We want to see the essentials of Venice today: lovely canals, the Basilica di San Marco, and a playground of course.

Stefan is sick. Really sick. He’s not getting out of bed, at least for the morning. So we must try to have some fun without him until he’s well enough to join us.

We have a big breakfast at home: eggs, avocado and toast. I still miss oatmeal. Then we walked Oliver. People seem to just be stirring this sleepy Saturday morning. We see women in nightgowns leaning out their windows for their morning smoke. Laundry hangs on lines between buildings. It’s quaint and beautiful.

We don’t walk far before we reach a playground. I decide to stop and let the kids play before we venture more toward the city center. The playground isn’t much, so I don’t think we’ll stay long. Until…we make a friend! The kids start playing with this cute little girl, Amelia, who also speaks English. I start talking to her parents, and we all hit it off. They’re from Ohio and are living in Zurich. We end up hanging out for at least an hour. It’s a lot of fun.

Stefan, who’s remained in bed all morning, meets up with us at the park! I’m so happy because I hate spending the day without him. It’s not as much fun for me, and I feel bad that he’s missing out. We commit to lunch, walking to the church and then going back home, so we don’t push him too much.

The walk along the water is hot because the sun is right on top of us. We finally cut in to smaller streets, and it starts to get crowded.

Stefan finds a good spot for lunch. It’s on a little square, but because it’s so warm, we opt to sit inside. They have tapas-like snacks called “conchietti”, so we order the sampler plate to try the local traditional food. They are all extremely fishy. Even the meatballs are made with sardines. Lillian and Oly like a lot of them, including the octopus and sardine meatballs, but some are just too much.

We order a couple pizzas, and they are very good. Stefan’s upset he’s too sick to have a spritz. Boo hoo.

//Stefan Note: no sprtiz for stefan 🙁

We make our way to the Basilica di San Marco. This entire square is amazing. We wait in the long line to enter the church, and thankfully it moves quickly because it’s hot. We get to the front and I’m told to go check my backpack around the corner. Luckily I’m able to walk directly to the door when I get back. Next I’m told my shorts are too short, and they want to sell me a piece of material to cover myself with. My shorts are so long. Like almost as long as a man’s shorts. Unbelievable. More than any other church we’ve visited, this place is a museum over a place of worship. It feels completely ridiculous to enforce rules that seem to just help them make a buck. Yuck.

It’s unclear whether we are supposed to enter the church now or go up a set of stairs. So we ascend a ridiculously steep staircase. At the top, out of view until we’re at the top, is a guy collecting 5 Euros/person. It’s to see the mosaics on the ceiling and to go outside for a view of the city. Sure, we pay it. But for a church that’s supposedly free, they have many small fees.

The mosaics are really incredible. It’s hard to believe that these masterful pictures are made with small pieces of tile. Wow. We sit and admire until we feel we got our 5 Euros worth, then we walk around the other exhibits upstairs. They have many old mosaics, tapestries and church relics on view. The kids don’t really appreciate it.

We head out onto the roof. It’s not a well-protected area, meaning I hold Oly’s hand firmly until we reach an area with more closely set pillars. Yikes! The view from up here is really amazing. We can see a clock tower, and at the hour we see two sculptures take turns hitting the bell. Very cool.

We finally walk through the main sanctuary area, and again there’s an opportunity to spend 2 Euros to see the altar area. The whole thing feels way too much like a shifty business. We opt out and enjoy the main aisle areas. There aren’t any photos allowed, but I just had to take one of the floor. The incredible mosaics covering the floor are my favorite part of this church.

//Stefan Note: nice church, floor was the coolest with all the dips and turns and falling parts.  The inside front of the church had 4 or 5 inches of sea water resting on it.  Every nook of the church charged 3 EUR to see which was ridiculous.  So I grabbed the kids and leaned way over and made sure to tell everyone that i had seen it all.

We begin to slowly wander our way through the labyrinth of streets toward our apartment. This city is incredibly charming. We stop at a little bodega to pick up stuff for dinner. Lillian selects a vegetable patty from the counter, so I buy a few for dinner. I hope they are decent!

As we walk around the city, Lillian asks if we can look for a kids’ store to buy another Douglas. Knowing no more exist in the entire world (I did an ridiculously extensive search years ago), I suggest we look for a new stuffed animal to be friends with Douglas. Luckily we pass a really cool store that has Jellycats, a brand of stuffed animal I like. Lillian selects an elephant, and Oly quickly speaks up and says he wants the lion. While he doesn’t need a stuffed animal the way Lillian does, we get both because we feel we must be fair. Fairness for siblings is the worst.

We walk home, over bridges, down small lanes, past so many gorgeous scenic backdrops it makes me sick. I’m in love with Venice. This city I thought I’d despise. This city I was so intimidated by when we first arrived. I’m in love.

We have a nice meal at home, of the vegetable patties we bought at the store earlier. They are surprisingly good, especially with the avocado and egg I top each with. It’s a nice evening at home, and we all get in bed a bit early.