Antica Venezia Venice

... 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.

... and boats and space to walk up and down and sidewayes, but when you go into the town, into the crevases, it's exactly the feeling I get when stuck somewhere that I cannot get out of, except I can.... you picking up what I'm dropping here?
The 'paths' can get so narrow that even I have to walk sideways. This gives me the illusion of being trapped but I can smell the water, and it's all okay.

Back to my hostel, I cross the bridge, don't see the name for my ...

... of the roof tops and city. Joel had decided he didn't want to do anymore stairs so I went by myself. Once I got inside I was pleasantly greeted by an elevator. When I got down I wasn't puffed at all and Joel couldn't work out what was going on..I then told him of the lift.

I have taken lots of photos but even though they don't do it justice.

We went to Doges Palace (Palazzo Ducale) - the former home of ...

On Friday Sara and I went to a day trip to Venice. It was a very long day because Venice is 3 hours there and 3 hours back but it was more than worth it! We took a train from Florence at 6:30 in the morning. We transfered trains in Bologna and arrived in Venice around 11 am (our connecting train was late). When we got to Venice we walked from the train station to San Marcos Square. It was a quite a long way but it was fun to see the cute ...

... The owner was very proud when he told me that he doesn't sell his product in any store. It is all original from his family and the only form of advertising is by word of mouth. Visiting this factory and seeing all the beautiful glass pieces throughout Venice, kinda made me want to stay there and learn how to blow glass. The last island that we visited on Saturday was my favorite. It was the most colorful little town, and it wasn't just drab ...

... walk to St Marco's Square. Made our way to San Marco Basilica. We checked our coats at a place beside the basilica and we received a coat check ticket that let us bypass the lines to the basilica (which were huge!). The basilica is very beautiful with all the intricate tile work. It is fairly dark inside I think to protect ...