Sav: For our last day in Venice we decided to head over to Burano, a little island about an hour boat ride away. In preparation for our adventure we trekked over to our favourite coffee shop for some cappuccinos and then leisurely made our way to San Marco’s square to catch the ferry.

Meag: Hold up a second there, Savanna. You’re forgetting to mention the barista at the café, whom I have named Fernando. We’ve been here a few times as it is right around the corner from where we’re staying and we both want a coffee 24/7. Anyways, this morning we were going to hurry up and get to San Marco’s square to catch the ferry when Fernando waved at Savanna from inside the café. Whatever is one to do when a young Italian barista waves at you? Why, stop in for a cappuccino of course! We go in and the other barista and I exchange glances. ‘Nando makes us our drinks over small talk, though Savanna can barely get a word out straight. It was hilarious to watch. In the end he gave Savanna her cappuccino with a heart in the foam while the song “Unbreak My Heart” played, saying as he handed it over to her, “Please don’t break my heart.” All Savanna could muster in response was an awkward laugh. I will not be letting her forget her smoothness anytime soon.

Ok, Savanna. Now you can continue on with your ferry story…

S: I wasn’t going to acknowledge my horrifying inability to say even one normal word to this man, but Meaghan had a whole paragraph about it stuck in her brain so there you have it. Foot? In mouth.

The ferry was bumpy, wavy and packed tight with people. I can’t really imagine what sardine-can mess they’ve got going on in the high season because even this felt like so many people! It was beautiful anyhow getting to see Venice from a different view, and getting to see a few miniature islands along the way. Each island looked like it had been built out of a brick foundation, made with the sole purpose of holding that house – I’m not even sure there was really any land there before because it’s just all of a sudden brick walls coming out of the ocean, with no shore and no lead-up! After an 45 minutes we reached Murano, the glass island.

M: With about 20 minutes to kill before our next ferry left for Burano, we went in to a small glass shop to check things out. The shop was attached to a glass-making studio and had an artist working with the fire and glass right there. I stood there and watched the artist work for as long as I could; it was mesmerizing. With a few tools and the furnace he pulled horses, cats and balloons out of these red-hot glowing glass orbs. He made it look so simple but I can only imagine how much practice it takes to make those simple designs, let alone the intricate pieces they had for sale. Watching him at work gave me a new appreciation for the beauty of the glass.

20 minutes passed quickly and we hopped on the next ferry to Burano.

S: Burano was adorable! It’s a small island known for its lace makers and extremely colourful houses. Every single house has a bright façade in all imaginable colours from fuchsia to lime to periwinkle. We had a great time meandering around looking at this happy place. It’s impossible not to feel happy looking at all the bright colours. The sun was warm, the air was crisp and the atmosphere calm and joyful. We only had about an hour and a half to wander before we had to head back to Venice.

M: The colours were so vibrant! We passed a few ‘for sale’ signs and daydreamed about what colour we would paint our houses here. With some mystery pastries in hand, we headed back. I love a good boat ride, so today was perfect with the fresh air, bright houses and a few hours on the water.

We took our last stroll through Piazza San Marco and through the winding streets back to our place. Conveniently, the place with what we’ve dubbed The Best Venetian Kebabs was on our path home. I swear we are not usually this obsessed with kebabs, but it is by far the best bang for your buck and Venice is super expensive. With happy bellies we made it the rest of the way home. Savanna was even starting to recognize places and where we were headed! Just in time for us to leave. I was proud nonetheless.

S: My non-sense of direction continues! We had quick showers and packed up our stuff in our room, said goodbye to privacy and closed the door. Walking over to the train station we reminisced about our time here, and how relaxing it’s been and how much we both loved it all.

We are currently in train heaven with an individually-controlled cabin to ourselves. It has seats that recline, reading lights, heat control and plug-ins. As far as overnight trains go? Can’t get much better.

S&M