Day 39- Venice

After a reasonable sleep, apart from a few loud people walking passed our window, we had a breakfast of croissants, cereal and Marilyn's favourite- coffee flavoured yoghurt! (Yes coffee flavoured-only in Italy!!!). We had a relaxing morning talking to Paul's parents and Marilyn's brother via Skype. We then decided to venture out and wander the sometimes narrow streets and dirty, crowded but charming Venice. We found our way passed the church they used for the Indiana Jones film "The Last Crusade" where they were inside the library searching for a way under the floor. Once Indy and Dr. Elsa Schneider find there way out, they come up through a man hole in the Piazza in front of this particular church. Cool hey!

 We then made our way to the train station, which is where we took a boat along the Grand Canal to see Venice from the water. Unfortunately there were too many people on the boat to really enjoy the view- we were squashed on like sardines! We got off the boat at St. Marco Piazza along with a thousand other people. The Piazza San Marco is dominated by 2 of the most important buildings in Venice – The Basilica San Marco and the Doge’s Palace. The square is bordered by the elegant buildings of the Procuratie which houses elegant boutiques and open air cafes on the ground floor. The Campanile is the bell tower of San Marco Square. The first tower was built in 1173 and was used as a lighthouse to navigate the ships.

We then found our way to the famous Rialto Bridge. The Rialto Bridge is the most famous of the bridges that cross the Grand Canal. Back when Venice was a popular marine destination, big cargo ships coming from many other countries stopped here in order to unload and sell their merchandise wholesale. Here gathered Venetians, with silk and spices from the Orient, traders from Florence , Germany and many others coming from other parts of Italy and from across the Alps. Today the Rialto Bridge is one of the most visited tourist attractions of the city. The view is amazing!

Once back at our hotel, we decided to get some washing down-it's not always easy to find a laundrette in places like Venice!! We managed, but it was disaster after another- the floor flooded and then we tried to put clothes in the dryer (without slipping on the flooded floor), but the maching kept eating our money! Dilemma- not dryer=wet clothes=no clothes line. Let's just say our hotel room looked like a Chinese laundry!

To get over our frunstrations, we decided the best thing for us was to find some greasy Italian pizza and have it as take-away to our room. The  walk there and back was so pleasant, we had forgotten our previous frustrations!

 Venice is definitely worth a visit as it is very charming and romantic- no we didnt go on a gondola! The city of Venice sets official rates for gondola rides, which start at €80 ($110) for 40 minutes. Additional 20-minute increments are €40. After 7 p.m., the base rate climbs to €100, with €50 for an additional 2 minutes.  Special services, such as singing, can boost the fare even more. Oh well, it's just as lovely watching them go by and not having to worry that our pockets are now empty!