It was a really long drive and we had to meet up with the apartment landlord at a specific time, so for lunch we just ate snacks in the car, and a few sandwiches I'd made. We had pre-booked a parking spot, which was a huge relief. (If you ever take a car to Venice, definitely pre-book your parking.) There are no "roads" in the city, so once you cross the bridge over to the islands that make up Venice, you have to park your car and take a water-bus into the city. It's really cool, SO charming, but also a bit of a hassle. We parked in the garage, consolidated our luggage, and made our way to the water-bus. Another traveling tip for Venice- public transportation is NOT cheap. When we didn't have our luggage we just walked everywhere, and it was nice to experience the water-bus.
We got the keys to our apartment, which was really neat. It was so Italian, so old, just like out of a movie. It was in a quiet alley, with pizza and gelato just a few doors down. By the time we were all settled it was late afternoon and we were all ravenous, so first things first we found a restaurant and stuffed our faces with pizza. GOOD pizza.
After we ate we decided to just explore, there was an old cathedral really close to our apartment and we figured since it was Sunday a church would be a great place to visit.
After we left the church we just walked. It was hot, and we quickly learned that we were going to be accompanied by mosquitoes during our stay in Venice. But it was quiet that evening and probably the least crowded time we spent in the city.