annhig

The McDonalds on the Strada Nova has been there for a long time (since 2001 or before)>>

really, rialto girl? I must had had my eyes well shut then. Such a shame about the other shops - not just the food shops but 2 years ago I spotted several that I'd noticed on previous visits had gone, including the little shoe shop where I'd bought DD a very smart pair of wellingtons for just €10, the nice little jeweller round the corner from the super market, even the wine shop where you could fill up a plastic bottle for a couple of € seemed to have disappeared. Tragic.

PalenQ

Another unique experience, given your sons ages,is kayaking in Venice.>

curious about this - where is kayaking allowed - just on small canals- I would think on canals with vaporettos they may not be? Seems you could in a kayak capsize in the relatively large wakes I've seen them make when docking.

anyone with personal experience and yes sounds like a blast for young adults or any active adult.

Ralstonlan1

PalenQ - see this.
https://www.venicekayak.com/

rialtogrl

annhig there is still a vino sfuso (wine from the barrel) shop on Lista di Spagna and another one on the Cannaregio canal close to the Guglie vap stop. One thing you can't get at the supermarket.. yet.

PalenQ

Ralston -thanks - so they are guided tours - makes sense as letting novices paddle amok with all that other boat traffic seemed dangerous.

I still wonder if I could rent a solo kayak and do my own tour? (did not readily see that on the site you gave!)

Thanks again.

rialtogrl

The vino sfuso shop I mention above is not on Lista di Spagna, same street different part... its on Rio Terà S. Leonardo. 20 something guys might get a kick out of one of these shops.

annhig

annhig there is still a vino sfuso (wine from the barrel) shop on Lista di Spagna and another one on the Cannaregio canal close to the Guglie vap stop. One thing you can't get at the supermarket.. yet>>

that's good to read. I think that the one I was thinking of was round the corner from the apartment we rented just off the Campo San Bartolomeo a few years ago; it had gone last time I was there.

Peter_S_Aus

We have been kayaking in Venice twice, and it was great fun. You get a completely different view of Venice from the water. Venicekayak.com finds them.

In 2013, I wrote about the experience.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...g-kayaking.cfm

We made another tour with them in 2015, and highly recommend it.