Venice isn't an island, as many people assume — it's a collection of 115 tiny islands connected by more than 400 bridges and some 150 canals. Over 400 gondolas glide through those canals, weaving between more than 450 palaces and 200 churches.
On the map it doesn't look that large, but the moment you set foot on its streets you realise that this isn't a city — it's a labyrinth. Perfect for getting lost and spending days discovering new and curious details.
Unfortunately, we didn't have days to spare and couldn't afford to stay the night in Venice. We arrived in the middle of the day, having already cycled 40 kilometres, with another 40 still to go afterwards.
And to make things even more complicated, we couldn't use our bikes — almost every bridge has steps and no ramps. Since we had nowhere safe to leave the bikes and all our gear, we ended up visiting Venice in shifts.
We pulled over in a park at the entrance to the city, set down the bikes, put together a small picnic, and headed off one at a time to catch a quick slice of Venice.
In a sprint, one hour was enough to zigzag through the alleyways, push into some of Venice's most famous spots, and lose myself among the bridges and lanes.
To geotag the photos I left my phone's GPS tracking my walk — more than 6 kilometres in 60 minutes — and fired off a good round of shots.
A shame not to have more time in this beautiful city — but we wanted to see it while we had the chance. You never know: by the time we finish this round-the-world bike trip, Venice might have become the new Atlantis.