Venice

Since the kids had Friday May 1st off as a holiday, we decided to take advantage of the long weekend to go to ...Venice. Sounds crazy I know, but we got $73 tickets to Milan round trip and a 2 1/2 hour train ride later found us in Venice. The city is frequently touted as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and I agree. Everywhere you look is a visual feast that a mere camera can hardly capture. Venice is actually comprised of 118 small islands in the marshy Venetian lagoon in the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy.

There are no cars on the main islands and we found ourselves wandering down various streets that looked more like large pedestrian sidewalks or just plain alleyways. The streets would frequently find us on beautiful curved bridges to take us over the canal ways below. The watery canals criss-cross the city allowing gondolas and private boat owners to navigate the city by water.

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Of course, if you go to Venice you really have to take a gondola ride. Luckily Corey bargained them down from really expensive to just mildly expensive. In fact, the negotiation process became part of our afternoon activities, but it was well worth it. We all enjoyed the ride.

After our ride we got to enjoy yet another fantastic dip of Italian ice cream (gelato). We definitely didn't lack for good food. The pizza and pasta is delicious.

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St. Mark's Square is one of the most famous areas on land in Venice. Ironically, Brody will be attending St. Mark's next year but in Dallas...not Venice. The St. Mark's Basilica, the Doge's Palace and the Bell Tower are all beautiful landmarks in the Square. When we weren't being swarmed by other tourists, we could actually enjoy these sites.

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We waited in line for 45 minutes to take an elevator to the top of the bell tower. The views were amazing. Corey and I even managed to get a picture of us at the top.

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Throughout St. Mark's Square and actually all of Venice you can find statues and pictures of lions, and in particular the image of the winged lion. Centuries ago when Venice was a nation, it adopted St. Mark as its patron saint. The apostle Mark is represented by a winged lion and this creature them came to symbolize Venetian power. Is it any wonder that St. Mark's in Dallas has a lion for its mascot?

We also enjoyed a tour of the Doge's Palace and a walk over the Bridge of Sighs. Evidently the bridge got its name because it connects the judicial rooms in the Palace to the prison. Prisoners walking to prison would get their last view of the outside world and beauty of Venice by looking through the small windows in the otherwise enclosed bridge.

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Ultimately, we had a wonderful time just walking around Venice. The shops are filled with Murano Glass made on neighboring Murano Island. The shops are also filled with inexpensive glass from China, so buyers beware. We also enjoyed looking at all the Venetian masks made famous by the Carnival of Venice.

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Some of our travels may blur together over time. Was that Budapest or Prague? But I have no doubt that Venice will always stand out as the unique city it is.

Finally, we say goodnight to Venice.