Venice is a city unlike any other. It is known for it's water ways full of gondola singers. There really aren't any pavement streets or cars (unlike Zermatt that had the little electric cars at least). Just little canals and bridges. Beautiful canals and bridges. A lot of the alley ways are only big enough for a single file line. The buildings are not too tall and old and rustic looking. This city was designed to get pleasantly lost in. It is like a giant maze.
We had a rough day traveling but finally made it. We arrived just before dinner time on Sunday. We walked for a bit before we ate. Monday morning we headed straight for the main square and up the bell tower. Another beautiful Italian red roofed view. We were even up in the tower when the giant bell went off right above our heads - it was loud and sort of terrifying to be that close to it.
We had the priveldge in the afternoon to tour the Murano Glass Factory. If you have been to Italy, you have seen the Murano glass. It is beautiful! Everything they make is considered one of a kind by the way they blow it. We got to see a few of them in action - they made it look so easy. The two glass blowers made their works of art (a vase and a little horse) in less than ten minutes! It was unbelievable! Then we got to walk through the place a bit - what looked like a glass museum show room of beauty. I would never want to take a small child or a large backpack through here. (However, I did ask our tour guide if I could look at some sort of drink pitcher, and when he picked it up, he dropped the lid of it.. I felt so bad - but I'm so glad it wasn't me.) And not only was that a "must do in Venice" thing, but on our water taxi ride out there, he let me drive the boat :) Check that off the bucket list.
We continued doing the whole tourist thing - walking around, looking at the churches and bridges, taking obnoxious photos, and of course touring the Doges Palace.
And then we toured the Doge's Chapel: St. Mark's. The girls and I were wearing shorts so we had to wrap a cloth around our legs like a toga. It was funny. The entire chruch is a Mosaic. It is completely made up and decorated with little pieces of gold, bronze, and stones. When we were inside, I got to see the Pala d'Oro. It's a jaw dropping altar piece. My friend Jessica told me to go see it because it is incredible, and because one of her history professors at TAMU slept on top of it during WWII (? is that right Jess?) to protect it. I can see why he wanted to protect it. Wow.
A symbol of Venice, we learned, is the winged lion. It has to do with the legend that St. Mark and Venetian Lagoon being his resting place. I was always curious too how such a city came to be about. Why is it all water ways? You could assume it's from fisherman and traders but I never found my answer when we were there. We never got to go on a walking tour or anything which was a big bummer because a city like this I know is full of stories and literary references and artistic settings.
I could never put my camera away because the entire city is like a painting. I have heard rumors of this city being on the verge of sinking. I hope it doesn't becuase it is an amazing place to visit.
And the biggest surprise of all was seeing this guy. Pearce is a friend from Camp Allen who just so happened to be sitting at the table next to me at some random little pizza place. Not planned or anything - it was crazy!
And now on to Paris!
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