getting a little something to coat her stomach. In her words “ at least it will be something delicious to throw up with!”

It all goes very well, Tanya does not loose the meringue/chocolate puff and we arrive in Burano famous for its lacework and craftsmanship. Again, here photography is very frowned upon so we just admire a few shops and the incredibly delicate and intricate lace work. It is also the place of very good quality linen, there are several dresses that catch our eye, but as we peak under the hem for the price , we think perhaps not today.

The other thing that Burano  is famous for is it’s multicolored houses. We wonder how they decide which colour to paint their house but it certainly creates a very bright and happy look to the streets.

Having said that the odd house has a sign in front saying “do not come any closer than 1m on  a big sign”. This clearly does not deter the multitude of young Japanese couples of about Honeymoon age posing in lace gowns against the walls while the young man ( partner) clicks away a profuse number of shots. Possibly a trend, maybe a social media “thing” which might be popular and going around in that age group at the moment.

Interestingly they are not found on the small island of Torcello, only a 10 min ferry ride away which is gorgeous, green and sooo full of character.

We find the little town of Torcello very charming and we think this is the perfect place to practice our new pouting technique for the selfie just like we see is being done by the crowds.

The other reason for coming here is the famous bell tower that you can climb and get a beautiful view of the surrounding countryside.

A very narrow and winding staircase leads us to the top of the bell tower and yes it’s a beautiful view. It is such a relaxing afternoon here, that we just slow down the pace and wonder whether we should stretch things out for an early dinner here. As we ponder this dilemma we realize that there is a wedding about to happen in the old Basilica, the pews decorated with little rose posies. We think its a great opportunity to spy on an Italian bride ( not having been invited to the George Clooney and Amal wedding in Venice).  As the guests start arriving we realize that it is a mixed wedding, an American bride and an Italian groom.

We wait long enough to capture the bride approaching as a number of tourists just like us, insensitive to the privacy of this occasion snap away videos and photos. It is time to head home, we wish the almost newlyweds well and we head back to the ferry.

Again a very smooth return, no Travelcalm this time , so Tanya is nice and of sunny disposition. Venice greets us with a heavenly set of setting rays. As we make our way home, fully intending to go out for dinner, we come across a scrumptious bakery and get fresh cannelloni with ricotta and spinach, some Venetian parmigiana and a little slice of zucchini pizza and we eat in instead. The plan has changed, for tonight we are going to go on a late evening ferry ride down the Grand Canal.

This turns out to be a brilliant idea as we now see the interiors of many of the mansions by the Grand Canal, 20 foot ceilings, highlighted with incredibly huge and elaborate chandeliers, thickly, gold guilded mirrors and paintings on the walls. The plan was to get off at San Marco but it starts raining heavily at that point. Change of plan we will stay on the ferry for another 4 stops to the end and then come back. It becomes a little scary and unpredictable as the stops get longer and we are now out to sea. I realize that it is already 10pm and maybe this is the last ferry ride out of town. Oops!!

I don’t share this thought with Tanya till we get to the end, I quickly check the ferry timetable on- line ( thank you Iliad data plan ) and it turns out, our ferry does make one last return run at 10.26pm. It is still drizzling but we hop out this time close to home and walk the last 150m. What a top day.