Welcome to Venice Italy, the floating city. The moment you walk out of the train station you are located on the Grand Canal in the most talked about city in the world. No movie or pictures can fully display the wonders of Venice. It feels like something out of Disney World and you keep waiting for all the dolls to stand up and sing "It's a small world". It's hard to even imagine that this place is real.

Once we got off the train we headed for our hotel. Directions to someone's house in a country you are familiar with can be difficult at times, but finding something in a foreign city with no roads also posses a challenge. We found the water bus with a little effort and we knew the relative location of our hotel and the water bus stop to take. Once we started in our boat ride down the canal and passed the famous Rialto Bridge finding our hotel became easier when we saw the awning. Once checked in to our hotel we ventured out to the narrow streets of Venice.

Venice is built on over 100 islets, supported by millions of wooden stakes and linked by 400 bridges. Venice is the only city in the world which is built entirely on water. The greatest advantage of this, apart from the obvious aesthetic appeal, is the absence of cars. The biggest disadvantage is the fact that the city is prone to problems of flooding. The sense of precariousness, associated with the city for centuries, inevitably adds to the fascination for the visitor. There is always a feeling that once you turn your back on all this fragile but vibrant glory, the islands, once inhabited by refugees fleeing the hordes of Attila the Hun, will crumble and disappear like a mirage into the sea.

The small streets lead you through an array of shops, cafes, houses, bridges and, of course, waterways. As long as you have no particular place to go the streets are easy. However, if you're trying to find something specific you'll need a Ph.D. in map reading. We spent the first day just walking the streets and seeing what we would bump in to. The next day we spent more time being specific, seeking out the hidden churches, museums, shops, cafes and even gardens. Venice does appear to be a giant concrete jungle but it does have a couple of beautiful gardens filled with trees, grass, bushes and flowers.

The feel of the town is hard to describe and can only really be felt by being there. The Piazza San Marco is the center of Venice and is filled with street vendors, performers, cafes, shops, the Basilica, Doge Palace and a view of the Grand Canal opening up the the Adriatic Sea. You will also find people relaxing over a cappuccino (which are the best I've ever had), feeding the birds and enjoying the locals dancing and singing to accordion music.

Our hotel, Hotel Ovidius, was located on the Grand Canal next to the Rialto Bridge which we felt was a perfect central location. We enjoyed breakfast each morning gazing at the Grand Canal while juicing up on a couple of cappuccinos before we headed out for the day.

Whether you enjoy the city on foot, by boat or gondola, Venice is an incredibly romantic city