Today was the oddest day of our vacation so far as it involved Krista and the boys planning it.
So this is how the day looks.
Wake up at 10. Walk around aimlessly for 2 hours. Return to the hotel at 12 for an hour while it rains.
I found a few trinkets and a gondoliers shirt to buy. We had lunch at the grocery store. Much cheaper. 2 Heineken and a tuna sandwich for $4. That's good shopping !
There is an inordinately large number of people with strollers in Venice. This is a pain for everyone involved as those who own them need two people to carry them and down stairs. They are extremely difficult to maneuver around as well. Having little kids here would be a lot of work. But being the hell of a fella i I helped many of them lift those strollers up and down all those steps remembering what it was like having two young boys and a Jeep stroller that weighed more than me.
We found a few pieces of art we liked and purchased one to hang in the living room. We made our way to St Marks Cathedral that had only a 10 minute lineup vs a 2 hour lineup in the heat yesterday and this morning. Tickets were free and the church was spectacular. Venice was in competition for the best church in Italy to impress the Pope so it was as lavish as you can imagine.
We lined up for the bell tower which was 100m tall and well worth the family price of $24.
The view from the top was completely surreal. The buildings in the city are so close together that you can't even tell there are waterways or roads between them. The island completely surrounded by water with the airport off in the distance was stunning from that height and we spent a long time up there. Krista and the boys left first and went down to the middle of St Marks Square where I took some pictures and videos of them looking like ants so far below.
We had intentions of going to the#1 rated attraction in all of Venice - The Doges Palace - but the lineups were so incredibly long we couldn't justify it. There was no lineup this afternoon at 5 so in we went for the family cost of 48 Euro.
We were not disappointed.
The Doge was similar to a king and had supreme powers over the city. There were over 40 Doges represented in photos in one of the many display rooms we entered. The lavish meeting rooms for Government officials was something else.
After going through several wings of the palace, we went over the Bridge of Sighs - the last chance for prisoners to see daylight - before they were interned rather permanently in the basements below. The poorer you were the harsher you were treated for your crimes. The richer you were, the better treatment you received. It was a different world for the rich vs the poor. Some things never change. ...
The prisons were what you would expect and after a 2 hour tour we had had enough. I
We stopped at the same Chinese restaurant and grabbed some takeout food for the boys and left them at the hotel while Krista and I went out for supper.
We stopped at a couple leather shops and haggled over purses till we got the right price.
We made our way over Rialto bridge and found an affordable restaurant to have supper right on the waterfront. Darren introduced himself to a couple from Washington DC and visited for a bit.
We ordered cannelloni and ravioli soaked in fresh mushrooms and sauce. Superb!
After we finished, we wandered back and stopped to watch 2 young men from Moscow play violins.
They were INCREDIBLE to say the least we stayed for about 6 songs and really enjoyed it.
We wandered our way home, checked email and called it a night.
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