Our last day in Venice was all about Espresso! Before arriving here I had never really been much of an espresso fan. I have found in the past that is has been too bitter for my liking. I have since come to the conclusion that it was the lack of skill not the product that was possibly at fault.
As our flight home wasn’t until 10pm Friday night we decided to take a leisurely pace today and just cruise from one cafe to the next.
First stop Cafe Vergnano 1882 in Mestre shopping centre. Generally the espresso were 0.90 cents each (standing up at the bar). Many places charge extra if you sit down. Thankfully we managed to get lucky with places that didn’t charge so we could relax and ALWAYS use the bathroom before heading off. Public restrooms are far and few between and cost 1.50 for the pleasure. However, if you are eating in a restaurant then you are OK. A tip here – the only McDees on Venice Island located on Strada Nova has a toilet that isn’t pin coded (yet) AND free Wi-Fi!
Next was a stop at the supermarket to buy our tin of 1882 coffee and of course Parmigana Regiano cheese.
Taking the train into Venice it was going to be another glorious blue sky day again though the temperature was feeling a wee bit baltic so it was on with the jumpers and windproofs. Enjoyed a wonderful lunch at a local restaurant. It was packed with local workers so this is always a positive indication that you have picked a winner. My Spaghetti al vongole (clams) was lovely. I had to pick all the large bits of garlic out though as I am sure my fellow flight passengers would not have appreciated my lunch choice on a 2 hour flight.
Our last cafe stop for the day was Cafe del Doge. This was the best find besides 1882 as this is where we finally found an affogato. It would seem that if you want an affogato you really need to find a coffee house not a local bar. Of course the espresso shot with vanilla ice cream went down very well and was a great finish to our time in Venice.
Even getting to the airport was incredibly easy. We had wanted to get the airport boat but this was turning out to be another tourist priced rip. 8 euro to St Marks Square then another 13 euro to the airport. So we took the advice of the locals who were insistent that the bus was far easier. If the locals tell you this then I would suggest following their advice. So for 2.50 we got the public bus (number 5 leaving from “platform” A1) at Piazalle Roma bus station (over the glass bridge near the Santa Lucia station). 30 minutes later we were at the airport. Easy peasy.
So here are some shots of the last day.
