This really was a no plans day. We dealt with housekeeping matters like laundry and organizing our packing. Then we went for a wander to see if we could find somewhere with a view and chairs to sit and sketch.

The Rialto area was a possibility but it was heaving with tourists. Too noisy; too busy.

We accidentally wandered near Contarini del Bovolo which is a spiral staircase that is part of a small 15th century palazzo.

I thought I would never escape the tiny courtyard when two tour groups crowded in behind me.

Most areas near the water do not even have sidewalks. We ended up going to lunch at a restaurant near a canal, Ten (which is an area chain) but lunch was on the terrazza, not by the canal.

We had a quiet lunch of our first pizza since arriving in Italy and a panisa, a leavened bread made of multiple grains, all while looking at someone’s laundry.

More wandering did not even turn up a wine bar away from the touristy areas but with a view of the water. I guess you can’t have one without the other. Standing in the sun was too hot for my not acclimatized self.

Our dinner reservation was at Club del Doge in the Gritti Palace, one of the expensive hotels near Piazza San Marco. We went for an aperitivo on the terrazza of their bar.

We took our sketchbooks so we could practice some sketching while enjoying crazy-expensive drinks. Even the water was 10€.

The decor in the more casual of the hotel restaurants felt rather old-fashioned and dark. Service was slow but the food was good.

We enjoyed a quiet walk back to our apartment on our last night in Venice.