Lets Be Honest: Venice Day Two

The next morning I woke up to Cassie mumbling, still half asleep, “I counted the bells and figured out what time it was, it’s eight, we can sleep till nine.” I didn’t need telling twice before my eye snapped closed.

By ten we were out of the room. With no definitive plan we made our way first to the Rialto. Since we really couldn’t be bothered with using the three pound map that we bought we just wandered in the general direction that we knew it to be in until we found the signs pointing the way. Wandering in and out of streets and squares, drawn to any shop window that had something shinny or just down right beautiful in the window we found our way to Saint Mark’s Square.

Snapping photos left and right, desperately trying to get the tops of the mob of tourist’s heads out of my photos, I wandered around Saint Mark’s in awe. Looking up at the beautiful architecture of the cathedral. Cassie and Dalton getting bored just watching me snap photos left and right finally got fed and proceeded to hustle me out of the square and on into the neighbourhoods behind it.

Our mission now was to find a place for lunch. We didn’t end up a block away from Saint Mark’s Square before an overly friendly Italian waiter roped us in. Honestly we were just looking at the menu we this Italian man came up to us and just kept talking to us about the food and the restaurant until we agreed to eat inside.

A very modern looking restaurant with a mosaic of Saint Mark’s Cathedral on the wall another waiter came over and the first thing that came out of his mouth was, “Do you want any wine?” laughing and responding that it was too earlier for wine the waiter just scoffed and said, “This is Venice, there are no cars.” Realised into a fit of laughter we just smiled and said no again. It was just barely 12, it wasn’t yet time for wine.

Not too hungry yet I just ordered a pizza, which was responded with a scowl from Cassie and Dalton who ordered much more food than I did.

For Cassie’s appetizer she ordered prosuto and melon, which is raw ham and cantaloupe. The combination of the salty, courser texture and taste of the ham contrasted with the soft, sweet, taste of the cantaloupe was heavenly. For Daloton’s appetizer he got a plate of pasta, the content of the sauce I realize now I never asked him.

Now when their appetizers came my pizza came as well so when I was done with my pizza they were done with their appetizer, or first course, as I should more properly call it.

Stuffed after eating an entire pizza I choose to just get a cup of coffee while Cassie and Dalton’s second course came promptly out of the kitchen.

Laughing at their faces when they saw their plates I just smiled and sipped on my coffee.

Cassie had ordered a seafood risotto and the looked of happiness mixed with a scared look came across her face which Dalton mimicked when he saw his calzone placed in front of him.

Both of them were already pretty full from their first course but too stubborn to leave any of the delicious Italian food behind.

Watching them struggle through there food the waiters would come by and talk to us, asking us where we were from and such. To just throw in I have to say I love the Italians. Every single waiter in that restaurant was friendly and happy, one even came in and started singing and dancing asking us if we wanted to join. We sat at that table for two hours, laughing, eating and conversing on and off with the waiters.

Finally, with a sad look on both of their faces Cassie and Dalton were forced to abandon their food, half eaten, due to the fact that their stomachs just couldn’t hold any more food.

Asking for the check our waiter offered us first if we wanted limoncello. No, thank you was our response so we paid the bill, which was 102 euros I might add and were about to be on our when we were offered the limoncello again. Confused about what it really was, other than the fact that it was alcoholic. Finally giving into the waiter we ordered one. It was kind of awful, but at the same time not terrible. I really just tasted like a lemon head dropped in vodka, but it was thick, like someone added syrup to it. With a smile at our reaction to the drink the waiter told us it was on the house. Lunch definitely made up for the meal we had the night before.

No it was time to go find a good gelato place which I took control of, much to the dismay of Cassie and Dalton who after five minutes of walking were ready to eat again. Picking and choosing, vetoing every place we passed we came up to the Rialto were I took Cassie and Dalton into an artisans jewlery shop were you can watch the owner make the bracelet, necklace, our earings you want to buy.

After leaving the shop Cassie and Dalton were fed up waiting for their gelato and insisted we go to the next place we saw. The gelato was alright, but I could have picked better if we had just continued walking a bit.

Around five we were all ready for a nap so we headed back to the room were we slept till nine and then went out to find a restaurant.

Dinner was exactly the same as lunch, both Cassie and Dalton ordered more food than they could eat and I just stuck to getting a pizza. We stayed in the restaurant till it closed, watching the waiters take the tablecloths off the table and fold them up neatly inside. All in all. Venice was a good trip.