Clarion Hotel River Venice/Tsf Airport Treviso

... control measure (hint: it’s not working!) If you even accidentally drive into the area, much less park there, they will photo your car and send you a hefty bill! Did we mention that drivers here seem to all have the same death wish?

Our first stop was the Bargello Museum, which is home to works by Donatello and Michelangelo, among others. Then off to the Galleria Academia .Yes, we went to an Accademia in Venice, too. It does get confusing! The ...

... of you who are not Reddingites, Calatrava designed the world famous Sundial Bridge in Redding, CA. Michele had read about the Venice bridge and found that it was just as plagued by delays and cost over-runs as the Redding project. Michele describes herself as the only resident of Redding who hates the bridge, more for its cost than its beauty.
You will see some pictures on the blog, but two ...

Blog Day 5 (Venice 2), Wednesday, December 9
We rose well-rested and after enjoying the hotel’s breakfast buffet, set off for St. Mark’s Square, where we spent most of our day. With the national holiday crowds dispersed, it finally paid off to be here in the off season! There were no lines for the Basillica or any of the “extra” (“for a small fee”) attractions on the square. It is no longer allowed to feed the pigeons, with the positive result ...

... find. Then it started raining, I mean it IS Venice, so what more could you expect? But it wasn’t bad, so (after I bought an umbrella) we kept walking.

The next day was spent the same way, though without Steve. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed tracking down gondolas. We found a great little place that sold yummy ham and cheese Paninis, and had a surprisingly wonderful few days. Next stop: Rome.

... Gotta love those italians, right? The train ride was surprisingly pleasant, and we got to see a the pretty northern italian countryside. (yay! something went right!) Shortly before arriving, we found out that our hostel had a midnight curfew and was, in fact, on an island separated from the main city, which cannot be reached after the ferries stop running at about 9. SO, we got a new hotel in a great location off the Piazza San Marco, and ...

... from Poland, one from Russia, a guy from Spain, a guy and two girls from Pakistan, a girl from China, two from Serbia, and an American guy; all of whom I got to know a little through the 12 hour trip to Rome. We got along using English, and a little tiny bit of Italian. Everyone was already tired of traveling as we boarded the bus however our excitement to make it to Rome kept us going as we made our way to the airport. The flight to Rome on Ryanair ...

... two large windows had shutters that swung open for a great view of the square, cafes, and street musicians below! Relieved we plopped down on our little beds and all took a short nap. After a good shower we were rejuvenated and ready to explore some more. We inquired at the desk about booking a tour for tomorrow but what Andres found on Google was even pricier than the tours advertised at the train station. So, we reboarded the water tram and headed for the ...

... them). In hindsight, seeing Italian churches from the Middle Ages made me understand so much better what Protestants like Luther were protesting in their break from that church, in a time when millions of malnourished European peasants and dwelt in mud huts and toiled fields to give their meager surplus to a group that built ostentatious monuments that are still far more opulent than anything we are building today. So when I say that St. Marco's was a joy to see, I mean to ...

... is covered with mosaics and the church is over a thousand years old. Afterwards, we went next door and visited the Doge Palace. This is where the leaders of Venice lived and worked for many centuries. The rest of the day was spent wandering around the various the non-touristy sections of Venice. For dinner, we did have a pizza pie!! Finally, italian food while in Italy! Sunday morning Jeremy got up around 5:30am to go take pictures around ...

... navigating (my experience in Madrid with the map proved that one). I did study a map before leaving, and knew that I wanted to go to Piazza San Marco, the main square, at the opposite end of the island from the train station. There are lots of signs, and Venice is small, so it's hard to get lost. One of the first things I saw was a fruit and veggie market, and as always I was mysteriously hungry right after breakfast (I often think I should skip that meal, since it rarely ...