Venice Travel Diary Part 4: Taking Your Time

Hello again!

today I'd like to take you back to our first day in Venice, when we started our Venice experience at the Palazzo Santa Sofia, better known as "Ca' d'Oro", facing the Canale Grande.

The lion at Ca' d'Oro is not too fond of the waterbuses, moving thousands of tourists and a few locals through the canal.

You can tell I have been travelling with company. This trip comes with a lot of "Making of"-shots. Some of them ... staged. aheem. ;-)

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! The palazzo is right at the Vaporetto stop Ca' d'Oro.

The terrace with the scenic views are a tourist attraction at the palazzo, but it would be a pitty if you missed the inner yard at Ca' d'Oro which dates back to 1430! Almost 600 years ... *sigh* Reading how old this place is, moves me to tears. As does the sight of the Palazzo Ducale in the morning sun. There is something about these pure old places ... I find them very, very touching. 

Detail at the inner yard at Ca' d'Oro

Me, uplifted after the visit at Ca' d'Oro

Such a typical sight. We obviously did not visit Venice during off-season.

"Do not disturb", aka Paula is taking a picture

A very rare moment of zen in a calle (calle=alleyway)

I was sooo uplifted, I even enjoyed the sight of waste in the San Marco basin. Well, those green, yellow, red and brown leaves and cedar needles DID look nice. I missed the plastic.

The famous spot in front of the Punta della Dogana at the Fondamenta Salute (fondamenta = path along a canal) in the late afternoon sunlight. Me, queueing up for the scenic shot with no one in the photo except for me. Mood: relaxed

The crowds at the Fondamenta Zattere, close to the Punta della Dogana were not that bad. But it was so quite warm in the bright sunlight, so we decided to take a waterbus and cross over the San Marco basin and pay Giudecca, an island in the south ot the basin a visit, where the Fondamenta is facing north.

Old structures at the Giuletta, vis a vis the Hilton Molino Stucky Venice (not pictured)

Italy in Venice: Campo S. Gerardo/Giudecca in bright sunlight, later in the day, late October

Doing what locals do: resting on a bench, still at Campo S.Gerardo/Giudecca

View towards the cruise ship terminal with a private yacht in front. Not any yacht, but Heidi Horten's Carinthia VII

Looking at the Università Iuav di Venezia (architecture school)

Locals love plants. One pot is never enough. :-)

Remote calmness around the corner

Fondamenta Zatere just one stop away #waterbuslove (panorama: Mr Paula)

Now that I have completed this posting, I see that the first day turned into a veritable "whereabouts: Venice". Now I see why I enjoyed the day so much.