Venice - I enjoyed myself, The Bearded One not so much

The first trip on our new adventure was Venice. A place I have always wanted to visit. I can't tell you why that is, probably because of all of the water, I imagine. I always thought it would be like nowhere I've ever seen. Neither of us have ever been to Italy and it was the beginning of our adventure so we were so excited.

We knew that the weather was going to be similar to the UK in early December and that the city was going to be quieter due to it being the winter. They had forecasted rain. Oh, and it rained. A lot. Especially in the evenings, so my party outfits didn't get a look in. In fact, I didn't even need any evening wear... It turns out most people in the city are older than us and there's not much for us 'youngsters' to do. We spoke to the host of the apartment we stayed in, who helpfully directed us to the nearest bars. We were warned about how expensive it is in Venice, and it was, especially for food and drink. Although, we found some cocktails that were around €6, which I didn't think was bad at all!

We went to a jazz bar that was recommended by a friend, called Bacaro Jazz. Which had loads of bras hung from the ceiling (all hung colour coded, some signed too). It was a relaxing atmosphere, they played great music and had a good selection of drinks. We spent an evening there and met some great people, mainly tourists like us. It got a bit rowdy, which was fine by us!

The first time I saw that bright blue/green water, it really took my breath away. It really was like nothing I'd ever seen. What spoiled that vision was all of the graffiti - it's everywhere and is such a shame. There's also a lot of buildings that have been corroded by the water, which is understandable, but it's not so attractive. Although some people could argue that it adds to the character of the city.

The only downside to the water, was the occasional smell. Which wasn't too bad when we were there, but apparently much worse in the warmer months. It sort of smells like a mix between stagnant water and fish. The fish part was explained when we walked through a market and the fish guts, etc were being washed down holes in the ground, which must have lead to the water.

You have to be prepared to walk a lot in Venice. There aren't any roads, after all. It's all water, bridges and side streets. It was fascinating to see how the city worked. Everything, EVERYTHING, seemed to arrive on boats - beer, bricks, food, etc.

When in Venice it would be stupid not to go on a gondola ride. It would be crazy to travel all of that way and not do it. Although it is ridiculously expensive - €80 for 30 minutes, for 6 people. What you can do however, is share the boat with others to make up the numbers and share the cost. That's what we did, we shared with another couple at half the price which helped. A little.

There didn't seem to be much to do in the city for people of our age. We weren't really interested in the Churches, they were beautiful from the outside, but we had no desire to go in and look around. We did go up the St Mark's Campanile, which is a huge tower and you can see the whole of the city and the surrounding islands from the top. At a very good price.

One massive highlight for me was the food. I LOVE Italian food, always have. It's my absolute favourite. The Bearded One on the other hand, really didn't like it (7 years on and I'm still learning things about him!) He actually didn't mind the panini's, but that was it. So he basically ate panini's for every meal, each day.

Every city has its good and bad points and, of course, everyone has their own opinions. Take us for example, I didn't mind the walking and the rain. It would have been nice to have more of an option of things to do in the evenings, but apart from that, I had a great time. The Bearded One didn't really enjoy himself and has said that it wasn't his favourite part of our trip so far. Lol.