Jenny & Ahmed's Cycling Adventure

Paths 2 The Soul - Episode 011

 Special Edition: Venice (26 April to 02 May 2025) - Part One

Countries Visited :

Venice, the reunion...

From Noale to the Lido, from Giudecca to the alleys of Castello, this first part of our special edition takes you through our arrival in Venice by bike, our first explorations along the water, and those suspended moments when the city opens up to us, gentle, unexpected, unforgettable.

Venice - Day 01

Venice by bike… a dream come true...

Noale → Lido di Venezia - 29.9 km 🚴 + 8.0 km 🚢 + 5.2 km 🚶

We wake up early in the caravan under a light rain. We take our time to tidy everything, clean up, and share our morning yogurt with the two cats around. Around 8:30, Adriano and Joshua step out to go to work. We take a few photos, exchange some touching final words, “Buona strada, buona vita!”, and set off again, hearts heavy but filled with gratitude. The ride to Venice promises to be chaotic, but surprise: traffic is light this Saturday morning, and the bike lanes are nearly continuous. We make good progress. Cappuccino–croissant break (less memorable than the ones from Gololab!), and soon we reach Marghera… and then, pure bliss: a royal bike lane that crosses the Ponte della Libertà to Venice. It’s unreal. We see Calatrava’s bridge, then head to the ticket counter. Ahmed picks up the Pass Libertà, and there we are, on ferry 17 with our bikes, heading for the Lido. The moment is wild: Venice by sea, by bike, with a German couple wishing us “Buen Camino.” On arrival, we find our hotel in a quiet little street. The bikes go in the garden, and we drop off the panniers. Since the room isn’t ready yet, we head out exploring. We walk past the villa for tomorrow, it’s very pretty. Tempted by nostalgia, we go back to the little café from a past trip, but the vibe isn’t the same. A bit further on, we buy a portion of parmigiana and some pastries, heading for the beach. There, almost alone, with grey boats in the distance and a sky speckled with clouds, we have lunch at the end of a wooden pier… A suspended moment. We try a new café, spot a few restaurants for the evening, then head back to the hotel. We bring up the bags, rest a little, and start planning the next few days in Venice. At 7:30 p.m., we turn the balcony into a mini-kitchen, with pesto pasta on the menu, facing rooftops and pine trees. The old dream of Venice by bike has come true… and it’s only just beginning.

Venice - Day 02

Stroll through a local neighbourhood...

Circuit 01: La Giudecca - 14.8 km🚶

First wake-up in Venice. We slept very well in the comfy bed at Villa Tiziana. The sun seems to be out. We plan to have breakfast outside, then come back to empty the room. Luigi, the hotel manager, kindly agrees to store our panniers in the breakfast room and our bikes in the garden for the day. We savour our cappuccinos and croissants on the terrace of a lovely café on the Lido, just like locals. The atmosphere is lively for a Sunday morning. We then explore the area. Too curious, we get escorted out of private residences, we had hoped to access a gorgeous pool we spotted on Google Maps, which we thought was public. Too bad. By chance, we walk into the Convento delle Figlie del Cuore di Gesù where a mass is taking place. The sisters, in a separate section, provide the music, keyboard, violin, and only their voices rise, apart from the priest’s. A very unique atmosphere. Back at the hotel, we store the bags in the dining room. We set off on foot to catch the bus that takes us to the Lido SME ferry terminal. Vaporetto 1, then a change at San Zaccaria to reach Sacca Fisola, in the Giudecca district. Today’s plan: explore it thoroughly. In the Middle Ages, the Giudecca was a fancy neighbourhood, favoured by wealthy Venetian families, with beautiful houses and many gardens. Quiet and slightly removed from Venice’s hustle and bustle. From the 16th century, it became industrial, with factories, shipyards, mills. Many monasteries also settled there. The Redentore church, designed by Palladio, became a symbol of the island. In the 20th century, activity declined, factories shut down, and the area became poorer. But recently, the Giudecca has seen a renaissance, buildings renovated, luxury hotels like the Hilton moving into the old Molino Stucky, and a peaceful, artistic vibe returning. Some corners still feel like a real village, with campos, colourful laundry lines strung between buildings, open alleyways, and a variety of bridges. There are also more playgrounds and a few concrete tower blocks that feel a bit out of place. We walk a lot, a lot. We meet a painter, Monica Martin, in the former Convento Santissimi Cosma e Damiano. Few lunch options, except the restaurants along the canal. We end up sharing a margherita pizza and a coffee, just to regain some energy. Of course, we visit the Redentore and San Giorgio Maggiore. Surprise, a beautiful free exhibition of Venetian glasswork made for the art Biennales between 1932 and 1942. A lovely discovery. By late afternoon, we head back to the Lido to change accommodation. Tonight, we’re staying at the Antico de Lido Venice, just 80 meters from our current hotel, it was the cheapest option when we decided to come to Venice. We pick up our bags and bikes, which we push to the new address. A little later, Samira arrives for check-in. Our double room is upstairs, smaller but functional, and with a surprising decor: large photos of Robert De Niro on the walls. For dinner, we decide to cook on the waterfront, our pesto pasta in front of a gorgeous sunset, with a direct view of Saint Mark’s Square from the Lido. Magical.

