I got up at around 2pm since it was my last full day in Venice and I had a gondola ride booked for 4pm. I took the train to the Santa Lucia station for the last time and it was a 25 minute walk to the gondola meeting point. I stopped for hot chocolate but it wasn’t as good as the first place I’d gone to.
The meeting point was near St. Mark’s Square so I did a bit of people-watching until it was time to check-in. The tour guide walked around with us for a bit, pointing out some landmarks and explaining the details and build of the gondola. Then it was time to go.
We rode through the small canals, passing the house that Mozart stayed in and the back of the Opera House. We did a loop and made our way out to the main canal, ending the ride after about 30 minutes. It was a quick ride and definitely one of the more touristy things I’d done, but I’m glad that I got that experience.
I walked back towards the train station and made a stop at Bar Ciak for more hot chocolate and a veggie sandwich. The menu was in Italian without any English translations but I’d been in Italy long enough to start recognizing words so I was able to successfully order. I think that I got lucky with the hot chocolate from Imagina Café because I haven’t been able to find anything better or even equally as good.
After eating, I headed back to the hostel and said goodbye to Venice. I was sad to be leaving. I wasn’t too sure how I felt about it when I first arrived, but I think it really began to grow on me towards the end and I’d definitely like to return again. There are things that I hadn’t had time to see and I want to visit some of the smaller islands next time.
Between the train station in Mestre and the hostel, I stopped at the nearby Chinese restaurant that had good reviews. I’d be working all night and leaving for a new destination in the morning so I wanted to make sure that I had food without relying on access to the hostel kitchen.
I took a quick nap when I got back to my room and as usual, started work at 11pm. We finished right on time and I took a quick shower before packing up my things and setting out on my next adventure.