Day 31 - Venice

We arrived in Venice somewhat bleary eyed from lack of sleep, but the skies were clear and the sun was warm!! We found our hotel and stowed our luggage until we could check-in later in the morning. Then we bought a ticket on the "slow boat" water taxi for a cheap tour through the canals of Venice. We ended the tour of the Grand Canal at St. Mark's Square which is wonderfully lit in the early morning hours. We soaked in the sun and the views of the cathedral and the Campanile. We rode the elevator to the top of the Campanile (bell tower) - and just about got our ears shattered while enjoying the morning views of the city. Trust me, its very loud when those bells starting ringing. It certainly woke us up!

We took a stroll back to our hotel where we checked in and showered. One of the draw-backs to taking the overnight train is arriving in a new city without a much accustomed morning shower. But we decided that on both occasions the savings in time was worth the minor inconvenience. And besides, many Europeans are of the opinion that we Americans bathe much too often. We enjoyed a beautiful warm room with open windows and a large bed.

After a shower and a change of clothes we headed out into the busy streets of Venice. We bought some paper mache carnival masks and arranged to have them shipped directly home. We also did some other souvenir shopping and just generally enjoyed the warm, sunny atmosphere of this famous city.

We spent several hours at the Musei Civici Veneziani. It has some wonderful architecture - inside and out, paintings, scupture and gloomy, scary dungeons which you can wander through. Then we found the view of the Bridge of Sighs over the canal.

We took a break and had an afternoon cocktail right by the Rialto Bridge - the most expensive beer of the entire trip!    

Then we rode the slow boat water taxi again to St. Mark's Square - this time in evening light. And we ate dinner at a wonderful restaurant close-by. We took an evening stroll through the square and a romantic boat ride back to the hotel. We took a couple hours washing clothes at a Laundromat before we headed to bed and caught up on some much needed sleep.