Venice, Italy

It is our last day in Venice and it will be a full one. We have booked a 6 hour tour to enjoy the highlights of Venice. The city should be chaotic with the addition of the Venice Marathon changing walking routes and the flooding that is occurring in St Marks Square.

We met our early morning minivan for transport to the City. Our original driver had an accident with his van but sent another person to pick us up. So far, so good.

We enjoyed another quiet early morning walk through the city to the place where our tour began. A very energetic young man led us through neighborhoods and campos (community squares) regaling us with historical facts and stories.

We wandered through the local market full of fish and vegetables.

We enjoyed a gondola ride from one of the side canals to the grand canal. The tide was high and they had to tip the gondola so the boat and gondolier could go under the bridges across the small canals.

We walked through now crowded streets to St. Marks Square, tiptoeing through flooded walkways and dodging people.

After lunch we visited the Doge’s Palace. This was the seat of power and governance of Venice from 810 until Napoleon occupied the city in 1797. The Palace became a museum in 1923.

We entered the Palace through the grand stairway. This long, marble stairway is decorated with a painted arched entryway created to impress visitors.

We spent an hour with the guide learning about the complex form of government that ruled Venice for centuries. The founding families maintained a political system that was designed to distribute power rather than invest power in one person. It was a complex system. It included a series of mailboxes where you could anonymously report the transgressions of your neighbors, friends and enemies.

After our time in the Doge’s Palace it was time to go to the St. Mark's Basilica. Due to the marathon we had to circumvent the plaza and go around the back of the Doge's Palace and the Basilica.

Our guide took us to a side entrance of the Basilica and asked that we be allowed to enter. The guard at the doorway wouldn’t allow it. But since the Kerrs were close to the guide, we got a glimpse of the interior.

We went to the front of the Basilica. It was flooded and people were removing their shoes and wading up to the front door. Several people were doing a brisk business selling plastic bags to use to wade through the water. As a side note, the water that floods the city is very filthy because the sewer system of Venice is questionable at best. There was no way we were wadding through almost knee deep water!

As we were at our time deadline to return to our minivan, a 30 minute walk away, we said goodbye to our guide and made our way through the maze of streets.

When we arrived our van wasn’t there. We had no idea how bad traffic would be and we thought that we were cutting it pretty close. We really didn't want to miss the ship. Patty and I brought all of our passports just in case we missed the ship. We waited for the to arrive while watching other vans come and go. By 3:30, we gave up on our driver. Bob found another van willing to take us to the port. The van driver practiced his racing skills and delivered us to our ship just in time. Whew.

We were glad to spend time in Venice. This one of a kind place.

By Patty/BrendaRead more