Our First Trip - Venice, October 1997
The first time we did a trip as a group five of us went to Venice for the day. Yes! that's right, for the day! We flew from Exeter airport at some ungodly hour of the morning, arriving in Venice about 9.00 a.m. The company organising it was called "Just For A Day" and they did an excellent job of organising a brilliant day. We packed a weeks worth of sightseeing into about 12 hours and were still standing at the end.
We all fell in love with Venice, we thought we knew what to expect because Venice is so well known and photographed, but the reality was something else! St Mark's Square for coffee at Quadri's, wandering the streets, standing on the Rialto admiring the view, a visit to a glass factory, a trip down the Grand Canal on a gondola, Bellini's at Harry's Bar, you name it, we did it. The weather was cold, but bright with a wonderful light. The only problem we had was coming back, one of the passengers never turned up, we waited over a hour, the rep. was phoning hospitals, police etc., but in the end we had to go without her. Apparently she told the two friends she was with that she was just going to look at the next shop along and was never seen again. It was most upsetting arriving at Exeter and having to tell her elderly husband, who was waiting for her, that she was missing. I have often wondered what the outcome was, did they ever find her?
These day trips look expensive on paper but they are worth it because they are so well organised and you fit such a lot in. A real treat! You will want to come back for a longer visit.
