Day 7: Venice: Magnificence and Decay

 Today I should just post pictures; I am not up to the task of describing Venice. But I will say that I woke this morning with a sore throat, fatigue, and brain fog. Not a great way to start a once-in-a-lifetime tour of Venice. Luckily Phil took over, finding bus information, leading the way, making sure I had what I needed. After a couple of aspirin I felt better and was glad I had not stayed at the hotel.

We bought three-day passes that are good on bus and also water transportation in Venice. A great deal. The bus ride from our hotel is about half an hour, over the bridge from the mainland to the actual island city of Venice (disappointingly, our hotel is on the mainland).

Arriving in old Venice, we followed Rick Steves’ advice and took the vaporetto #1 (the slow boat) down the Grand Canal all the way to St. Mark’s Square, listening to a downloaded tour of the canal (also from Rick Steves) on our phones. The grandest homes are along the Grand Canal, but many have flooding on their ground floor and can use only the upper floors. So magnificent chandeliers hang above mildewed, wet marble floors. The water level is rising; about 100 days of the year an alarm sounds, signaling a high tide, and people rush home to roll up rugs and lift furniture off the ground.

Here are a few photos:




What makes old Venice so magnificent is that nothing new has been built there (except hospitals, etc) for centuries. Property owners are not permitted to change the basic structure or appearance of these homes, many of which date back to the 1500s and 1600s. I saw no cars; all transport is via boat or foot. Basically, the whole city is a museum, looking just as it has (except a bit worn) since it was built.

We walked along the wharf near St. Mark’s Square, enjoyed a gelato, walked the narrow passageways (filled with shops and restaurants). Many shops sell masks and costumes such as those used in Venice’s Winter Carnival:



The sun was hot by the time we reached the Square, with crowds of people milling about, pigeons and seagulls squawking, orchestra music coming from several cafes. But most overwhelming was the presence of St. Mark’s Cathedral, built in the 1500s with a montage of styles from different cultures and stunning:



We have a tour (self-guided) scheduled for 3 p.m. tomorrow (Monday). 

The outdoor cafes along the Square often compete with orchestras, especially as evening draws near and patrons get up to dance in the square after dinner.


There was one particularly hungry patron:

Avoiding the seagull, we had a quick bite to eat, did the Rick Steves’ self-guided tour of the Square, and then took a boat out to one of the islands in the lagoon, mainly to get away from the crowds and enjoy a fresh breeze. We went to Murano (the island famous for glass-making) but decided not to get off the boat to explore. It was so nice just to sit! And to see the Venice skyline as merchants and traders must have seen it centuries ago:


Returning to old Venice in late afternoon, we walked to the large city park, then strolled some of the back streets and found a small sidewalk cafe that served beer and lasagne. 


From there we made our way back to the boat taxi (vaporetto) and returned to the bus station on the other end of the island. Here are some other photos from the day:











A lovely, lovely day. So glad we have two more here.


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