First stop, Venice!

I’m slowly recovering from jet lag.

Jet lag you say?

Well, two days ago, Robbie and I boarded a plane en route to London Heathrow, transferred to Gatwick, and then flew to Venice… Venezia… the City of Lights, or Bridges, or Canals.

Long travel days are never great, especially since I can’t sleep on planes or trains very well, but after landing at Marco Polo airport, adrenaline kicked in. We were somewhere new, when just over a half day prior, we were in our comfortable and familiar Calgary setting. This is something I absolutely love about traveling. Countries are seemingly so far away, but over a short blip in time, you can be whisked away to the unfamiliar.

After crossing Ponte della Libertà into Venice, we boarded the No. 1 vaporetto (water bus) on the Grand Canal to get to our Airbnb apartment rental. The buildings along the Grand Canal are well lit, fantastic, and historic. Boats, water taxis and gondolas are docked along the waterway. People boarded and departed the water bus, chatting and laughing excitedly on the crisp Friday evening. Although we didn’t see a whole lot, we knew that wandering the streets of Venice and crossing its many canals was going to be incredible. But that would have to wait until after some much needed sleep.

After checking in, we were starving, so we stopped at a restaurant a few hundred metres from our Airbnb. Through the window, the food caught our attention. Pizza. Bruschetta. Pastries. Carb heaven. So many good looking eats. We were warned about this… that there would be so many tempting delights. We ordered a mushroom pizza slice and bruschetta and watched the owner drench it in oil, spice it with pepper and salt, and add arugula. Yes, they were amazing.

I realized then and there that we were in trouble. We were starting two weeks of gastronomic bliss and indulgence. And I simply couldn’t wait!

Author: rickohikes

Avid hiker, mountain lover and fitness enthusiast with insatiable wanderlust. Usually battling with an injury and my mental health, but I always persevere! View all posts by rickohikes