Tamerici Caorle

... 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 ...

... 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.

... seeing all the touristy stuff. It was also a much needed vacation for Heather so we slept in late, ate well and just lolligagged around the beautiful city of many islands. I had a great time exploring all the different gelato stores and trying different types of pasta. I even had the chance to visit the calm island of Lido ...

... 17th century Venice reached its peak of hedonistic decadence where men and women of all classes, wealth and status would hide behind their intricate masks and, in the comfort of anonymity, engage in the most reckless and often illegal erotic and sexual practices...in public.  Priests with prostitutes, nuns with aristocrats, officers with officers poured out onto the streets to play out ...

SO! the last time I updated this... i was sitting in an internet cafe in Venice. Well, right after that... on the 21st of July... Erin and i walked down this little street... and then i saw it. A bookstore. So i darted inside...and looked frantically for it, when suddenly, i saw a golden glow radiating from a shelf on my right. And there it was. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. So yes. needless to say, i had my nose stuck in that for the next three hours. Good thing Erin and I ...

... back through town to catch the boat. Judy was late again but after that meal it was excusable. On our return to St. Mark's half the party decided to stay in the town for the evening, including B & P, whilst the rest of us went back to the hotel. Alabama Gary had entertained us on the boat back with an hilarious commentary mocking poor Marco who took it all in fun and gave as good as he got in the end. Gary is a natural comic with such a quick mind. I hate him.

... This turned out to be good because it gave us a chance to see part of the island. Murano was much quieter than Venice. We wandered into one of the glass factories and watched workers making a vase. We found the dock where we could board the boat to Burano. While we waited for the boat to arrive we met two Asian women who asked us if this was the right place to get the boat to Burano. The two women were sisters. One was from Dallas and the other from Toronto. Burano is very ...