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| Venezia Dock - overlooking Santa Maria de Salute |
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| Day 12 – June 7, 2001, Thursday – Venice Sightseeing |
Weather – it was quite warm this day – low 80’s. Cloudy in the morning, but sunny and warm in the afternoon.
6:30am – Wake-up Call
7:15am – Breakfast
7:45am – 9:00am – Got the Venetian traffic before getting to the boat docks where we have a reservation for a boat taxi to take us to Venice, city of Canals. Venice (Italy) (Italian Venezia), city and seaport in northeastern Italy, in Veneto Region, capital of Venice Province. Venice is situated on 120 islands formed by 177 canals in the lagoon.
Venice is one of Italy's most popular tourist attractions as well as a major port on the Adriatic Sea. Built on more than 100 islands, the city is known for its canals, which substitute for streets in many areas. Venetians use gondolas, long, narrow, flat-bottomed boats propelled by standing navigators using a single oar, to travel along the canals.
9:00am - 11:30am– Venice – As our boat docked, we walked past some glass shops, and saw the Doge’s palace, and the Campanile Tower. We were shocked to see the streets flooded by tourists (including us, of course). First, we went to a glass factory for glass blowing demonstration. Manny and I skipped the demo, and headed to the Rialto Bridge. Even though going through the tiny alley’s of Venice feels like you are in a maze, signs are all over the place indicating which direction to take to see the famous sights.
The Piazza di San Marco may be more famous, but the Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge) is the true heart of Venice. The current structure was built in just three years, between 1588 and 1591, as a permanent replacement for the boat bridge and three wooden bridges that had spanned the Grand Canal at various times since the 12th Century. It remained the only way to cross the Grand Canal on foot until the Academia Bridge was built in 1854.
On to St. Mark’s Square (Piazza di San Marco) - where you have a good view of San Marco Basilica. Here, we had a grand time feeding the pigeons and just amazed at the numbers of these birds approaching the people with no hesitation, no fear at all. There are also quite a number of restaurants right on the side of the square, where orchestras play for its diners, and just the luxury of sitting there and having cafe late will be as expensive at $20.
Here you will get a view of Basilica di San Marco and the Bell Tower and afterwards, saw the Doge’s palace as well
The Doges' Palace in Venice, Italy, is the former residence of the doges (elected rulers) of Venice. Construction began in 1340 and portions were added over the decades. Much of the interior is decorated with artwork by leading Venetian artists from the 15th and 16th centuries. We also saw the Bridge of Sighs.
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| Burano |
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11:45am – 3:30pm – Island of Burano - as we met with our tour director, we took this optional excursion to the island of Burano. We rode another boat, for a half-hour trip to this island which is a fishing village. We passed by Murano, which is famous for its glass manufacturing.
Burano is a small, car-free island 7 kilometers north of Venice. Burano has a multi-colored brightly painted houses, which represent the 12 families who reside in the area.
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| Masks at Burano |
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We had a nice seafood lunch in one of the local tratorria’s. The pasta served was amazing, very rich and very delicious. Fried battered calamari, fish and shrimp were also served. Dessert included fruits and pretzels. Time to shop for laces and masks. Every year around February, a carnival is held in Venice.
3:30pm – 5:00pm – Back at Venice proper. Headed to the academia bridge to get a good view of Santa Maria Salute, along the grand canal with the busy traffic of the boats from below.
5:30pm – 6:30pm – Gondola Serenade – optional to take the gondola ride. Shared the boat with 4 more people in the boat: Nancy, Volun, Linda and Lindsay. It was a bit scary at first because there were a lot of motor boats beside us that it was causing waves, and it felt like our boat will topple over…but after we left the Grand Canal and went inside the streets, it felt much calmer and more romantic.
6:30pm - 7:30pm – Took the boat ride back to hotel.
7:30pm – 9:30pm – Dinner in the nearby restaurant. Included bread, soup, meat and strawberry gelato.
9:30pm – prepared for the next day’s trip. Sickness update: Colds turned for the worse, now have coughs as well…but what can you do, no resting coz we are in one of the most romantic spots of the world.
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