While in Venice we had one more thing to look forward too. We had plans of meeting our Italian friends Mauro and Diane whom we had befriended in Istanbul last year. We had plans of having dinner together. Now we had come back from Lido island. Only two things were left..The famous Rialto Bridge and of course reunion with our Italian friends. We had decided to meet at the Rialto Bridge at eight in the evening. So finally we climbed the famous Ponte di Rialto.
Rialto Bridge is crazily crowded throughout the day. I did not know why till I myself went up there. It had recently undergone restoration. Built in the 16 th century, it had been subjected to too much tourist load and adverse weather conditions.
We were really lucky to have climbed the Rialto late in the evening. We pushed and shoved all the other enthusiastic tourists to grab a spot at the best place. Voila! We saw the sun setting into the Grand Canal. the view of the Grand Canal from top of the bridge is something I would never forget in my life. There were gondolas sailing, speed boats zipping around and vaporetti everywhere. Thousands of people (both locals and tourists) were moving all around. In short, entire Venice could be captured in memory from there. I had no plans of moving from there.
It was quarter past eight. Mauro and Diane could not be seen. My husband took a round all around the Rialto area but no sign of them. I then called up Mauro. Unfortunately there had been a misunderstanding of dates and they thought they we were supposed to meet the next day. We however would be in Bari the next day. I was almost in tears. We had planned this rendezvous long back and really wanted to meet them. Maybe God did not want us too.
Sadly we came down from the Rialto Bridge and started scouting for a perfect place to have dinner. All the places by the Grand Canal were heavily occupied. So we decided to go near the smaller canals.
I had gelato on the way. Hubs made fun of me that who has desserts prior dinner! Well I could have gelato all day long! Finally we found a place that fulfilled all my criteria: Osteria Del Cason. It was outside beside a small canal that had a bridge nearby and had the most beautiful view of flowers!
However it was very expensive. So we decided to order just a single plate of pasta.
We had the most delicious spaghetti in pesto. Also the bread served with it was awesome. Canal by our side, moon on our heads and a perfect dinner in Venice; it was like a dream! However when we asked for the check, we were shocked! They charged a cover charge of 3.5 Euro per person! So along with paying a hefty price for the spaghetti, we also paid 7 euro copperti! However we did not feel bad as it was such a beautiful evening!
On the way back to Marghera, I finally bought a proper size Venetian Mask. The vendor was a Bangladeshi and he gave a reasonable deal at the end of the day. We again ran to catch our bus to Marghera. It was a crazy environment at our resort. The youngsters were partying as if there was no tomorrow! That was one experience totally unheard and unseen of!
Venice was over. It's the most beautiful city of my life and will always remain so.
This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon 2023
5 comments
I really want to jump in either of your suitcase amazing place to visit! You both look fabulous enjoying italian meal.
ReplyDeleteYou got me excited! Gondola rides are my lifelong dream. Next year hopefully! Please share a picture of your venetian mask.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your wonderful blog post on Venice, Mandira! Reading it brought back so many incredible memories of my own trip to Venice. Your vivid descriptions and insights truly captured the essence of this beautiful city. It's like I got to relive those moments through your words. Can't wait to read more of your travel adventures! 😊🌍✈️
ReplyDeleteVenice has a unique charm which is totally different from any other European city. Reading your post and looking at the pictures kindled our own memories of Venice. Nice place but sadly always crowded. Sandy N Vyjay
ReplyDeleteI loved your itinerary about your evening spent in Paris. Lovely read. And amazing experience.
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