We are in Venice !

---

Friday, November 6th

Hi Everyone,

The Sea day yesterday was greatly appreciated as we really needed the rest. The remainder of the cruise will be much less strenuous - no more 10 hour excursions. Today we ported in Venice at 12:30 and took a tour of Murano and Burano.

We boarded a tender boat for about a 45 minute trip to the island of Murano. On the way the guide pointed out many historic landmarks. One in particular was the house of Elton John. The guide told us that he puts on about two live concerts a year there with all the proceeds of the concert going to the restoration of Venice.

Murano is known world-wide for its glass. We took a tour of the glass factory with a demonstration of the creation of the piece from start to finish. We then were taken to the showroom. It was amazing, but was also very expensive. I would love to show you pictures, but no photography was allowed. The pieces were as small as wine stoppers and a s big as statues and chandeliers.

Next we boarded the boat for about a 15 minute trip to the island of Burano. This island was mostly a fishing village, but it is now well-known for its lace. Nalynn bought several pieces for our soon to be born granddaughter and for friends and family.

After the tour Nalynn and I spent several hours walking through Venice on our own. We went to St. Marks Square, saw the cathedral where St. Mark’s bones are housed, and strolled to the Rialto Bridge.

On Saturday we are still in Venice until 2:00 and then the ship departs for Dubrovnik, Croatia. We will write more after our tour in Dubrovnik.

Love,
Arlyn and Nalynn

---