Venice

HH, Michael, and I arrived Sunday night in Venice for the last leg of our trip. Unfortunately, it was rainy and cold. Fortunately, our bed and breakfast had an old European romance and we received the advice to sleep in, music to my ears! (This was because the streets flood. The Venice we saw was one wet city!)

We went out to get dinner, but without our trusty Rick Steves, we were lost - you might even say trapped - tourist trapped! It is easy to fall into tourist traps in Venice, a city whose economy is based on tourism. We really thought the café we chose looked likely to be good...until we noticed the lack of Italians, the Asian waitstaff (who seemed to be microwaving things), and the menu written in four languages with suspicious asterisks. (*Something I picked up on while in Rome was that the use of frozen food in Italian restaurants must be indicated by an asterisk.) Our food was lamentable, but at least we had each other and our jokes! (And really, who should be complaining about being in the lovely and romantic city of Venice?) Afterward, we consoled ourselves by stopping for hot chocolates and Halloween cookies. =)

In front of St. Mark's Basilica

All Saints' Day dawned (still rainy), and we went to mass at the Basilica de San Marco. Inside, we looked up to see gold, gold, gold...the ceiling was covered in beautiful mosaics and domed arches.
Just next door to the basilica is the Doge's Palace, showing how very close church and state were back in the day in Venice. The Doge's Palace reminded me of Versailles with its ornate apartments and state rooms, decorated using symbols of power like Greek or Roman deities. The palace was also decorated with many paintings of kneeling doges (who wear gold and fur, and a special hat), and the largest oil painting in the world (Il Paradiso) in the Grand Council room.

Doge's Palace

St. Mark's Square

Still within the Doge's Palace, we saw the Council of Ten room from which prisoners were sentenced (complete with secret-passage to the dungeons), and walked over the "Bridge of Sighs" connecting the palace to its prison cells. An enjoyable and interesting visit! Another great visit was the Frari chapel, full of artwork (especially by Titian).

After bidding adieu to HH, I had one more day to spend in Venice before my night train, so Michael and I walked around, and found some quaint neighborhood squares and alleys (the more authentic Venice, we speculated). We also went on a search for a church called St. Barnaba (in an Indiana Jones movie), and inside it we discovered a Da Vinci exhibition.

In Venice, it is so peaceful walking around and over bridges, and never worrying about crossing the street...because there are no cars!  (Contrary to Rome, where I was constantly afraid of being run over -- you'd think there are no traffic rules!) Everyone also says it is a romantic city, and by the time we got to it, I already missed Mitch. Even though Venice was not my favorite of the cities visited--partially because of the rain, and also the fact that we couldn't find such good food as in Florence--it is a unique place and I'm grateful I had the chance to visit it!