Europe 14 - Day 29

Introduction

We woke the next morning to cooler air and a sea breeze. After an early breakfast at the hotel there was time to wander down to the beach, the famous Lido. Then by ferry back to Venice and the Doge's Palace. From there we took another ferry to Burano Island for lunch and then back to the hotel for a rest and pizzas from the local shop for dinner.

Lido to the Doge's Palace

As with most Italian resort beaches it had been carefully groomed and cleaned overnight. The tourist season had not started. All the beach cabins and deck chairs were ready to be used but still unoccupied. The sand was an uninviting grey adn very sticky. Overnight our bus had caught up with us using one of the large car ferries, so it was ready to take us to the ferry wharf for our ride back to Piazza San Marco. There we had a guided tour of the Doge's Palace. Photography is not allowed in most of the palace but you can photgraph outside and in the prison cells. Backpacks are also prohibited but they have an efficient security office where these can be stored.

Our hotel from the beach.	Looking northeast....	And southwest along the beach.
Bathing tents and grey, clinging sand.	We gathered outside the hotel waiting for the bus.	Waiting at the ferry terminal for our transport to Venice.
This was a bit big big for us.	The little green one was ours.	Back in Venice we joined the throng pouring along the waterfront...
Passing the statue...	More canals	And then the Bridge of Sighs.
	We queued up for the opening of the Ducal Palace.	The outside was covered in scaffolding, but inside the ornate architecture was revealed.
	Wonder what would happen in an earthquake??	Inside, we climbed the stairs.
Photographed the ceiling and then had to put all cameras away.	Later, we entered the prison cells.	And the passage across the canal.
That pattern looks familiar. Yes its the Bridge of Sighs from the inside.	And that is the view through the bars.	In the canal below gondolas drifted past. This one had a wedding party.

Venice !

After the Palace we visited a glassblowing studio. Centuries earlier the glassblowers of Venice had been banished to Murano Island as a precaution against fire. They are still there today but some shops are allowed to have small electric furnaces to demonstrate their art. We then had an hour to wander the streets before neeting for the ferry to Burano. We walked through the narrow streets to find the Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge. The ferry took us past Murano to the Burano. Here, all the houses are brightly painted, reputedly so that the fishermen could find their way home. Today the island is a tourist mecca for the pictures, lacework and the food.

Take a lump of hot glass, pull a few bits here....	Twist a few more bits there...	Stand it up, twist this bit and you have... A CAT!
Then we went on to the Rialto Bridge.	From the bridge looking onto the Grand Canal.	Yes, I was there.
The gelato shops are everywhere, and you need them in the heat.	Back to San Marco and the Danieli Hotel.	Not our ferry.
A long cruise boat.	Passing the Arsenal, the old Italian Navy base. That is an old submarine between the towers.	The lighthose at the end of the island.
Then we were into the main channel of the lagoon, along with plenty of smaller boats.	Some had mermaid figurines stretched out on the bow.	Murano Island where the glassblowers work.
A glassblower studio.	In the distance, Venice Airport with three planes.	We now reached Burano Island.
That tower looks a bit crooked.	One of the canals on Burano and the painted houses.	The colours reflected off the calm water.
	Even the local boats have small restaurants on board.	TWhere else can you hang the washing. In that heat it was dry in ten minutes.
Plenty of people walking through the town.	Lace was the main commodity.
Also the Venice masks.	Looks like pizza.	Then we settled inside for a long lunch.
Colour was everywhere.
This is where we dined.	Then back past the lace...	The coloured shops...
The bright reflections...	And on to the pier to wait for our boat.	We headed back across the lagoon.
Following the markers.	A speed limit sign..!	Followed by a police launch with siren. Yes, we were speeding.....
Nearing the main island of Venice there is an even larger cruise ship.	The Nieuw Amsterdam.	Back to the Lido and our bus waiting for us.

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Last updated: 4/11/2014