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Published: July 15th 2010
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Clock tower
St. Mark's Square, Venice July 12
Woke up this morning - cold isn't really gettin any better, I'm afraid. Ah well. If I don't get to sing in the competition I won't be particularly devastated, I've got to admit. The stress here is starting to wear on everyone.
This morning some of us went on a really great walking tour of Venice and while it wasn't quite as informative as I would have liked there were some really interesting tidbits, such as the fact that while everyone believes that the city is built on poles shoved into the water, that's only sort of true. There are actually islands not far under the surface, about 120 to make up the city, and it's into those that the pilings are driven. As well, the system of cisterns in which the city used to collect rain water meant that there was a well in nearly every town square, dug out of the earth, and cemented/bricked to prevent the ingression of sea water. Got to learn about Venice's red light district (government-mandated in the middle ages), and the rise and fall of the courtesan trade (which only flourished for about a century). Also learned how the clockmaker who
created the clock tower in St. Mark's square was blinded so that he could never create anything the same for anyone else.
We had several hours' free time before a scheduled tour of the Basilica di San Marco, so... I caught the vaporetto back to the hotel, asked a couple of questions at the front desk, ventured out on a short walk to find... A laundromat. I did laundry. Yup. Exciting, I know. But, quite frankly, I've already been to Venice, the place is _overrun _ with tourists (I don't know if I saw anyone vaguely resembling a local aside from the shopkeeper and the like), and I was desperately running out of clean clothes. Best €7 I've ever spent. And about an hour to just sit and relax and read my book. I spent the next while in an Internet café and wrote a couple of blog posts, but had to head out to catch the tour of San Marco. I don't know, maybe it's because I've lived in Europe, but I don't find public transport scary or particularly confusing. With the exception of buses in some cities, everything is well-labelled (so far), and a lot of stuff
St Mark's Square
Venice. Hoards of tourists. HOARDS, I say. in Italy is in English as well as Italian. But I digress.
The tour of St Mark's was informative. The gal giving the tour was from Britain and in spite of the fact that it was apparently her first day, was quite good. Her delivery needed some work, but that'll come as she gets more used to doing the tour. It was a good reminder that Venice was, for all intents and purposes, part of the Byzantine empire, rather than the Western Roman.
Walked back to the hotel with a few of the gals after the tour, and spent a chill evening just reading in my room... Not going to do anything too wild in the evenings - gotta try and kill this cold!
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