We are on our way back from Venice and I have to say it has been a really great day overall. We were a bit concerned there might be too many people for Ayla or she might misbehave but she acted just like we wanted her to. Somehow, she always seems to know exactly when she needs to be on her best behavior and she performs so well.

The ferry ride was uneventful. Ayla managed to get her muzzle off a few times but we eventually convinced her that regardless of how many times she slipped it off, we would still put it back on. So she settled down on the floor and waited for the torture to be over. πŸ˜‰ We sat on an upstairs deck and there was a nice cool breeze coming in so it wasn’t so bad heat wise for her either which we were a bit concerned about.

When we arrived in Venice, we turned right out of the docks and away from the main stream of tourists. Just as we approached a bridge over one of the larger canals, a couple approached us in Italian. Naturally, we must have looked highly confused and said something in German or English (or perhaps both) and they started up again in German. It turns out that the couple is from Berlin and were on their way home from vacation. They had a Newf of their own at home but had been away for several weeks and were so excited to see a familar face right before they left. I’m thinking that next time, they will reconsider flying around Europe but perhaps drive instead so they can bring their companion with them next time. πŸ˜‰

We were really surprised with the number of people that seemed to know what a Newfoundland was…and that so many people just walking by would reach down their hands to pet her in passing. The quick pat as people went by was really something new for us because most people in Germany seem to have a general fear and/or distrust for dogs that they would never just pet a dog in passing on the street that they are not familar with. To by honest, I’m not sure I would do that either although you can also be certain with a Newf that nothing will happen…but again, you probably would need to be at least a little bit familar with the breed.

We spent several hours just walking around the city with no real destination in mind. Trying to stay off the beaten path as much as possible, we wandered down some really lovely alleys and were fascinated with the way they have already raised some of the buildings around the city to prevent them from being overtaken by the water. There was also a lot of construction being down on houses and the streets (although many were merely paths along canals). There were a few spots when Ayla tried to make a break for it and get into the canals, but thankfully we managed to avoid that. I can only imagine what she would have smelled like when she got out and those thoughts are not pleasant.

We took a break for a while since we were all tired and Ayla especially. We’d been walking around the city for 3 hours or so and she was definitely ready for a break. So we sat on a porch step near a gondola stand and watched the people stream by through the alley next to us. This was a carnival shopping street it seemed, and the store windows were full of masks ranging in price from just a few dollars to several hundred dollars.

While we sat, several different people stopped to us and more specifically, Ayla. Some of the most entertaining conversations we had with people about Ayla were with Americans…and in a city like Venice, you are sure to run into many of them. Two older ladies approached us while Ayla was Newfie rugging it in front of the gondola stand. One of the ladies came over and exclaimed, “That’s not a dog – that’s a speed bump!” That definitely got some laughs. Most of the Americans didn’t recognize the breed but they absolutely wanted to pet her.

Being that we were all a bit tired at this point, we decided to locate a street cafe and get something to drink. But first we needed to locate an ATM. You’d think in a city with so many tourists, this would not be a difficult task. But apparently most of the banks are located in one area and there are very few ATM’s located away from banks. After encountering several ATM’s which were out of service, we eventually found a branch of our own bank from Germany so we managed to avoid what we can only imagine would have been ridiculous fees. We continued our journey for something refreshing and wandered down a few more streets until we came to a rather quiet location just a little bit off the main drag.

The location was called Haig’s Bar and looked rather nice. We were happy to plop ourselves down in the chairs outside and Ayla was very excited to get some water and be able to just lay for a while. She was again the center of attention for people passing by and several even stopped and asked if they could take her picture. We’re thinking that the next time we go to a city like this, we’ll bring some flyers and set up a website for her. Maybe even let people have their photo taken with her and they can see the photos online lol. There’s got to be a way to make some money off of her, right? πŸ˜‰

After finishing our drinks and paying our shocking bill (€26 for 3 Cokes and an orange juice), we decided it would probably be best to head back to Punta Sabbioni for dinner instead of trying to locate a place in Venice which was not overly touristy and would not break the bank. We bought a few souveniers on the way back to the ferry and also ran into some Germans who apparently had a problem with a dog walking around Venice (although we couldn’t figure out what made her such a “poor dog” since we knew she’d loved every second when she was getting loving from all these strangers)…but then again, Germans can be quite negative about a lot of things so the only thing to do was just ignore them.

We’re hoping to get lucky and find a nice little location for dinner. We may try the restaurant next door just because it’s extremely close and we’re really not crazy about walking very far anymore…