Today was our first full day in Venice, and we awoke to the sound of church bells announcing morning mass (right outside our B&B next door in
our little piazza). We had our usual continental breakfast after fighting off the ants who had found it during the night. This is a very nice B&B however there are a few complaints we have with it, and ants are definitely one of them.
After breakfast we made our way to
San Marcos Square and jumped in the short line for the expensive bell tower. It was actually well worth it tho since you get a wonderful view of just about all of Venice. By the way, today was perfect weather all day long.
Next we took
Rick Steves' advice and checked our day pack (for free) and used the receipt to jump to the front of the LONG line to see
San Marcos Basilica. Once inside I practiced my subtle "shooting from the hip" skills as we weren't allowed to take photos... :) We paid the extra 2 Euros each to see the sarcophagus which allegedly holds St.
Mark's remains and then took the tour of the treasury & museum, a large collection of stolen relics, bones & body parts, old tapestries and books.
We then headed to a nearby
Venetian glass shop near the Basilica and watched a very quick glass blowing demonstration at which point we were whisked away to the showroom where a very hopeful salesman tried to sell us $400 goblets and $750 vases... There was even a big glass crocodile there for US$45,000+! It was fun to look but we didn't buy anything. :)
Finally leaving San Marcos Square we headed up to the
Accademia bridge which crosses the Grand Canal to the western part of Venice. We worked our way to the outer "coast" and strolled south to
La Salute Church which is under construction and doesn't look very pretty from the outside... however the inside is quite beautiful. Well worth the trip, plus this is one of the few churches in Venice that are free to enter.
Leaving La Salute Church we wandered back to East Venice and tried to get lost, working our way back through the tight network of narrow streets and canals. Eventually we decided to get un-lost again and got our barrings enough to track down where to find food. We ate lunch at a little outside street cafe and split a mushroom pizza & a sandwich. After a short break back at our room, we then went in search of "the best gelato in Venice" (again, thanks to Rick Steves) which we eventually found, and yes, it was good! If you're ever in Venice you MUST check this place out. It's a small little shop but they give you very generous servings, unlike most other gelatorias.
As the sun was setting we walked along the South shore working our way East, away from the city into the area of town where all the locals live. We walked until the sidewalks ended and then sat on a park bench and waited for the sky to get dark. We then walked back into town with the passing boats to our left and the sparkling lights of Venice in front of us...
We have fallen in love with each city we've visited, each one with it's own unique traits. Venice is truly a very enchanting picturesque city with a pleasant personality and lots of charm. If you can avoid the masses of tourists it can be a very enjoyable place!
Tomorrow we leave Venice and start our next adventure...
Driving in Italy!
Italy08vacation
Today was our first full day in Venice, and we awoke to the sound of church bells announcing morning mass (right outside our B&B next door in our little piazza). We had our usual continental breakfast after fighting off the ants who had found it during the night. This is a very nice B&B however there are a few complaints we have with it, and ants are definitely one of them.
