Originally Posted by
offerendum
Agree about gelato in Italy. When it comes to Venice we stayed 5 nights and I still have things to see. While I'm pretty fast, I couldn't so it in such a speed.
I think I read that because Venice gets quite a few day trippers, they will soon start to implement some sort of fee for those who do not stay the night there. And I think I'm a generally a fast walker (I've gotten complaints to slow down from friends quite a bit); I actually timed myself to see if my travel partner (one of the complainers) was correct, and I typically finish a walk in about 2/3-3/4 the time quoted by Google Maps. My hotel right by Saint Mark's Square to the train station, with luggage in tow, took me a little under 20 minutes. I think I just unknowingly speedwalk.
Originally Posted by
SanDiego1K
Fabulous pictures. They brought back great memories of my past travels. I was surprised at the lack of crowds in several of the pictures. Specifically, St Marks Square in Venice and the Spanish Steps in Rome are generally jammed in the summer.
Thanks! Regarding the Spanish Steps, because of recent damage caused by tourists, you could no longer sit on the steps and hang out. There were tons of cops around the steps enforcing this, so while the steps may appear relatively empty, the area around the base of the steps (where I took my photo from) had throngs of people.