Italy 2024 - Day 5 / Udine & Venice

Steps today: 16 931 / 11.16 km

It's off to Udine today, a new city for us so that's always exciting.

The train ride there was so beautiful! Wonderful scenery of the Dolomites glimpsed in between trees as the the train rushed passed...  this shot was the best of them...

Most looked like this! ha!

Udine was nice, most the historical sights are concentrated in one big square (Piazza della Libertà)

Behind the Piazza are steps & slope that lead up to the Castle...

 ... and there are gorgeous panoramic views to be had from up there of the city with the mountain range in the distance.

Best of all: a café too!  It was perfect.

After this, we visited the Cathedral

Then, a wander around town to scope out a place for lunch

We settled on a large piazza lined with cafés - my favourite setting (if not next to the water)

I wish I had removed the bread sticks before taking the picture!

My body was REJOICING to have vegetables!! 

After lunch, we called it quits on Udine and took the train back to Venice around 2:30.

We arrived back in Venice a little after 4PM and the plan was instead of walking to St Marc's, we'd take a Vaporetto down the Grand Canal. ....  But we took it in the wrong direction! We still ended up at St Marc's, but from around the outside of Venice. I was a little disappointed, but I have done the Grand Canal Sail many times on previous visits and have never gone in this direction, so I told myself to see it as a new adventure.

I had a great front row seat and had the outdoor section all to myself because it started to drizzle so most people went inside to seek shelter, including Frank!

We arrive at our final destination around 5PM and the train was getting stronger, and eventually lead to a thunderstorm, so we ducked into a café for a drink to wait it out

I had a Bellini instead of an Aperol Spritz - it's been YEARS since I'd had one - possibly on a previous visit to Venice!

Once the storm passed, it was off to find a place for supper.  One thing I HATE about touristy areas are the touts that read you the menu and try to drag you in to their place...  IT DRIVES ME CRAZY! 

LEAVE ME ALONE TO READ THE MENU IN PEACE!

They start reading, my blood starts boiling.  At one point, when I was scoping out a place that tempted me, the tout came over to start his schtick and I actually mumbled 'leave me alone' under my breath and left (I am not so sure it was as sotto voce as I thought). I'm ashamed to admit that if it was socially acceptable to shove him away I would have. 

We spotted another place, and the tout was on the phone! ha! "quick! let's read the menu while we can!"

After supper, we walked back to the station and probably got back to the hotel by 830ish  - that was it for the day!