It’s a combination of things. Driving into Heathrow on Monday and then taking the bus from the hotel to the terminal (and a bus from the terminal to the actual plane), means you get to see all the back corners. Cargo companies, snowploughs (just in case), open country and a church steeple, people going to work in hi-vis and wooly hats…… All human life is here.

And then….. we arrive in Venice. The airport has apparently been rebuilt recently and it is possible to walk to the edge of the lagoon before taking a (private in our case) motoscafo to the hotel. Our luggage went separately ….

The hotel is on the Grand Canal and right next to a vaporetto stop. We were greeted with Prosecco and nibbles.

My room overlooks a side canal. I sat on the bathroom windowsill to take this picture so I hope you appreciate the danger I put myself in!

After unpacking, trying not to fall asleep etc etc we went to the Palazzo Zenobio. This is now an Armenian seminary but was built in the 18C by a family who had just been allowed into the upper echelons of Venetian society and wanted to display their new wealth. Apparently, almost everything that looks like stone is actually wood and plaster as all the houses have to be very light and capable of swaying with the tides. Lovely baroque twiddly bits though.

On the evening we went out to dinner opposite La Fenice opera house. Sadly there is nothing on whilst we are here but maybe one day…….