A week of sunshine at Lake Garda in Northern Italy … sounds like heaven!! Especially that it’s just a couple of hours away from Venice. So on the 23rd of August, we packed ourselves into the car and drove to the watery backdrop of Hollywood blockblusters. We were especially keen to see if James Bond really had destroyed that building

Marcel and I have been to Venice before, during November in 2000, when it flooded – but that’s a whole other story. Having caught the train there the first time, it was quite cool driving across the bridge into Venezia. We found a car park pretty quickly but gasped at the EUR 26 / day price tag, so thought we’d try to find a different one. Big mistake. The traffic jammed up the further in we went.

So we made a U-turn and waited in line at the parking garage, hoping there’d still be space left. Fortunately there was and we were instructed to drive to the second floor and report at the security booth. The guards indicated which bay we could use, and said we should leave our keys in the car. Pardon? Come again? We looked at each other in surprise, and then at the guards.

They assured us our cars would be safe and they they needed the keys in case our car needed to be moved. It seems that the parking garage actually belongs to a hotel who has semi-permanent guests with allocated parking bays. So if that guest should suddenly arrive, the guards would be able to move our car to another vacant bay. Fair enough, that sounded plausible. We uneasily left our keys in the car hoping that we wouldn’t find ourselves on some TV watchdog program.

Normally you have to do a lot of walking in Venice and being with our nieces, one of whom is still little, it was fortunate that there was a water taxi rank just outside the parking garage. Water taxis are the cheapest and best way to get around Venice. We got tickets and hopped aboard towards San Marco Square. It’s not a top tourist destination for nothing, there were loads of folk from all over the world!

The already hot day frazzled our nerves as we snaked through the crowds to the Bridge of Sighs. The mesmerising gondolas bobbing up and down provided a stark contrast to the statuesque architecture of San Marco square. Fortunately we could more or less remember the way to Rialto Bridge, and stopped for a bite to eat along the way.

By the time we got to Rialto, our niece’s little legs were complaining almost as much as my patience with the hoardes of tourists. It just gets too much. Too many people, too much noise. So we figured we’d head out to Murano, the island famous for its hand-blown glass. We caught a water taxi to Lido and from there we had to catch another one to Murano. By that time, we were too late to watch any glass-blowing demonstrations. Pity. But it was a relief to be away from the crowds.

We managed to find a couple of great pieces of Murano, but also noticed that some were very cheap and seemed a little plasticky. A different shop owner showed us the special little M to indicate that that piece was made in Murano and not in China, as some of the other glass items on the island have been. Gee whiz, is nothing sacred? Are we tourists only concerned with getting the cheapest prices that we’re doing handcrafts out of business? I’m disappointed.

We were in need of a sit-down and refreshments, so found a little cafe tucked away in an alley. After getting a nod by a waiter that we could sit down at a table, we were taken aback when he quite rudely grunted at us while placing our orders. Which secret protocol had we broken, or was he just in a foul mood?

After enjoying our beverages, we thought we should head back home so asked for the bill. Are you sitting down? 2x beers, 2x fantas, 1x coca cola, 1x icecream … EUR 32,00!! They wouldn’t let us wash the dishes.

Reeling from shock, we tried to convince each other that the waiter had charged us extra because he was in bad mood. The prices aren’t even that expensive in Amsterdam! On our way back to the water taxi, there was a cellist playing a beautiful tango on the sidewalk close to the bridge. Ummm, what bill?

The worst part for me is that I just love Venice. So I’d like to come back again. And again. And loads of other tourists agree. They also keep on coming back. So there’s no financial incentive for Venetians like that waiter to be polite. They can charge exhorbitant prices for food, drinks and gondola rides because we keep on paying it. Arrogance in tourism at its best.

The best thing for me, aside from the gorgeous buildings and canals, is the running water freely available at taps throughout the city. In line with the Roman Empire some 2000 years ago! That’s really cool.

P.S. Our car keys were still perfectly in place where we left them!