Bikes On The Lido And Dinner Afterward

  We've done it before, and we couldn't wait to do it again...I need a break from all the museums. I love all the art, but there is a point where I start to suffer from major 'Museum Fatigue'

  Renting bikes to ride along the long, narrow island of The Lido, just a twenty minute boat ride from Venice, is a great antidote!

  

The boat ride over to the Lido in the early morning is wonderful...

We chose a perfect day.

See you later, Venice!

  There are several places to rent bikes, and it's so affordable! We were out for most of the day, and it was 10 euros each. Nice!

We stopped by the outdoor market to 'ooo & ahhh' over the veggies....

  We like to ride all the way down to the 'bottom' of the island, stopping along the way to sit and enjoy the local scene.
  It's pretty quiet around there.

When you just want to get away from the hoards in Venice...

A sweet hedgehog plaque on a building caught my eye...

Venice is waaaaayyyy over there!

  We really enjoyed ourselves, and all the fresh air felt great. It was a very nice day out.
  After cleaning up a bit, we headed over to a favorite café near our apartment. It's situated in a park, with lots of green around, which is hard to come by in Venice...

Back in Venice, we relaxed after our bike ride.

  

  Even though we rode all day, miles and miles (well, about 15), we had to walk all the way across Venice for dinner at yet another favorite spot.  We had a much needed reservation, and didn't want to miss out. 

  It was still lovely out, and the walk was sweet, despite the thousands of people around...

Tired and hungry!
(jeez, I look exhausted...)

Where's my dinner?

  There are a couple of places we love because they have lots of vegetarian options. This spot is known for fish, but we always enjoy the salads and vegetable platters . We also had pasta this time.
  Come on, we were bushed from all that exercise, and hungry!

The best 'Greek' salad we've ever had!

I didn't get to this photo until we were half way through the veg plate!
It was yummy, too...

  While we waited for our main pasta dishes, we enjoyed all the buzz around us. We were outside, along a main canal, and it was just a kick watching the families coming and going in this neighborhood...
  Then, all of a sudden, this guy in a chef outfit rolls up along side us with a big round of parmesan cheese which he was stirring our hot pasta in, with some pasta water...this created the sauce for our pasta.
  We've had this before, it's quite a show...but we had no idea when we ordered this dish that it would be prepared at the table. We really don't like the hoopla of all this...it's kind of embarrassing to us, but the pasta was good!
  I was too embarrassed to take photos while the chef was working the pasta. Everybody was watching...I don't like that sort of thing.

"Bigoli" (a special regional pasta) done cacio & pepe style...lots of black pepper and cheese.
Uh, yes, please.

  On my way back from the restroom, I did get some kitchen photos. These guys are working hard all night!

A little fun from one of the kitchen crew.

It's always packed here, especially on a Saturday night.

 Back on the other side of Venice, we enjoyed a stroll down our street, with a full moon to add some extra extra-ness.

  

Nice.

  I have more to post about Venice, but we leave tomorrow to get back home to The Nut, so we'll see what I get to before we go...Today, more exhibitions, lots more walking and more food & wine.
  It's a tough job, but we're up to the task!