Venice – May 28-29

After breakfast we crossed the canal and found a pharmacy that had the medication that I needed for my bile salt problem.  Thank goodness it didn’t require a prescription in Italy.  This picture was taken from on top of the bridge.

We walked around on that side of the canal for a while.  There were market places in several of the big squares.   I think these are artichokes but I’m not sure.

Then we got back on a water bus and just rode.  We got off again at St. Mark’s Square and took more pictures there from different angles.

Then we just rode some more and took more pictures.  This is the CHURCH OF MADONNA DELLA SALUTE.

 

These buildings were covered with frescos or mosaics.  I couldn’t really tell from the distance.

After dinner we sat out in front of the hotel until the lights came on.  This is truly a magical place.

Our last day in Venice didn’t start out too good for me so I sent Wayne out on his own.  When he returned at dinner time he said he thought he had walked on every street in Venice and gotten lost three times.  He also got some more pictures.  Here is one of the water buses.

  

We think this was either a foreign ministry or some official government building with it’s private boats.

Don’t know what this impressive building is.

 

Another beautiful church.  S. SIMEONE PICCOLO

An excursion boat.

A close up of the Bridge of Sighs with a gondolier below in the canal.

CHURCH OF SAN MOISÈ

And he finally found the only McDonalds in Venice.

For more pictures of our trip to Italy and the Greek Isles go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/marynelle/ and click on the place or date that you want to see more of.

Venice, Italy

We took a water taxi from the dock to our hotel.

 

Knowing that Venice is all built on the water doesn’t prepare you for actually seeing it.

All of the buildings that face the water have docks at their doors.

Our hotel was right across the street from the train station which is the one story white building on the left.

This is our hotel right on the grand canal with tables and chairs outside for sipping wine and people watching.

Our room was small but beautifully decorated with Murano glass chandeliers.

After we unpacked we ate lunch at a snack bar and pizzeria down the street.

Here we are getting ready to enjoy our wine and pizza.

 

After lunch we took a boat over to Murano Island and saw more of Venice on the way.  Unfortunately the graffiti artists have found a canvas in Venice as well as Rome.

There are lots of bell towers in Venice.

When we arrived on Murano we were greeted by a guide from the Signoretti Glass Factory.  This signage was a beautiful mosaic.

We were shown the process of blowing the glass and curing the pieces before being taken to the show rooms.

It was more like a museum as nothing had a price on it but it was all for sale for a very expensive price.

We rode a water bus back from Murano to St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco).  As we walked towards St. Mark’s Square Wayne got a good picture of the Bridge of Sighs.

St. Mark’s Square was very busy.  The architecture was beautiful.

 

On the left side of the square was an outdoor restaurant with this pretty old street lamp.

Here I am in front of Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale).

Further down the street there were gondolas everywhere.

We took the water bus back to the hotel passing this beautiful church

and the Rialto Bridge.

     We had a very busy first day in Venice so we enjoyed a glass of wine and watched the people go by before we went to dinner.

Final day of cruise

Feeling much better today so was able to enjoy our last day at sea. Tonight in the dining room the waiters paraded around with baked Alaskas.

After we saw the pieces they served we decided these were fake.

I chose the Love Boat Dream chocolate mousse which was delicious.

Wayne got dressed and went up on deck when the captain announced that we were coming into Venice. I stayed in my pajamas. Here are his pictures.

St. Mark’s Square at night.

Can’t wait until tomorrow.

Katakolon and Corfu

I was confined to my room again while we were docked at Katakolon and Wayne was still tired from Athens and Corinth so neither of us went ashore.  I was still quarantined while we were at Corfu but Wayne went ashore. 

Here is a street scene from the old town of Corfu.

Corfu has a mix of Greek and Venetian style buildings.

This is a picture of the old fortress.

This is Corfu’s New Fortress that actually dates back as far as 1576.  It was build during the Venetian’s 400-year reign over Corfu.

Unlike most Greek islands with their white washed buildings, Corfu is really quite colorful.