A city in the water!

August 4, 2009
VENICE! It was amazing! We arrived the night before and didn't get to see any of the city. But we woke up early and spent the entire day wandering around one of the most beautiful cities we have seen!
One of the most famous buildings in Italy, the Duomo. When it was built, it was considered the Doge's (mayor of Venice) chapel so that the government could control the building, not the church. It is magnificant and shows the Venitians love for oppulance and grandeur. Every inch is decorated and there is no possible way to see everything!

After awhile, we gave up looking at our map and just wandered through the town. Every street was a surprise, there might be a little 3' wide ally to walk through, or a canal to cross, or a huge square!

There are no cars allowed with the exception of the busses that transport people from the mainland onto the islets. But they are only allowed into one square near the train station. Getting around Venice is either done by foot, private boat, or you can take a water bus or taxi! To hail a water taxi, you go to the edge of the canal near a dock and whistle!

The Grand Canal! It was full of old beautiful palaces built 400 to 500 years ago, tons of people, old bridges, boats, and shops!

Piazza San Marco is the square in front of the Duomo and it is gigantic! At night, the cafes had live music and we spent a couple of hours enjoying the water front and the music!

Us on the Grand Canal!!!

Next to the Duomo is the Doge's Palace. Because all Venice did was trade, they were influenced by cultures all over the world. You can see the all of the different styles used throughout all of the buildings.

Another shot of the duomo!

We weren't allowed to take photos in the duomo and it was strictly enforced. AJ managed to sneak this shot in order to show how the entire ceiling is covered in gold leaf mosaic! The entire ceiling! The mosaics are made with tiny pieces of glass and so the surface just shimmers as you walk around.

One of the islets, Murano, is where glass blowing originated in Venice. There were mainly three different types of shops in Venice, glass shops selling tons of jewelry, vases, and figurines. There are tons of cafes and of course designer clothing stores! We spent hours wandering in and out of glass shops, we wanted to buy everything! Every store would have something unique not found in any other shop.

Titian's celebrate Asumption of the Virgin, one of the reasons Erika wanted to go to Italy! And it lived up to her expectations! It was huge, charged, colorful, and emotional!

While we saw everything we wanted to see in Venice in one day, we could have easily spent another day wandering around.

Keep going....lots more to read!