Venice with the Kids 2011: Part II of the “What Were We Thinking?” Tour

Even though we leave Rome in high spirits, it is still a long ride to Venice. The highways and signs are all wonderful (as they should be, considering the high toll rates), and there are plenty of places to stop for food and gas along the way. We appreciate this fact since Entropy makes frequent bathroom requests and we can't risk more poopy pants.

Things I would like to do during the road trip:

• have multi-sentence conversations with K
• write blog posts
• listen to audiobooks and podcasts
• play Angry Birds
• enjoy the scenery

Things I actually do during the road trip:

• answer repetitive questions
• try to come up with creative ways to deflect or respond to repetitive questions
• turn around to clean dirty hands
• turn around to clean dirty mouths
• turn around to pick up dropped toys
• turn around to pick up dropped bottles
• turn around to pick up dropped food
• listen to the radio
• listen to a crying baby
• enjoy the scenery

I discover my new favorite Brazilian song on Italian radio.

Waiting for the train.

Our hotel is on the mainland, so we don't actually go to Venice until the following morning. We take the hotel shuttle to the train station and then pay a total of 30 euros to take the fast train into the city. On the way back we take the slow train, which costs a total of 6 euros and isn't slow at all. True, we don't have the cushy, air conditioned chairs, but Entropy seems to enjoy clinging to his pull-down seat in the stuffy compartment in between cars.

Venice does not stink, but it is extremely hot. I'm happy to have the breezy new dress I'd packed--until I spot another girl who is also wearing it.

Who wore it best?

Babe-A loves the little dry breadsticks that come with our meal.

We take the public boat down the Grand Canal and eat gelato on St. Mark's Square (where Entropy enjoys chasing pigeons), but then we ditch the tourists and lose ourselves in the residential parts of the city.

A gelato-fueled pigeon chaser.

To escape the heat, we stop at a small, empty cafe and have lemon popsicles on a licorice candy stick. The employees are friendly, the setting is calm, and I don't feel like I'm being ripped off.

K initially talks about doing a gondola ride, and I'm game, but after stalking a kayaking tour group, running around a playground with the kids, and mostly having the streets to ourselves, we don't want to return to the touristy rush.

We think we're at the right spot to meet our shuttle, but when we're still alone fifteen minutes after our scheduled rendezvous, we're forced to reconsider. We walk around a cute plaza, cut through a gorgeous park and buy sandwiches before tracking down the next bus.


While I'm looking for our shuttle, an Italian lady stops to ask me for directions.