by Jack Mawby – Instagram page @jack_mawby.
I went to Venice for an extended weekend for my brothers 21st Birthday. Myself, my Mum and Dad and my brother and his girlfriend all went out for what we knew was going to be an epic, to say the least, weekend. 
I had very briefly been to Venice in the Summer of 2016 as a 12-day bus tour around central Europe but never got the chance to see it up close and indulge in its culture. My parents had been before for a week several years ago but my brother and his girlfriend had never been.
Being Scottish we were looking forward to some much-needed heat which we do not get enough of up here. As soon as we arrived we had a private taxi take us from the airport to the grand canal to drop us off and honestly there was no better way to arrive it set the tone for a thrilling weekend. Instantly the sheer beauty and heritage of the city hit us and we knew we were somewhere very special.
Our B&B was located in the Jewish quarter of Venice which prior to this trip none of us knew existed which was so eye-opening and really made me realise that the heritage of Venice goes beyond just that of Italian born nature.
The Grand Canal alone was incredible and how busy it was, was insane at times, the very idea that the only way someone can transport around a major city id by boat is ludicrous but that’s reality in Venice with no roads for cars and some streets to narrow for bikes its either by foot or on boat.
Our B&B manager Georgia who was nothing but lovely to us gave us a map with all the authentic Venetian restaurants, not the tourist restaurants and they were all brilliant. I can honestly say in the 3 days I was there I did not have a single bad meal and this is ranging from seafood to pasta to pizza to kosher food, it was all exquisite.
Going on the infamous Gondola ride was magical I was fortunate enough to go on a ride where I got the chance to do the rowing and by the way, it’s a LOT harder than it looks believe me. The gondola and the lagoon were simply stunning with such vast beauty and it is a definite recommend if you ever go.
Obviously only staying in Venice for 3 nights I can’t say I’ve seen it all as there is simply too much to do and not enough time to do it all which is a major incentive for me to go back which I will undoubtedly do in the future.
To sum up, Venice I feel is a MUST visit for anyone and deserves to be top of anyone’s bucket list and unfortunately feel Venice often gets looked past by many who favour Rome or Florence which are both beautiful cities but can’t offer you the unique and charming personality of Venice. So I would absolutely recommend this great city and of course, if you do visit it please indulge in all the fabulous Gelato they have as I did and it was out of this world.
