10/06/2022
Last night was difficult as Lachnado did his best Jar Jar Binks impersonation all throughout the night. Even Eloise was not impressed in the morning, “Mum, no Lachlan, no, Mum it’s too early”. Lachnado started to use Eloise as a treadmill for his morning run, Eloise eventually managed to escape and spotted the Lindt 100% and was desperate to try, although she could not handle the raw power of cacao.
We headed to the train station for “new home day”. It was cosy, we just managed to fit with the mega suitcase and Batmobile. Lachnado not sleeping last night turned out to be a blessing in disguise as he made it through the whole trip asleep. Not sure how we would have managed otherwise.
After a two-hour train ride north we arrived in Venice.
We are actually staying in Venice Mestre on the mainland. After checking in to the room and dropping our bags off we reloaded Lachlan with another pouch. We then caught a bus across to the islands. It did not take long for the land to fall away and all we could see was the Venetian Lagoon.
When we were planning this trip a couple of weeks ago we were unsure how Venice with a toddler and a Lachnado would go. However, plenty of our UK friends had told us that it is surprisingly good for families with kids. So here we are. We had constructed the Batmobile and left the baby carrier in the hotel room. We were excited jumping off the bus and we did not have to go far until we met our first bridge. Thankfully the bridge was pram friendly.
As we were coming down the first bridge, you could already see the second bridge. This one had no helpful ramp and was the beginning of arm day. Our motto has always been if you can get the Batmobile up one step, then you can get the Batmobile up hundreds of steps. We powered on making our way east across the islands and canals.
From the get-go the kids absolutely loved Venice, it has been their favourite city on this holiday, lucky we came here. It is as chaotic and crazy as you think. Lachnado was flourishing in this mad environment. Eloise took each staircase as a new challenge, making sure she did them on her own. When we were not crossing bridges we were making our way through slim alleyways, which Eloise called “tunnels”. Lachnado loved the “tunnels” and tried to get as many high fives from strangers as he could. Unfortunately with the excitement of all the bridges and “tunnels” we were struggling to get Eloise to have a much-needed nap. However, super Mum prevailed.
Venice is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The islands are in the shallow Venetian Lagoon, an enclosed bay lying between the mouths of the Po and the Piave rivers (more exactly between the Brenta and the Sile). In 2020, 258,685 people resided in the Comune di Venezia, of whom around 55,000 live in the historical city of Venice. Together with Padua and Treviso, the city is included in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area (PATREVE), which is considered a statistical metropolitan area, with a total population of 2.6 million. The name is derived from the ancient Veneti people who inhabited the region by the 10th century BC.
After ten or so bridges we were feeling good about ourselves. There were actually lots of families and prams out and about doing the juggle over canals. However, we did not see anyone else with a double pram. Perhaps we are twice as crazy? We then reached the boss level and met the mother of all bridges, Rialto Bridge. There was a nice view from the top.
After a few more bridges we had made it to St. Mark’s Square to see Saint Mark’s Basilica. Across the main water taxi channel, you could see the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore.
The sun had come out again and was zapping our energy away. We needed to rest the legs and arms. There is really only one way to see Venice properly, so we all decided it was gondola time.
The gondola journey started off going under the famous Bridge of Sighs.
The Bridge of Sighs. The enclosed bridge is made of white limestone, has windows with stone bars, passes over the Rio di Palazzo, and connects the New Prison to the interrogation rooms in the Doge’s Palace. It was designed by Antonio Contino, whose uncle Antonio da Ponte designed the Rialto Bridge, and it was built in 1600. The view from the Bridge of Sighs was the last view of Venice that convicts saw before their imprisonment. The bridge’s English name was bequeathed by Lord Byron in the 19th century as a translation from the Italian “Ponte dei sospiri”, from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice through the window before being taken down to their cells.
It definitely was the best way to see Venice. The kids loved their first gondola ride. The character of this city is truly unique.
For James Bond fans, Venice is a must. It is one of the most featured filming locations outside London.
The evening was spent trying to keep up with a determined Eloise who was convinced she knew her way around, “yahhh Mum, more stairs”.
Super Mum found a great spot in the back streets for some “dahlicious” food.
The restaurant next door found the kids eating so hilarious that they gave them some free watermelon to continue the show. Lachnado did not disappoint.
While we were in Florence, we were looking for a wee Pinocchio to bring home. Sadly with all our haggling, we could not find one at a suitable price. However, in Venice, we struck a deal for Pinocchio’s Venetian brother.
After a big day of exercise, we took the scenic route back to our hotel, although it is all scenic here. We are glad we are staying on the mainland. If we were staying on the islands there would have been a high chance of losing Lachnado as he would have done a swift lefty-righty and then scaled a building out of sight.
More fantastic photos and another place to add to our bucket list!!
Oh I love Venice! Well done on the bridges and it looks like the gondola was a hit! Clearly no one is tiring of the pizza & pasta diet!