Yesterday I wrote a lengthy and very descriptive blog all about Venice. As I was trying to add a photo (which was taking AGES to upload) I thought I would cancel the upload but ended up deleting the whole post! Hmmph!!!
So here I go again.
We leave Lake Maggorie and head for Venice following the southern fringes of the Alps. On the way we have a stopover at Verona, the setting for one of the sadest love stories. The town of Verona is lovely. We wandered the narrow streets and went to the place where Juliet lived. Her balcony is still there and there is also a statue of Juliet. Rumour has it that if you touch her breasts you will find true love….so guess what all the tourists were doing…perfect photo opportunity for some!
I highly suggest you put a visit to Venice on your bucket list because my description will hardly do it justice. The whole place is a group of islands with all the buildings built with their huge wooden beam foundations rammed into the sea floor. Each building is built right beside the other with only 6-10 foot gaps for walking paths. The tour guide said that if one building is demolished the whole neighborhood houses would become unstable and fall down! Imagined that!
Each area is also divided up by canals. The only mode of transport is by foot or various boats. The grand canal is the biggest canal and it has a huge bridge leading from the train station across to the main island and the hundreds of hotels! Yes it is a huge tourist spot. Actually the tourist trade probably keep Venice alive.
We stayed on an Island near Venice and had to go over the ocean by boat each time we went over to ‘discover’ Venice. Our Hotel was fabulous and the area around the Hotel was a great place to look around. The afternoon we arrived we wandered around and found lots of buildings and neat views to photograph.
The main things you can purchase in Venice are glass products, masks and various items made from lace. We visited a glass factory and watched a man make a vase and a horse by the blowing hot glass technique. The connected shop sold a huge number of items created in the factory from a 10 thousand euro chandelier to a 10euro bead! Hmmm….think I’d need a lotto win to consider buying something from there.
The reason why there are so many masks for sale is because each celebration over the years was a masquerade theme. This was so that each person was on the same level from the noble to the needy. People could hide behind the mask and mix with people the weren’t normally allowed to associate with…including the priests and nuns…so the tour guide said!
As part of our tour we went for a ride on a Gondola. The last time I went to Venice we didn’t go on the Goldolas as they were far too expensive, so to actually have that experience this time was a real treat. I loved it!
There were also some incredible cathedrals. St Marks the most well known and the surrounding square is fabulous.
We also went for an excursion to the island of Burano – a photgrapher’s paradise and famous for it’s lace. Shops selling lace everywhere! We enjoyed a superb lunch sampling local specialities…Judy loved it, me not so much…mainly seafood.
Last time I visited Venice it poured down both days. This time we endured temperatures in the high 30’s. it was so hot and high humidity as well! But still well worth the visit. This time I had a ride in a Gondola as well. What an amazing experience going through the maze of canals and under numerous bridges and watching the hundreds of people wandering the little alleys…and seeing the building as we floated by. I took sooooo many photos. I am not going to forget my time in Venice!