Dinner with Elton John in Venice

We had about a week left before everyone had to fly back home. So we went on to ClickAir to see what cheap flights we could find. After checking out flights to Prague, Canary Islands, Milan, the winner for the cheapest fares was Venice. And what a winner it was.

Venice is everything you expect it to be. After a short bus ride from the Airport, we caught the water bus down the grand cannel to get to our hotel. Yeah that is right, instead of busses using roads, they really do use the cannels of Venice. You can buy a 3 day unlimited pass for 20 euro’s. Venice is such a small city that I recognized a lot of the grand palaces built right on the cannel from movies that have used this magical city for its setting. Really there is just one big cannel cutting through the center of Venice with a lot of side cannels feeding off of it. So it is pretty easy to not get too lost. We arrived at our hotel which was just steps from the Rialto Bridge one of only 2 over the main cannel. It proved to be an ideal location. We spent the day taking in the sites and exploring St Mark’s square. This is the big square that is framed by impressive government offices and a spectacular basilica at the far end. It is also the square that frequently floods when the sea is pushed up the gulf by strong winds and raging storms. Fortunately for us, this time of year it stays dry. Towards the far end of the square, they were setting up a huge stage and seating for about 2000 people. The rumors going around was that Elton John would be giving a concert there that evening. So around 7pm we headed back to the plaza and found a nice restaurant to have dinner out on the square. We took our time to eat and were treated to Elton John appearing at about 8:00 on stage at the other end of the plaza. We could hear perfectly and could even see him when we stood up. He sang through his signature songs for the next 2 hours. Wow what a treat and what a way to see this legend in concert. Much better than some stadium event with him just a dot on the stage from the nose bleed seats. No one hurries you through dinner in Europe and a 3-hour meal is the norm. So the waiters were very nice making sure we were taken care of the whole time the concert was going on. Thanks Elton for a wonderful magical evening under the stars of Venice.

And the magic did not end there. The next day we visited the Basilica and governors palace. Beautiful marble structures filled with all the bounty and treasures of a couple of centuries ago when Venice was the richest trading city in Europe.
We also did a “Secret walking tour of Venice”. It was fascinating to hear how this sleepy village was able to transform itself into a powerhouse of Europe. Starting with a simple market and expanding to include trade in spices, fabrics, and exotic handcrafted treasures from all over the western world.

That night we went to our second concert. Held in one of the large palaces we were treated to classical pieces that brought back the sophistication of Venice’s glory days of fine composers performing their works with all the brocade and silk fabrics of the day.