"Venice Off Season" Venice by saskia1806

I finally got my wonderful Irish husband to agree (well..... there was an element of force/surprise in this) that the world does not consist only of IRELAND!! For our 20th wedding anniversary I packed off the kids and surprised him with four beautiful days/nights in Venice. We experienced all the lovely build up to the Carnival..... i.e. all the shops and street vendors displayed a vast variety of beautiful intricate masks..... but none of the hype ( nor the crowds). By coincidence we left Venice on the day when the Carnival started.
Venice was stunning, dry(!!) cold..... and ...empty! We walked and walked and walked every where......we avoided overly expensive gondola trips ( I had been warned they might be a rip off) and soaked up the atmosphere.
I frankly cannot imagine what it must be like to manoevre these narrow alleys in high season! ( I was also told the canals smell in the heat.....luckily we had none of that) Iwould go back there tomorrow if I had the chance

my favourite moment .... getting that shot

• Pros:no cars, no rush
• Cons:I hope it doesn't disappear before I have the chance to see it again!
• In a nutshell:Magical location, Number One on the Bucket List for me