I'm usually a planner, but I felt a bit spontaneous today. Having a craving for some pretty scenery, I told my husband that I wanted to walk the Venice Canal today and go to the little park there to see the ducks with the kids.
I can be pretty smart sometimes, but this suggestion was not my wisest.
Traffic in Venice on a Sunday is crazed, particularly on a gorgeous, sunny afternoon. There was hardly any parking to be found. We will circled the block many times. Several people performed highly illegal and somewhat dangerous driving manoeuvres. We were frustrated. Our kids dozed off in the car but not before whining, "When will we get there?"
In the end, we had to detour to a new destination because the original one had become simply IMPOSSIBLE. I think we will be returning to Venice in a couple weeks. On a weekday. Away from rush hour.
LESSON LEARNED: When scheduling family outings, always consider visiting off-hours and on an off-peak day if parking or crowds will be an issue.