Thursday, April 6, 2017

Murano and Burano


On suggestion from a friend, we decided to visit these islands on our own instead of choosing a half day tour. I located the boarding point for the Vaperatto while on my morning run along the Grand Canal. Yes...I went out for a run again but today was much colder (around 8 degrees in Celsius) so I decided to wear pants and a fleece. But today being Monday, the crowds were much higher so I skipped the narrow lanes and stuck to the wider  streets along the Grand Canal

Around 10 am, we reached the Vaperatto station at Piazzale Roma but we just missed the boat/ferry to Murano. The next one was after 20 minutes and it was a slow one with various stops along the way (Line 4.2). However, we later discovered that the one that takes 17 minutes is extremely crowded (Line 3).

Anyways, we boarded the Line 4.2 for Murano and it took us about 45 minutes to reach Murano Museo - the last stop in Murano. For tourists it is the best stop as there is a wonderful glass museum just couple of hundred meters away.

Since we hadn't had breakfast, we first got some coffee and then paid 10 euros to gain entry into the glass museum. The museum turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. We first watched the silent video that showed various kind of techniques used to produce the amazing glass products. After that we spent over an hour admiring the collections. Below are some of the pictures I clicked in the museum.

A glass centerpiece designed like an Italian garden with fountains, arches, pots with flowers, flowerbeds.




 
After the museum visit, we chose to have lunch before taking the Vaperatto for Burano as that was another 35 minutes ride. The colder morning had given way to a warm and sunny afternoon. We sat by the water, sipped on some spritzer (apparently that's almost a religion in Venice!)  and had some lasagna. Such afternoons are the best part of visiting Europe...small cafes...sitting out in the open, enjoying the breeze & sun (and in this case water as well) and watching the world go by.  
 
Post this long leisurely lunch we took the Line 4.2 to Murano Faro as that's the stop for boarding the Line 12 for Burano. The crowd waiting for Burano was huge and we wondered if we would even get to board the ferry. Our fears were unfounded as this was a much larger boat and could fit all of us in - but we had to stand for the entire journey of 35 minutes.
View of Murano as we left for Burano

A canal in Burano

A quirky window display in Burano
 
Burano turned out to be another beautiful and sleepy island...so sleepy that the lace museum was closed :). So we simply walked around, enjoyed a gelato, had some Prosecco & calamari and after about an hour or so, boarded the Line 12 back for Murano Faro.
 
Line 12 also goes to Venice but not to Piazzale Roma, so we decided to change to Line 3 at Faro. Line 3 turned out to be like a Mumbai local in peak time...but it did get us to Venice in less than 20 minutes.
 
We wanted to retire early today as we had spent more than 2.5 hours standing (waiting for ferries and then on the ferry). And I always feel more tired when standing vs while walking. But before that we wanted to pick up some venetian masks and a coffee maker that can be used on regular gas stove.
So we again walked down Strada Nova, picked up some beautiful masks but couldn't find the coffee maker. The mask vendor suggested the COOP store at Piazzale Roma for same and since it was on way back to apartment, we decided to check it out. And yes, we did find it at the COOP store :)
 
So, here is how it works...there are three parts to it - the top part can be unscrewed, middle part is to add the coffee powder, and you add the water in the bottom chamber till the steam vent. When you heat it on stove, the water comes through the coffee filter, rises up the central column and fills the top chamber. Pretty cool!
 
With the shopping done, we picked up some dinner and Bellini to enjoy the last evening in Venice in the comfort of the beautiful apartment with lovely views, as next morning we had an early start to catch 7:35 am Frecciarossa to Naples.



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