Venice, Italy. Did it meet expectations?
Serenading Caroline on a gondola in Venice. Venice, Italy! I don't know if there is a place that has a reputation for romance more than Venice. Perhaps Tuscany? Regardless, we headed for Venice after disembarking from a month on the Explorer of the Seas . Our goal? To explore the city and see the sights! And roam we did, as you can see in the maps below: First, we had to get to Venice! We had disembarked in Ravenna, a city I need to explore in the future. From the dock, we took a bus, then two trains, to get to Venice. It was raining. Our first view of Venice from outside the Santa Lucia Train Station, right on the Grand Canal. It was a short, 10 minute walk to our small but comfortable lodging on the Cannaregio Canal. We dropped off our luggage and began 3 days of explorations. There's no other way to say this, so I'll be blunt. No greenery! Crowded! Stores selling merchandise made in China everywhere! And... do people visit Venice so they can smoke in crowds? If there...