Gondoliers Archives - Music and Markets Tours

Venice Views

by Anne Woodyard | Jun 6, 2022 | Altana, Cicchetti, gondola, Gondoliers, Grand Canal, Travel Tips, venice

Venice, Fall 2021, Spring 2022

What a joy to stroll through a beautiful city or town, taking in its beauty from morning to night! I’ve long preferred a memorable experience to a physical gift for birthdays or other celebrated days…and a few days in Venice was my wish for my last birthday, several months ago. The views from our hotel window were so gorgeous, from early morning when the gondoliers uncovered and prepared their gleaming black crafts below, to the evening when sunset painted the skies, that I was often content to just stand and look out over the Grand Canal, rather than my usual “rush out the door” to experience a stunning city.
Well of course we also put our feet to the ground, enjoying the quiet canal-side lanes, stopping for those inimitable Venetian cicchetti (snacks) to keep us going!
It wasn’t long til we were back in Venice, in the spring, returning to strolling and gazing – so much to take in in this exquisite city! Our attention was caught by something high above our heads – the Altanas – click here for our photos and tales of these unique rooftop structures of Venice.
I wonder, what will we discover next time we’re in Venice?!?

It Started in (Brussels) Venice

by Anne | Jun 10, 2014 | Brussels, Gondoliers, Grand Canal, venice

Sunday, May 26, 2014
Venice, Italy
Interested in a Music and Markets Tour? We’d love to hear from you! Join us on a summer tour on the Amalfi Coast, in Provence, or in Amsterdam/Belgium
Where have we been? Keeping so busy with a wonderful Venice/Veneto tour, then a week of working on our newest tour in France that we haven’t had a minute to blog!

First stop, Brussels, with enough hours in a layover on our way to Venice to go into the city. A quick 20 minute train ride, and we’re walking to the Grand Place, filled with colorful blooms of the Sunday flower mart.
A stroll down cobbled streets, taking in the scents, sights and sounds and a quick walkthrough the weekend antiques mart in the Sablon district, then back to the airport.

Next stop, Venice – where the streets are not cobbles but water,

and our city bus floats down the Grand Canal, past palazzos shedding centuries of skin, doors fading into the water,

We drop our bags at a little Cannareggio hotel (we’re saving the best hotel til our guests arrive!)
Once more we’re convinced that Venice is alive and well, as children whiz by on their scooters on a rare campo big enough to play, locals gather to listen to a young speaker preach on marriage and family, then join hands and sing and dance in a circle.