Venice had it

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Venice was so beautiful it created a time delay for this journal - so here's a summary of my stay there. I could feel it from the train ride in from the main land, going over the connection looking out over the water I could sense I was going to like Venice. Arrived at the train station walked out and just stood in awe. It was basically like all the pictures I'd ever seen were in motion before my eyes. Luckily my hostel was right across the grand canal, so I checked in dropped off my bags (and the kiddies...) and set to walking. There's really only one main street in Venice, so you can follow it all the way down to St Mark's Square, just follow the signs, cross the bridges, and end up at a huge square and a sea of people. It definitely had the magic. On top of all that, I managed to survive 3 nights on only 150eur! Cheap eats, grocery stores, and less gelato than the last two Italian cities. I bought a 24 hr vaporetti ticket and jumped on a boat (6.50eur for an hr vs 16.eurfor 24). I got down to St. Mark's and immediately turned off by the elbow to elbow scene of tourists plagueing it. I looked at the line to go in St. Mark's Basilica, and quickly turned around and started looking for a boat out to Murano - the island famous for glass blowing. Not as many tourists out there, and a lot to see. A lot of the shops let you in to see the artists at work. I made it a good day out there, seeing a wide range of artists and their work. I was floored by one piece in particular. An amber mammoth, with a price tag of a cool 3200eur. I stared at that piece for a good 10 min, then examined it for another 5-7 min from various angles. Unfortunately, no pics allowed and since there was no crowd, no opportunity to sneak one. I took one night to get lost in Venice, again, leaving the crowds behind and walking the back alleys and found my way into the residential area. It was late, so the only other people I saw were out walking their dog. These were the postcard scenes that sell people on visiting Venice.

(Un)fortunately, Venice was the end of my journey. Back to London I came to a couple of familiar faces. A little more time here, a castle this weekend, and possibly a pub visit or two. Maybe three.

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Photos

race!
not really

ok, maybe "cloudrise"
no brilliant sun this morning