Cycling The Road Less Travelled

We’re in Venice! From Verona, we cycled the 135 km stretch to Venice. The cycling was, well…just about as cruddy as it could get; a 135km stretch of busy roads, shopping malls, manufactories and industry. That’s ugly cycling. We knew to expect it from reading other cyclist’s blogs, but no matter, the goal was to get to Venice, one of the world’s most beautiful cities.

Is Venice as touristy as they say? Yup, haven’t seen too many places like this before. At times, we felt like cattle.

Is Venice as expensive as they say? Oh yes. $50/night for a patch of grass 1 hour away, coffee double the price it normally is, triple if you want to sit at a table and drink as opposed to standing at the bar, and of course, $1.50 if you have to pee. Expect to have your bank account plundered.

Is Venice as beautiful as they say? Absolutely, there is no two ways about it. Venice, with its canals, endless bridges, gondolas, incredible architecture and museums is undeniably picturesque, romantic, unforgettable and then some. Who wouldn’t love spending countless hours meandering through its maze of narrow streets and bridges?

My favorite part of Venezia? My favourite part of Venezia, wasn’t in Venezia at all. It was the tiny island of Burano, 1 hour away by ferry. Burano is a tiny collection of one brightly colored house after another, first red, then blue, then yellow, accented with canals, bridges, and its very own leaning tower of course. Walk its narrow streets and you’ll experience people going about their day. You’ll hear the clang of plates as a family sits down for lunch, the news playing on the radio. You’ll see neighbours greeting each other, people hanging their laundry from their windows; a 5 year old girl with curly brown hair, deep green eyes, and gold sandals discussing what I’m sure is a very serious matter with her amused grandmother. You’ll get a whiff of the amazing smell of freshly, fried squid as a woman walks by carrying a huge platter full. Then you’ll sit by one of the canals and slice open the watermelon you just bought at the corner store. An older man looks at you through the window of his house, smiles, lifts up his glass of vino and says “Ciao!”. This was Burano; not a Gucci or Fendi shop in sight, far, far away from the crowds and chaos of Venice.

Venice truly is one of the world’s most beautiful cities, but it was Burano that won my heart.