Murano

The plan for our long weekend in Venice was to eat, watch glass blowing and feed pigeons. The gelato was a bonus, which the children quite enjoyed. But given that I have been to the city a few times, I thought our best bet to see as much glass blowing as possible would be to stay on Murano and travel to Venice, rather than on the island of Venice.

Traveling around this city, while expensive for the tourist, is incredibly easy, as the Vaporetto, or water bus system, is brilliant, easy, and, if not quick exactly, entertainment in itself. I believe a single ride will cost you around 6.50Euro, which translates to about $8.50US. That single ride allows you an hour to get somewhere in one direction, with as many transfers as you like. The key is you can't change direction and head back to your starting point.

We ended up with three day passes that allowed us to ride the Vaporetto at whim and for hours (for around $14US, per day per person - children over 6 pay full freight - I said it was expensive). Which, we did. Like I said, entertainment as well as transportation. We certainly got our moneys worth as we were able to move between the two islands easily. We'd watch a little glass blowing in the morning, head to Venice for Lunch Pizza and Pasta and communing with our Wing-ed Friends, and then back to Murano for Dinner Pizza and Pasta. Gelato got slotted in there somewhere.

The beautiful thing about Murano, in addition to the glass blowing, is how incredibly quite and peaceful it is. Even in the slow winter tourist season, Venice proper is a hustling bustling place. Murano, though, is a place people live. The pace is slower, the walkways aren't crowded, there are pretty gardens and quiet pathways, and there is a co-op where one can easy purchase groceries. There is food shopping on Venice, but it's not so easy to suss out.

Our little B&B was quite cozy and convenient to a Vaporetto stop, although, given the size of Murano, there aren't many places that aren't convenient to a Vaporetto stop.

I have continued running since the Vienna 5k back in early October, and clock 5k four mornings a week. I have been pretty good about this, running in Turkey, and I am planning to bring my running kit to Patagonia for our Christmas holiday. And given that Murano possess the single most important quality for my running happiness (it's flat), off I went early Saturday morning.

 Okay, so there was a small hill. I managed it. There was another dude running at the same time, and we kept crossing paths. The difference of course, is that I assume he knew where he was going and my strategy was to keep turning left/ The island is basically circular so I would eventually end up back where I started. I run to the same music set every day, so it's easy enough to tick off 5k. When Shakira's starts to feel the heat, I know I can stop and walk the rest of the way home.

 

As I was running the last bit, just before Shakira gives it her all, I turned down an alleyway that led to the Venetian Lagoon. It was a wide, open sort of lane, with houses on both sides. I assumed that when I got to the end, which I could see from the distance was the Lagoon, that the path would turn left or right. It did not, and instead ended. It was the end of the island.

I do find running inspirational.

 

Comments

[Debbie Hanson]

I soooo want to visit Italy!!