I like to mix up my travel experience. Venice is not your average sports environment. I thought taking kayaks into the canals would be a great way for my girlfriend and me to marry outdoor sports with history and culture. Plus, with all the exercise, we could have two gelatos instead of one.

Thousands of visitors walk through the famous Piazza San Marco daily. When we paddled the Grand Canal—which many consider to be the most beautiful "avenue" in the world—we were able to avoid the crowds and park right next to the piazza. The police completely ignored us. Another area, called Sant' Elena, in the Castello district, was different from other parts of Venice. So tranquil. We just pulled out our kayaks and took a nap on the grass.

We entered Venice from the sea, paddling in through the Veneta Lagoon. From this perspective, the city was amazingly quiet. You can get right up close to the buildings and really see how old the architecture is. When you touch the walls, it's like you're traveling back in time. Though they say Venice is sinking, we didn't see buildings halfway underwater. The bottoms of some old doors were damaged, but we really didn't get the feeling that the place was going to disappear.

Everyone told us the water was going to be extremely dirty. We were very concerned that the odor might ruin our trip. It's true it is not clean—you don't want to drink it—but it doesn't smell. It was beautiful how the green contrasted with the walls and how things reflected off the water.

Venice is just like any other city, except that here most deliveries and inner-city transportation happen in motorboats. They even have "valet parking" at restaurants. People were always happy—and surprised—to see us coming in our colorful kayaks.

From the print edition, November 2004