Venice

Our passage north from Pula to Rovinj was straightforward and we anchored in the bay for the afternoon. Rovinj is blessed with a beautiful setting, the old town was once an island but became connected to the mainland by a causeway during the 18th century as the town grew. It also has a beautiful bay surrounded by parkland. We spent the afternoon relaxing, swimming and playing on the (rocky) beach before setting off for Venice.

We had booked two nights at a marina within the Venetian lagoon on the island of Certosa and so, in order to get the best of our time there and to time our arrival with the tides, we decided to travel overnight and arrive in the morning. Checking out of Croatian customs at 7.30pm was straightforward and the overnight passage passed smoothly.


Leaving Rovinj

The next morning dawned a stunning sunrise and through our sleepy haze we excitedly anticipated reaching the lagoon entrance.


Sunrise (red sky at morning, shepherds take warning)


Entrance to the lagoon


There is a strong tidal flow in the lagoon, this is the first time we have had to consider tides during our time in the Med.

Our first stop was a cruise up the main waterway passing St Marks Square. Unlike 007, who was working on his laptop when he arrived by yacht in Venice in Casino Royale, we needed all our concentration to watch the other boats and negotiate our way through. Terrifying and exciting (terrifyingly exciting) and exhilarating sums up the feeling of steering a safe course through the myriad of different boats sharing the same waterways (at least for me, Colin took it all in his stride). The variety of boats ranged from kayaks, gondolas, vaporettos (waterbuses), cruise ships, ferries, and all the other private boats, water taxis and working boats. Everything in Venice travels by boat - the refuse and recycling collection, ambulances, dredging boats, and so on. All this traffic makes the water pretty choppy. The collision regulations rule of passing port to port doesn't apply in these busy waters and, just like driving in Tunisia, a more fluid approach was the best way to negotiate around everyone.


Travelling through the lagoon


View towards St Marks Square (this one's for you, Fee!)


Super-yacht Mystere moored by St Marks Square (more about her later...)


Happy skipper


Too much excitement for Maggie

Due to the shallow depths of the lagoon there are waterways marked out by wooden posts. We found our 'turn-off' from the main route (I held my breathe as I made the left turn across the main route with a ferry and several speedy water taxis bearing down on us, though needn't have worried, there's room enough for everyone), and headed to Marina Vento di Veneto on Isola di Certosa. The marina has a wonderfully peaceful setting only 500m from St Marks Square, yet is away from the churning waters of the main 'drag'. After settling in we headed off on the next vaporetto to explore some more.






We took the girls up the Campanile to get the stunning 360 degree views of the city, marvelling at the wonderful secret rooftop gardens and beautiful architecture surrounding us. When it came time to leave, and as we waited at the front of the queue for the lift down, the bell hovering just above our heads started to slowly swing. Surely, I thought, they don't actually chime the bells while there are people up here? But oh yes they do. At 7.30pm. The bell swung back and forth chiming and chiming, on and on like an apocalyptic cinematic scene. My thoughts returned to Maggie and her shrill hysterical screams and sobbing when we watched cannons and muskets being fired in Malta, and I anticipated her meltdown. Fortunately she just about held it together and the lift rescued us just in time - Maggie wide-eyed and clinging to me for dear life with her entire body. (By chance we happened to be in St Marks Square at the foot of the Campanile at 7.30pm the next day and I thought about the tourists crouched below the ringing bells sharing the same experience).


The Campanile


Those bells


Fantastic views

Safely back in St Marks Square we were treated to the dulcit tones of a busking soprano singer and cellist who were travelling from Italy to Edinburgh solely on the donations of their audiences.


Classical busking

As the adrenaline rush from the bells subsided we thought we'd visit the port officials as the pilot book was a bit vague as to whether we needed to report into the country (having arrived from a non-EU country). But all we succeeded in doing was confusing the officials at the entrance who spoke little english and thought that we had arrived by ferry and were looking for a hotel. And so typically of the friendliness of Italians they even tried to suggest where we might find one!
The following day the weather turned ugly. We found ourselves in the midst of a powerful thunderstorm while on a vaporetto and so we abandoned our plans for the day when the rain was particularly torrential and stayed on board for a bit of a tour. The vaporetto route took us to Murano, a separate island within the lagoon famous for its glassware. Some of the glass is exquisite, some bizarre and some highly imaginative. Taking the girls into a couple of these shops was more than our nerves could take (don't touch ANYTHING). We had some fun at [museum modern art] on Grand Canal. There is a lit floor in the entrance with changing colours and pop music playing, running around on that was enormously exciting for the girls.


Murano

The weather forecast showed more thunderstorms so we decided that we'd stay another night in the marina, and spent our unplanned third day having a relaxed time. We found a playpark with amazing views by the canals, and wondered the streets some more. Our lunch at a popular local cafe was shared with Luna, a hungry looking dog with no obvious owner but clearly known by and popular with everyone else in the cafe.


Face to face with Luna, who only had eyes for our sandwiches

Sunday dawned bright sunshine and so with sadness in our hearts (but relief for our bank balance), we left Venice and headed back across the Adriatic for Rovinj. The water is extremely shallow even once you have left the lagoon, averging around 30 metres depth. As a result the recent stormy weather had created a choppy sea and it was a lumpy bumpy motorsail east. We were making good speed, averaging 7 knots, when a large yacht with a very tall mast appeared on the horizon and sped past - Mystere which we had seen on our first day. And she was there again on the quay, attracting crowds come to stare at her, when we finally arrived back in Rovinj at 7.30pm, exactly 4 days after we had left (and just as those bells would be chiming again). Our long-weekend in Venice was truly wonderful and unforgettable.

Views of Certosa