Venice - Once in a Lifetime By Demac

There is a place like no other, a place where history, architecture, romance, all combine into one unique part of the world. Not knowing what to expect as we drove across Italy along the auto strata toward Venice, how and where does one actually find and reach this world renowned tourist destination.
We followed the signs after finally working out in Italy you press the red button, not the green in order to receive a tollway ticket, one of many anomalies that seem to exist in this beautiful country.
After dropping off the hire car at the airport the logical way to reach our destination was to catch the Venice bus. A short 30 minute ride and we approached the bustling departure point for this water locked city we have only ever heard about.
Apart from lugging three already bulging suitcases around, the hardest thing was trying to read the Italian signs which meant nothing to us Aussies who think surely every country understands English and the right thing to do is to have street signs which we could read!
Our accommodation, already pre booked with management, gave us instructions on exactly how to find the hotel, easy, take the public water ferry to the Rialto Bridge, upon exiting phone them for instruction. That was the easy part- struggling with the suitcases paled into insignificance when the hotel porter could not speak English, his instructions pointed us straight into the main canal!
We decided to wing it, my second mistake- the streets are narrow, filled with people and many, many bridges each with steps testing my patience, but I finally realized we would need the clothes that the suitcases contained. The trick is to ask questions, the Venetians are, in the main, very polite and extremely helpful.

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