Venice - Day 2

After a good amount of sleep, we got up and ready for breakfast and a day of exploring Venice. The cornflakes followed us from Germany, along with the fresh fruit and yogurt. Cold meats and cheeses were offered but they did not smell. They also have packaged biscuits and cookies. And seriously, who doesn't love a place that has cake on the breakfast buffet? A dense yellow cake with a paper thin chocolate top. The chocolate wasn't frosting or glaze, it was like it was baked in.

The hotel person gave us a map and circled a couple places where we could see masks being made and other cool buildings, like churches and palaces. Venice is compact and the distance to walk is not far but it is easy to get lost and we spent a lot of time stopping in shops. We decided to walk in the early morning and then spend time inside the various museums and places in the late afternoon when the temperatures are the highest.

We started walking along the route that the hotel person gave us and even that early the heat was amazing. We both bought hats (very touristy) and I also bought a fan. Those and the sunblock were very helpful. We walked for about 3 hours just enjoying the paths and crazy stores. The amount of glass and masks with costumes are unbelievable. Carnival happens right after lent and still they sell stuff to tourists year round. Some of the masks are glass and you see the same style in multiple places but we did get lucky enough to see some leather masks.

After a quick stop at a chocolate store (yes it is still early in the morning), we stopped in a smaller church (S. Polo) and enjoyed the cool air while we wondered about what it would have been like to be at the church in times past. It is strange to see how much detail, time, and effort has gone into Venice. It is surprisingly clean and there are dogs that just wander the streets but they are really quiet and seem friendly.

We happened upon a small music museum that was free and housed really nice instruments (violins, cellos, and some combination of a violin and wind instrument that obviously went the way of the dodo from how complicated it looked). The place had some connection to Vivaldi but we are not sure what at this time. We will have to look that up.

It is here that we find gelato and pizza. In that order of course. We decided to grab a quick bite after we cannot get into the St. Mary of the Friars (Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari) because of a private wedding (lots of weddings happening here, this is the third we have seen in 2 days). The gelato here is soooooo good. Very soft and lots of flavor. The pizza is indescribable. Huge slices with thin crust with yummy cheese and spicy, thin, crispy pepporoni. Oh my. Tasty enough for 2 slices each!

We stopped in at the Academy Gallery (Gallerie dell'Accademia) and looked at the beautiful paintings. The color on some of the paintings is unbelievable. The technique to make some of the clothes look iridescent is really cool. The place was cool but not air conditioned. One thing to note about this place is that the women's rest room should be avoided (no toilet seat, no toilet paper, no soap, and no hand dryer or towels). This museum is lovely and the paintings are a treat to see, they should use some of the entrance fee (6,50 euro/person) to work on the rest room situation.

A bit more walking and we ended up back at San Marco Square and we headed to the Doge's palace. There were no lines so we were able to walk right in. Wow. The palace is extremely extravagant. Words cannot describe the detail of the place. We walked through the Doge's apartment as well as where the real work got done. The Court of 40, the Bridge of Sighs, and of course the prisons. Every ceiling in the apartment shined gold (is it real?) and the murals are massive. Crazy. The Bridge of Sighs is where individuals crossed before going to their cell. I am not sure why but a coworker wanted me to think of her as I crossed it... hm. She doesn't strike me as someone who would end up in a cell but it did make me smile when I thought of her.

After the Doge's opulent Palace, we needed to calm our eyes and brains so we decided to eat at San Giorgio, which has a lovely view of the Canal and Venice. A couple of Bellinis, a Quattro Formagi pizzette, and a giant plate of Spaghetti alla Carbonara and we just sat and watched people walk by as the sun was setting. This place is so unreal!

After dinner, Alan took me for a sunset gondola ride. Our gondolier was an older gentleman, very charming, who hummed, whistled, and sang as we glided along the water ways were we had walked all day. Gondolas are only used by tourists (and Venetians on their wedding day) but seeing the remnants of old house docks and the decor that once was from the water side was bitter sweet. Oh, to have seen it in its day.