A flying visit to Venice
Heading from Verona to Venice we encountered some very strange, foggy weather, at times meaning we could barely see the other cars on the road, but we finally figured out how to make it to the car park outside the city and headed for the boat that would take us to one of Italy's most famous destinations. And honestly... we weren't all that taken with it. I think Venice is perhaps one of those places you immediately fall in love with, or it isn't.
After the cosy feel of Verona, Venice just seemed too crowded, too claustrophobic (the canals give it a hemmed in vibe), more than a little smelly, and generally difficult to navigate. However, all this may have been because we quickly realised we wouldn't be able to stay in the city... logistically it would have been too difficult with the car and our luggage... and I think that may have put us off. In all fairness, the sites were pretty amazing, they just weren't enough to negate the feeling that there were plenty of other places waiting to be explored that wouldn't be as expensive or crowded. And if you've ever been to Amsterdam you won't be as amazed with the canals as you might have been otherwise.
Hence, after taking in some of the main sites and gawking at the gondolas a little, we negotiated our way back to the car and headed to Padua nearby for the night before deciding to drive south towards the Amalfi Coast.
