I chose a picture of Venice for my book cover which was created by the talented Ciara Power.
I will quote an extract from my book.
"On 19th August 2009, we left Florence and travelled by Eurostar to Venice, which was one place in Italy I always longed to visit. As I sat on the train, I recalled some of the things I was told about this city built on swamps. Some had said that the Grand Canal waters were smelly and it was not comfortable travelling by boats on the fetid waters. I had seen movies with people travelling through the canals on gondoliers. It looked so romantic, and I wondered what it would be like when we got there. I had also read that Venice is the sublime capital of masked carnivals, reveries, intrigue, and romance.
I did not have to wonder for long as we arrived there in less than two hours. We took a water bus to get to our hotel. As we rode through the canal, we saw splendid palaces, bridges, gardens, and warehouses that lined the banks of the Grand Canal. The atmosphere was magical.
I thought that the waterbus would take us directly to the hotel, but we had to walk a long distance lugging our suitcases to get there. We also had to climb several steps at various intervals, as several bridges punctuated the meandering canals. We finally arrived at the Hotel American-Dinesen in Academia and were warmly greeted by the hotel staff. The rooms were elegantly decorated, and we had all the comforts of a good hotel. My sister from Los Angeles had made the bookings for all the hotels in Italy, and she had made superb selections.
When we finally settled in, it was close to 3.00 pm, and we went out to find a restaurant to get some lunch. Every restaurant was closed for siesta, and we were told that we had to wait for dinnertime, which started at 6.00 pm. As the sun was scorching hot, we headed back to the hotel to relax until dinnertime. We all met promptly at 6.00 pm in the hotel’s lounge to head out to dinner, as we were all famished. We found an excellent restaurant in the same area that our hotel was located. The meal was quite tasty and enjoyable.
After dinner, we strolled along the streets and crossed the bridges to take in a good view of the city. The next day the hotel staff arranged a free ride for us on a water taxi to take us to the popular Murano Glass Factory. The water taxi met us at the pier directly in front of the hotel. We all climbed in safely and set off to our destination. My husband took a brief nap on the way.
When we got to the factory, a gentleman was there to greet us and to help us disembark. He took us straight to the shop for a demonstration on how they make glass products. It was a little scary considering the closeness of the fiery furnace required to melt the glass, but fascinating indeed. Then he took us to rooms filled with the finished products. We were not allowed to take photos. Words cannot describe the beauty of the chandeliers, vases, ornaments, and jewellery, which we saw. “Wow!” is only but a mild expression. My husband bought me a set of jewels for our wedding anniversary at that factory and my brother-in-law bought a set for my sister for their anniversary. After we had left the factory, we visited several shops and purchased more jewelry to give as presents to our loved ones at home in Trinidad. We then visited St. Mark’s Square and the Basilica. [St. Mark’s Square]
We did a great deal of walking in Venice, through many alleys and back streets that led to the places of interest. Besides, as we navigated through the streets and climbed many steps across bridges, we had the opportunity to browse the many shops and to do shopping. We also stopped now and again to watch the stately gondoliers drive down the canal. A ride cost eighty Euros per person, so we skipped that trip and watched others splurge. A ride in the water taxi or waterbus was much cheaper."
To read the rest of the experience in Venice and to see the pictures you can purchase the books at Amazon Universal Link THe book is also available in Paperback at Amazon.
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