| Friday, March 11, 2005 |
| Venice: Day 2 |
We arrived in Venice around 9:45 am on Day 7, and promptly purchased 2 tickets for the water buses that run throughout the city. This is a cheap and easy way to get around in Venice, and much easier to navigate than the tiny alleyways and unmarked streets.
Our first stop of the day was the island of Murano, which is about a 30 minutes ride from the bus station. Murano is home to many Venetian glass blowers and artists who have passed down their trade from generation to generation. We watched a few glass blowing demonstrations (with Mark narrating for me, since he does know a bit about glass himself!) and then wandered throughout the town. Murano is like a smaller version of Venice, with canals and bridges and fewer tourists. Most people were busy going about their regular business: running small shops, hanging laundry, or pushing baby strollers throughout the streets.
Returning to Venice, we enjoyed a few cones of gelato before perusing the markets below the Rialto bridge. Along the way we took many, MANY photos of the architecture and atmosphere intrinsic to this wonderful place. We also splurged on a ride in a gondola down one of the quieter canals the flows into the Grand Canal, listening as our gondolier pointed out the former homes of Mozart and Marco Polo and enjoying the calmness of being on the water.
By evening we were tired but happy to have thoroughly our last day in Venice. We dined at a restaurant along the Grand Canal again and took parting shots of the city while aboard the water bus that returned us to the bus station. Soon we would be returning home to Cole and all of those conveniences we take for granted, such as drinking fountains, free public restrooms, and normal food (okay, that last one is just my personal preference.)
 Labels: Italy |
posted by Joanna Bolick @ 8:38 PM  |
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