Venezia giorno uno ... Venice, day one!

So today this becomes a travel blog rather than one about life in London. I have just started a two-week holiday to Italy, my first visit. I departed Heathrow this morning on BMI, along with a few angry passengers. A late change in the aircraft meant a lot of seats were reallocated and couples could no longer sit together. Some people got quite agitated with the staff. I benefited from the switch, as my choice of seat near the front did not change but it became a premium economy seat instead of a regular one, which gave me more space than I've ever had when flying. Unfortunately there were no free meals or other extras! I was seated next to an older American woman who first visited Venice in 1958 and who was quite demanding of the patient flight crew. There's no way I could be a flight attendant, I would end up losing my cool very quickly.

My decision to check which side of the plane to sit on (the right when facing forward) paid off as I was rewarded with a wonderful vista of Venice and the lagoon (as well as all the gigantic cruise ships) as our plane landed.

Venice is everything it's cracked up to be. Quite magical! Photos cannot do it justice. It's one of those remarkable places to see and experience, and travelling up the canal on a vaporetto (water bus) is an enchanting introduction to the city. It feels like it's still summer here (25C), so I changed into shorts, grabbed a bite to eat and headed to my first museum (the only one for the day as it was already 4:30pm). The Ca' D'Oro, which is one minute away from my hotel. Ca' D'Oro is an art museum featuring paintings, reliefs and sculpture taken from Veneto during Napoleon's conquest of Italy. It is also a lovely palazzo (palace) facing onto the Grand Canal.

After my fill of art, I jumped on another vaporetto and headed to Piazza San Marco. Despite being filled with tourists, it is breathtaking. I would even go so far to say it felt romantic (or perhaps that was just because of the band playing Memory! Not exactly Italian, but never mind). From here I wandered the streets (lots of lovely but expensive shops) and crossed the Rialto Bridge and eventually made it back to my hotel. So here I am, watching X-Factor, the Italian version. A bit sad, but being a tourist is quite tiring. Anyhow, I need to find something for dinner! Everyone at work has been telling me how amazing the food is. Hope it lives up to expectations. : )

From Venice