Venice...

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What an amazing 4 days we have had here in Venice, we havent been able to blog since we arrived but now we are on the cruise we have access to a computer and will attempt to blog every now and then over the next 8 days.

We arrived in Venice with the city having been flooded that morning, after arriving in Venice proper by train we came out of the station to find a water taxi to take us to the hotel.. thank goodness we did we might have still been lost in the winding lanes had they not taken us to our hotel.

Our hotel was situated close enough to everything and yet far enough not to get flooded like those in St Marks Square. We got up the first morning and took off and got to St Marks square and everything was under water so we went back to the hotel to get rubber boots, we sloshed around in rubber boots for the rest of the day. It was great fun spashing around in the water in some spaces it was up to our knees. The square and many other spaces and places throughout Venice have been flooded three of the four days we have been here, its fun watching the waiters in their bow ties and white jackets go and get their rubber boots on in readiness for the water as it comes up from below and floods their restuarants and shops etc.

The Basillica is amazing, I can honestly say I have never seen such amazing mosaics as I have seen here in Venice, they are incredible and they are everywhere. The Basillica has them everywhere on the walls, ceilings and the floors, lots of gold in those mosiacs. Col and I on the first day thought we would never find our way around this beautiful city however it took us one night of wandering and getting lost and we have been fine. We have explored lots of nooks and crannys and today we got on the water bus and got on and off and still made our way back to the ship in time for dinner.

The food, wine and people are wonderful I absolutely love Venice we have walked miles and miles and have travelled miles on the water. The great part about Venice is that you walk everywhere there are no cars or bikes to be worried about and to get anywhere you cross over water either by bridge, water taxi, water bus, gondola etc.. Yes Col and I did the Gondola journey, we were coming home after being out all day finding amazing things to look at Churches, museums, shops, art galleries, music places etc and the sun was just setting and Col decided we were going on a gondola, it was very romantic... it was really lovely going through the little water ways and under the bridges etc a great way to see the many little laneways and hotels .. The Gondola guy even seranaded us as he took us through the waterways although he did get a cough up and we wondered if he had swallowed a bug or two...

The great part about doing the gondola ride when we did was that the next two days the tides have been so high that the Gondolas havent been able to go in and out of the little waterways as much as the water is so high they cant get under the bridges so they have had to stay in the Grand Canal.

Yesterday we got on board the cruise ship and found our stateroom, we have a balcony which is lovely to sit out on if and when we can.. today we spent in Venice again, Col and I went to St Georgeos today and wandered around.

We have seen so much.. We have had an amazing seafood dinner and show tonight and the cruise ship is currently making its way out to sea on our way to Treiste.. we arrive there at 8am in the morning. It feels like we have been away for months and yet it is just over two weeks quite incredible.

We are doing well, we have walked miles and we are still alive, I did say to Colin tonight though I dont think I have been in bed as early as I have been since being on holidays, it is starting to get a bit more even now. The next couple of days we are in another two areas of Italy and then we go over to Croatia, we have booked tours in all of those places to get to see what we can of how they live.

We must be out at sea now as the ship has got a bit of a rock up I can feel it as I sit here. I hope you all have a fabulous Tuesday we are off to bed now. Take care miss you all. xx

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