In Venice and I don't eat octopus

It's a 9-hour time difference between Seattle and Venice, so even in a state of exhaustion I woke up at 4 am. There's no kettle in our rooms to make a morning beverage, so I went down to the front desk to see if there was any coffee available. No coffee until 7:30, and even the cafe nearby doesn't open until 7. Yikes. 

At 7:30, on the dot, we were in the breakfast room. They had one of those huge machines that dispense all different manners of coffees, hot milk and hot water for tea. The breakfast buffet included sliced cheese and meat (one kind of cheese, and one kind of sliced processed meat) croissants, fruit tarts, yogurt and cereal. I've read in the reviews that some visitors didn't think much of this breakfast - with no eggs, bacon or sausage - but I love it when anybody fixes anything for me for breakfast, and everything was tasty and fresh, except the Italian idea of plain bread, which we'll discuss later.

So, our hunger and thirst sated, we headed out to see the city. I'd been watching the weather reports for Venice, and it looked bleak for our entire visit. There were severe thunderstorm warnings when we arrived, and severe rain warnings while we were there. We were cautioned to protect our people and property. It turned out to be far better than this, thankfully.

I loved the Dorsoduro neighborhood the last time I stayed in Venice with a group of friends. Our place last time, and this place nearby, was an easy walk to the Accademia Bridge, which is itself not far from Piazza San Marco, the beating heart of Venice.

The skies were cloudy, but there was no rain, so far. The view of the Grand Canal from Accademia Bridge is fairly amazing. There's lots of boat traffic all through the day and night.

The Grand Canal from Accademia Bridge

This was early in the morning, so traffic was comparatively light. 

On our way winding through the streets we were accosted by a young man of color saying he was an immigrant and had no money. Could we help him? B.J. offered to buy him something to eat, so they walked to a nearby shop where he got a sandwich and a bottle of juice. The man was very appreciative and went on his way. He'll appear in our story later.

We arrived at Piazza San Marco and saw that there was a big crowd outside of St. Mark's Basilica, so we checked to see if we could go up the Campanile, the bell tower in the Piazza. Since the line was short, we got tickets and took the elevator up. From the top you can see the rooftops of Venice, and the piazza down below.

St. Mark's Basilica from the Piazza

 The rooftops of Venice from the Campanile

The Campanile in Piazza San Marco

By the time we got down from the Campanile the line had dwindled getting into the basilica. We elected not to climb the dome, since we'd already seen the view from up there. We wandered around inside the church and marveled at the amazing and intricate mosaic floors.

Not only were the floors amazing, but the rest of the Basilica was ornate and elaborate too!

Stacked up in Piazza San Marco, and many other squares around the city, are the elevated sidewalks that would be set up in case of flooding.

Because we're in Italy, we needed to stop for a pastry and coffee, then we trooped on to the Rialto Bridge. It's lined with shops and packed with tourists. We got to the other side to see what the outdoor market was like. It's under cover and had table after table of beautiful fruit and vegetables, fresh flowers and a huge area of fish vendors.

Rialto Bridge on the Grand Canal

One of the many fish vendors at the Rialto Market

Flowers at the market

By then we were hungry for lunch, and it was raining, so we needed to find a place with tables inside. We happened upon a place called I Compari Pulperia, and took a seat. But wait. There are several menu options listing polpo, and doesn't that mean octopus in English? Is that what they specialize in here?  Haven't I sworn a solemn oath never to eat octopus again after reading "Remarkably Bright Creatures" and "The Soul of an Octopus" and seeing "My Octopus Teacher"? Yes, I have, but here we were. Luckily, I have no strong feelings about fish or shrimp. We ordered fish and chips and a selection of cichetti - similar to tapas, an assortment of small bites of different things. It was fun, and we decided we should try it at home.

I have to be honest about one thing. We were already exhausted by this time, so had to put our feet up for a bit before venturing out later. It took a few days, if not more, to get over jet lag.

For dinner, we decided to try a place recommended by a couple from Bellevue, Washington, we met at breakfast. It was some distance away, but BJ is getting really good at mapping our routes, and I do my part as "fact checker". We ate at Oniga on Campo S. Barnaba, and we had some very nice fresh fish for dinner.

Back to our place in Dorsoduro, a haven of peace and quiet, for a good night's rest.