Venice in the Rain

Several years ago I traveled to Paris for a week. That was the one and only time I've been to Europe. Of course I have had my fair share of miles spent roaming Asia, so Europe has been a blank spot for sometime now.
A friend mentioned that she and her sister and her sister's friends were all going on a Med Cruise and it featured all the places on our bucket list. So we opted to join the group and head over for the trip too. 

Using miles we were able to book our airfare from Honolulu to Venice for just over $500. Then we opted to spend a few days in Italy to see the sights, eat and explore. Unfortunately, when we arrived we were also hit by a severe rain and wind storm that featured hurricane force winds. But it was okay we still enjoyed every moment. 
I wanted to stay at a place that was 4-5 stars and right on the Grand Canal. After a reference list from a friend I began to gauge the types of hotels I had to peruse. Honestly a lot of them were sold out or only had suites available. Mind you, this is just on the cusp of the off season and the tail end of the summer peak season, as we arrived on 10/01. 

I found a lovely hotel called the Palazzo Barocci, which is located on the main island in Venice near the Bridge Rialto and Saint Mark's Square. While it is centrally located it is off the beaten path from some of the busy spots and the hustle and bustle. It was lovely. It would take about 10-15 minutes to walk to noteworthy spots or catch a water taxi. But it was well worth it. Looking at the room rates right now it was about $700 a night, but it was comfortable, safe, quiet and elegant. I booked the hotel a day early because we were to arrive at 9am and I didn't want to wait for our room to be ready at 3pm. I explained this to the guest services twice via email and upon check out they tried to charge us a "no show fee" for not arriving on the first day. But it wasn't that we didn't arrive, we wanted to pay for the first night so we could check in the next morning. They kind of argued with us about how they held the room for us and then realized we are paying for it and shouldn't be charging us a fee. So be sure to check your bill when you check out. 

Anyhow, it is kind of surprising how many people smoke in Europe. All the bistros, restaurants and etc have outdoor dining with ashtrays and folks smoking. Just a heads up if you want to sit outside and enjoy you will also be hit with constant cigarette smoke. The food in Italy is amazing. The baked items, the pizza, the pasta, the risotto, the gelato, so fresh, so delicious and perfectly cooked. We stumbled upon pizzaria's who served thin crust, rectangle, circle, pizzas, pasta on a plate, pasta in a cup, it really is abundant and the lots of options. The Italians are lare risers and not everyone is open in the morning and for some the kitchen doesn't open until the afternoon. It seems they only wake up and have coffee. We mainly thought, if it looked good, let's eat it. The gelato lived up to the hype and after trying multiple places we settled on Suso being the best we had. The staple dish of Venice is the Cicchetti, which is a crostini with something on top like protein, vegetables and etc. We tried some from a place that was famous for it and it was fair. The bread was not crisp if anything it was kind of stale and the toppings were just ok. We weren't exactly sure what we were eating but it wasn't that flavorful. Others around us ordered all the cicchettis and maybe our expectations were just too high. 

Despite the cold, wet and windy weather we were still able to venture out and do all the things. It was such a charming city with so much to see, do and try. I think the highlight for me really was seeing Venice, the canals and the water. It is impressive that this city can function for so many years on the water with no cars and just the canals. It's really aw inspiring to view in person.