Venice

After a uneventful flight into Germany where I transited and changed planes (while carrying the Innova on my back) I arrived at Marco Polo Airport. I called my Venice hosts and they proposed to meet me in Piazzale Roma (the arrival point of the buses).

Once there I unpacked and re-assembled my bicycle and walked together with to their home. This is not so simple as it sounds as it involved climbing and descending with my loaded bicycle three bridges (with steps on both sides) over the canals.

Their home was on the top floor of a centuries old palazzo with both a alleyway and canal entrance.

The inside had been remodeled but conserved the original wooden beams. It was a beautiful combination of antique and modern elements together with artwork made by my host

I soon went out for a stroll to acquaint myself with the town. Immediately I was overwhelmed by it's magical atmosphere. I watched out for the unique features that make life in Venice possible such as the Green grocer boat

And the ambulance boat:

I got lost in the network of alleyways, piazzas and canals and as night arrived, went out to visit a typical Venetian Osteria (bar w/food), to drink an ombra (glass of house wine) and sample some delicious ciccheti (small samplings of different foods). I was the only foreigner but the atmosphere was very lively.

As the weather was quite cool and foggy, but Sunday was predicted to be sunny (and have the added benefit of less traffic on the canals), I decided to wait for the right conditions to get on the water with the Helios.