Carly's Ramblings Blog - Style

Venice - Day 12 of our Virtual Trip of Europe

30 Day Blogging Challenge

August 12th Venice
"Venice, capital of northern Italy’s Veneto region, is built on more than 100 small islands in a marshy lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. Its stone palaces seemingly rise out of the water. There are no cars or roadways, just canals and boats. The Grand Canal snakes through the city, which is filled with innumerable narrow, mazelike alleys and small squares."

We pulled into Venice around 10 in the morning. More blue skies and warm weather. These virtual days are so pleasant - perfect summer days -- with no humidity! (In reality it is 32 degrees Celsius with a humidex of 40!)
We made it to our lodging - AWA Apartments San Marco. We have 5 apartments with 5 or 6 of us per room... that is not a bad thing... especially if we are not here much. And this is Venice, baby! Time to get out and explore!

http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/AWA-Venice-Apartments-San-Marco/Ven...

Lyn's a Witchy Woman had us on a two hour tour scheduled this morning, leaving us free to explore on our own this afternoon after lunch. We hooked back up for our dinner date.

So ready for a day of anything and everything we headed off to St. Marks Basilica and Doge's Palace. We met our knowledgeable guide at St.Mark’s Square and he lead us to the "majestic Doge’s Palace, where the Doge and his Council controlled the fate of a 1,000-year republic." We discovered the lavish Apartments with their splendidly decorated rooms and the masterpieces of famous artists, such as Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto. We admired the rich details of the Giants’ Staircase and the Golden Staircase, the Opera Museum, the Institutional Rooms and other extraordinary treasures. We crossed the famous Bridge of Sighs and experienced the prisoners’ anguish before reaching the notorious Venetian prison, where the well-known Giacomo Casanova and many others were imprisoned. We walked through the ornately-decorated halls of the Doge's Palace and found ourselves imagining a life during that Venetian golden age. How crazy is that?!

Then we headed across to see one of the world’s most majestic and imposing cathedral. The Basilica is a great artwork of immeasurable value. While inside the cathedral, we marveled at the major altar of St. Mark’s Cathedral and the Golden Pall, an exquisite example of Byzantine art with thousands of gems and precious stones, considered one of the most valuable objects in the world.

It was awe inspiring as we got to see the golden mosaics that adorn the interior of St. Mark's Basilica. For these few hours we got to immerse ourselves in the history of Venice through two of its most important buildings.

https://www.viator.com/tours/Venice/Skip-The-Line-St-Marks-Basilica-and-Doges-Pa...

Once the tours were over, I decided to explore. The many of the rest stopped for lunch, but I was not yet ready to eat.... to eager to get on with ambling through as much of Venice as my body could take.

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Venice,+Italy/@45.405375,12.3116744,12z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x477eb1daf1d63d89:0x7ba3c6f0bd92102f!8m2!3d45.4408474!4d12.3155151

On my travels I came across a lovely English bookshop.... with cats that roam around.... and a boat in the shop.... Librera acqua alta - library of high water. Apparently the bookshop gets flooded every year... but it just floats!

http://www.cookiesound.com/2013/12/the-most-interesting-bookshop-in-the-world-li...

Hey, I needed a postcard to mail to myself and what better place to find it. I was not interested in the regular touristy things... and this pushed my buttons. I was pleased to find several other bookshops in the area as well. I also bought a map as a keepsake.

I also wandered around Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo. Really quite a lovely area.

https://www.google.ca/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x477eae2400000075%3A0x16f1a9e6aa2ebe4b!2m5!2m2!1i80!2i80!3m1!2i100!3m1!7e115!4shttps%3A%2F%2Fssl.panoramio.com%2Fphoto%2F65386204!5s%20-%20Google%20Search&imagekey=!1e4!2s61260887

I found a lovely cafe to enjoy some very good coffee and sample some wonderful food. Afterward I wandered the shops close by... I found a really nice leather backpack I could not resist.

I made it back to our rooms in time to get ready for dinner. Dinner was at seven thirty and Lyn's a Witchy Woman had us going on a Gondola and Serenade with dinner to follow. Apparently I got on the boat with Fivesixer and got to hear his operatic performance. Heavens to murgatroid! What a sound! My ears were ringing for quite some time.

The traditional gondola boat ride was for a 35-minutes through the Grand Canal and some of the city’s smaller waterways.While onboard musicians provide a passionate soundtrack of Italian ballads, with the occasional Norb accompaniment. We had a blast. We got to savor an authentic Venetian meal at the top-rated Hostaria Ai Coristi Restaurant. I have to admit I ate way too much!

https://www.viator.com/tours/Venice/Venice-Gondola-Ride-and-Serenade-with-Dinner...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQsWZ9d8StU
A beautiful picture....
https://www.viator.com/photos/Venice-tours/Venice-Gondola-Ride-and-Serenade-with...


The view from our little abode:
http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/AWA-Venice-Apartments-San-Marco/Ven...

Videos:
https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show/venice-city-of-dreams...

End the map is in the shape of a heart:
https://www.google.ca/search?q=verona+italy+points+of+interest&sa=X&rlz=1C1KAFB_...