Missing Scandinavia But A Warm Welcome in Venezia

Whenever a day includes an airplane flight, it always seems to take up a lot of time just to get to the airport, but today our bus connection was quite easy and allowed for some sightseeing time too.

After a delicious breakfast of a chocolate croissant and cappuccino, we walked down to the National Gallery. Inside we saw paintings by Norwegian painters which showed the landscape. All cameras aimed at Edvard Munch's famous painting "The Scream" which was placed behind protective glass.

Our flight to Venice was on Ryan Air. We have flown with them before so we paid $10 extra to choose our seats first. Our prior experience from Pisa to Paris was every man for himself with backpacks flying down the aisles to claim the best seats. In Oslo, everyone boarded very calmly.





There's something magical about arriving in Venice by train. As it crosses the causeway, you can feel the excitement of the passengers. Arriving by plane today we felt some of that same enthusiasm as the plane flew close enough to the island to make out the significant landmarks.



Riding the vaparetto to our hotel, we noticed a lot of people just sitting down by the canal taking it all in. Our accommodation, Pension Guerrato, is right next to the market near the Rialto Bridge.



Dinner tonight was in the prettiest cafe next to the fish market at the top of a small wooden bridge. Had we not received directions and a recommendation from the helpful receptionist at our accommodation, we would not have known of this trattoria. We sat outside under an arbor where we enjoyed pasta with fresh scallops and asparagus.





No evening in Venice is complete without a visit to Sam Marco. In the evening the buildings are ringed with lights that look like candles. Small orchestras played romantic tunes to the delight of everyone. If you sit at a table to listen, you pay for the entertainment, but sitting on the steps, you get the concert for free. Andrew Lloyd Weber tunes can be schmaltzy, but somehow seem appropriate, even hopelessly romantic when heard in San Marco Square. Walking back to the hotel, I wished we could stay here longer.