Venice - Day 03
Immersion in the Venetian atmosphere...
Circuit 02: Castello and Cannaregio - 14.6 km🚶

Today, we’re heading to Venice proper. The City of the Doges is divided into six sestieri, and we (meaning Jenny 😉) choose to get lost in Castello and Cannaregio, in search of a more intimate Venice, away from the crowds. Castello, the largest sestiere, takes its name from an old fortress. It stretches from Saint Mark’s Square to the far eastern edge of the city, where the local soul still breathes. It’s the district of the Arsenal, a symbol of Venetian maritime power, and the Giardini, created under Napoleon, now the heart of the Art Biennale. We discover 27 churches there, from grand basilicas to discreet chapels. We stroll between lively “calli” and peaceful “fondamente”, with hanging laundry as a colourful backdrop. Cannaregio, in the northwest, reveals another face of Venice, more grounded, rooted. Crossed by the wide Cannaregio Canal, it links the Grand Canal to the northern lagoon. This is where, in the 16th century, the very first Jewish ghetto was born. Even today, synagogues and a unique atmosphere define the area. There are local markets, children playing on the “campielli”, and conversations across windows. It’s a Venice of everyday life, authentic and warm. Venice has an entire unique urban vocabulary, calle (street), sotoportego (covered passage), fondamenta (quay), campo (large square), ramo (side alley), rio terà (filled-in former canal)… A city where even the language tells the story. Along the way, we have several memorable encounters. Muriel, a Frenchwoman from Normandy, charmed by our T-shirts. Passionate about mountains and cycling, but tied up by her role as prison director. Kashmir Everest, a hotel waiter. The conversation began with an urgent need for a toilet, a misunderstanding about a lemon tea, and an unexpected terrace. Tony Green (Instagram: @tonygreenpaintings), an artist from New Orleans, over 70 years old, recently married to an Italian woman. In his Cannaregio studio, he invited us to sit down and talk. A deep conversation about travel, the meaning of our respective quests… And Helena, the wife of Robert, our Estonian friend, king of shakshuka. She gave us a preview of the Estonian pavilion for the Biennale. A precious moment for Jenny, delighted to briefly reconnect with the world of architects and concepts. But as the saying goes, you don’t get back into architecture, you’re always in it, even in the heart of nature, in the structures of the living. We walked for hours, amazed by the richness of the urban fabric, the colour contrasts, the patina of the façades, the typology of the buildings, and the nonstop activity, workers, couriers, artisans, garbage collectors… a whole Venetian world of its own. For lunch, a simple meal, homemade sandwiches after a quick stop at the Coop. But our budget overspend comes mostly from coffee breaks and drinks… In the evening, we return to our dreamy spot at the Riva di Corinto on the Lido. Dinner of ricotta and spinach tortellini with pesto, facing the sunset. Simply perfect.

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Jenny & Ahmed