Water, Water Everywhere ... And Not A Bike To Ride

I just returned from a city where there are no cars or trucks.

No traffic or stop signs.

No careless drivers.

Sound like a cyclists' paradise?

The problem is that there are no bicycles either.

Yes, Daisy and I went to Venice for the weekend. It's one of my favorite places, and it's closer than ever, now that Sky Europe flies to Treviso, about 30 kilometers away. My ticket cost around $125 round trip.

While I'd been to Venice twice before, I couldn't remember if I'd ever seen anyone riding a bike there.

Turns out, they don't. I only saw three bicycles over four days, and they were all tiny kids bikes.

Although my good friend Rob just informed me that, while bikes are forbidden in Venice, they are accepted -- and available for rental -- on the nearby islands of Lido, Sant' Erasmo and Pellestrina. See the link to "Come By Bike To Venice" here.

In lieu of cycling, I was forced to drink Campari and prosecco and carafes of white wine and eat fresh seafood antipasto and homemade cuttlefish gnocchi.

I'll get back on the trails this weekend, if only to work off that white chocolate mousse with grappa-soaked raisins.


I'm always amazed at how all of the canals seem to disapppear (below) once you're at the top of the bell tower in St. Mark's Square (above).




Two views of Venice taken from the nearby island of Guidecca.