Venezia Take 2

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Had a bit of a late start this morning. Living out of a tent makes getting ready much more complicated (starting with the fact that you actually have to walk a fair distance to the sinks, toilets, showers, etc.). Ended up taking the 10:30 bus into the lagoon. The late start was kind of good in a way - I was up late last night doing laundry. I wanted to hold out, but one of the disadvantages of packing light (3 pairs of underwear/socks/shirts, etc.) is that laundry duty sometimes calls at unfortunate times.

Anyways, had a full day in Venice. All I'll say is that Piazza San Marco is one of the busiest places I've ever seen. We headed for it right away after we got into Venice (well, as fast as you can get anywhere in Venice anyways), but unfortunately and unsurprisingly, there was a massive lineup to get in. Instead of queueing for 2 hours, I elected to take the a trip to Murano. I knew the island is mostly dedicated to glass, but actually, there's nothing BUT glass there.

Since I'm getting a new place in September, I was actually seriously thinking of getting something. Most, or rather all of the shops along the main street (canal actually) are tourist traps. I recognize a machine molded worthless glass piece when I see one. The factory-direct galleries tend to have genuine pieces though. In the end, I really liked this one semi-transparent blue vase with swirls of colour blended in. After some hard bargaining (including actually walking out the place before being chased down with an acceptance of my offer), I managed to secure it for €100. I'm pretty sure that wasn't quite the bottom line, but it was close enough. It isn't chump change, but I really liked it, and I figured I'd reward myself for spending less than €40 in Switzerland. By the way, the tour-guide on my bus told us that he regularly hears German, Italian and French used in the same sentence in parts of Switzerland. He wasn't kidding.

After a pizza lunch in Venice proper, we tried for San Marco again. This time, the line was short, but we got there a little too late (I was aiming for 4pm, got there 4:30). We literally had the door shut on us. Oh well, there's always tomorrow. Instead, we visited the Doges Palace museam along with the prison next door and Ponte del Sospiro (Bridge of Sighs), which connects the two. The palace was gorgeous; the prison - not so much....

The clock tower was open until 7:30, so we did go up that. I found it quite a novelty that a 60m clock tower was the highest structure in a city. I wasn't complaining about the views though. Got one heck of a scare at 6:30. Let me tell you, the bells may be close to 600 years old, but they're still very loud. I think my hearing will take a day or two to recover.

We managed to find a DHL agent in Piazza Roma (I need to get rid of my newly-bought vase somehow, and with insurance underwritten by someone who I can actually reach from North America). As a result, I had dinner back at the camp really late (9:30). Not sure what's going to happen tomorrow. We might go ahead at get the gondola experience, sharing with two people I met from Calgary. We didn't get a hold of them today because they apparently were up all night yesterday and spent all day today lounging around the pool. I also have an appointment to meet a couple I also met on the bus tomorrow at the Ponte (bridge) Academia for lunch (they're staying at a B&B in Lido). I might just spend the spare time either lying around in the sun or getting lost in Venice at a leisurely pace.

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Photos

Venizia
I adore this city. Where else can you drown crossing the street?

Piazza San Marco
Lots, and I mean lots of pigeons. I swear they outnumber the tourists, which is quite a feat. On a serious note though, the basilica shows a fascinating blend of different architectural styles. The base pillars are clearly Roman in style, but the higher arches show heavy Turkish influence.

Typical Venitian Bridge
Getting lost in this city is absolutely effortless.

Murano Glass Making
Very interesting to watch, as they form the base shape and add different coloured glass. I still say they're making quite a profit. I estimate about half a day of work for one to two people to make a decent piece.

Ponte Rialto
The original (and once upon a time the only) way of crossing the Canal Grande without a boat. It's quite remarkable how they cram close to a dozen shops ON the bridge!

View from the Rialto
You can't visit Venice without taking the obligatory photo of the Canal Grande from the Ponte Rialto.

Doges Palace
The palace is quite spectacular. I find quite amusing the layout of the judicial sections of the palace. Basically, they go vertically in one section of the palace in order up: holding cells, tribunal room, appeal chamber, bridge to the prison. Very efficient, as long as you're not the accused.

Palace Interior
The Venetian Doges had good taste. My travelling companion Gabrielle, who is from Brazil, was cursing how all that gold in the ceiling was "imported" from South America.

Venetian Skyline
A 360 degree view of Venice is not a bad way to cap off a day.

Comments

[euree]

nice shot
nice picture! enjoy Venezia

[mom and dad]

look at your nice pictures and enjoy your self.