Hotel Ambra Quarto D'Altino

... 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 ...

... they no longer swarm the tourists. But it you still have to watch out for the Pigeon Poop! The Basillica was another feast for the eyes - and ears! As we approached the central altar, imagine our surprise as the “theme” from Phantom of the Opera suddenly blasted from the organ!
Next, we toured the Peggy Guggenheim Museum. This wealthy American woman, who lived in an palatial home on the Grand Canal, had two great loves: her dogs and modern art. After her death, her ...

... 8217;clock,” then added, “but maybe seven thirty, or maybe seven, depending on the people.” We weren’t at all sure what to expect at six thirty, but he was there.
Oh, did we mention that it rained most of the day? We were prepared and only came home with wet shoes. Since most of Venice was under over 3 feet water just a week ago, we considered ourselves very lucky.

Tomorrow, San Marco and (hopefully) dry weather.

... 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.

... but that area is extremely touristy. This is the first time on our trip so far where it hasn't been overcast at all! Yaaay! On the downside, we finally figure out that we though Bethany, Kim's sister, was coming into Italy to stay the week with us in Venice that day, but in all actuality, she isn't coming until TOMORROW because of the time difference from America. So we have a bed for Bethany, but no Bethany!  We walk ...

... perfect because there are lots of bars and cafe so close to us. The food in Venice has been pretty good, though not as good as we hear the rest of Italy is. Tim has averaged about 4 cones of gelato per day and has a few favorites. We have had the best meal of the trip here. It was an intimate place that served exceptional food. The menu was very small and changed everyday, and our meal was far and away one of the most memorable meals we have both had in a while ...

... string quintets & ensembles playing all around the square in different shop fronts, and people will par $50AUS for 2 cups of coffee! (prices also differ if you sit outside, inside, at ...

... a foot that appeared to be pasted. It turns out that the foot was discovered somewhere in Turkey, and only recently did someone realize that it matched the sculpture at St. Mark's Basilica. They told us that when they had taken a similar trip after their marriage, they decided not to take a gondola so they could add more days to the end of their trip. Still with the budget traveler mentality today, they asked if we wanted to share a gondola ride with them to split the ...

... This just confirmed what the weather reports were saying. Being the tallest building, we could clearly see the rain clouds and storm coming over. No one told us they were going to ring the bells next to us whilst we were up the tower! The evening we spent having a McDonalds (cheap and easy) and a few beers in a small bar whilst the heavens opened up....