Venice June 16 2013

On Sunday we headed back to Venice for one last day of fighting crowds.  We caught a fast Vaporetto to San Marcos Square.  On the way we got a pic of the Realto Bridge, one of the 3 bridges that cross the Grand Canal and probably the most famous.

One of the many palazzos along the Canal

We couldn't get into Basilica San Marco but J wanted to see the Doge's Palace.  We got tickets at a museum so we walked right past the line of people at the entrance.  Inside the Doge's Palace is a rather large square with the Basilica of San Marcos in the backdrop.

The stairway leading up to the where the Doge met people.  Even the most powerful people had to climb these stairs, including the Pope.  The Doge didn't walk down stairs to meet anyone.

Another view of the square from the 3rd floor balcony.  No pics were allowed inside the palace except in the prison.  The Palace was filled with paintings by the old masters including Titian and Tintoretto.  A lot of Titian's work was lost in a fire in the late 1500s.  We rushed thru the palace because if you stopped and looked at everything you would be there for a week. 

This is the last view that a sentenced prisoner saw of the canals of Venice as he walked across the "Bridge of Sighs".   This covered bridge led from the courts of the Palace to the prison.  There is an exterior pic in the July 15 blog of Venice.

The bars to one of the cells.

After the Doge's Palace we caught a Vaporetto to Murano, an island in the lagoon that specializes in glass.  Of course Johanna wanted to shop.  Murano has canal like Venice.  While J shopped I found a patch of grass and took a nap.  After a good doze she woke me up and had gotten something for her sister.   We wondered thru town to the next vaporetto pier and caught a boat to Burano.

On the way to Burano I shot a pic of another leaning church tower.  There's one in Venice also.  This was on Murano I think.

Burano is famous for lace.  J wanted to get some presents for the Hoffman girls.  She ended up getting 3 lace umbrellas.  In Burano they paint their houses with different bright colors and have canals also.

It was late afternoon so we decided to eat at a little canal side café.  J ordered Calamari and I got pasta with clams and Mussels.  The food was great and lots of it.  J has discovered the spritz which can be made with compari or prosecco depending on which place you ordered it.   

Lunch

Some of the bright colored houses of Burano.  After laying in the park for while to let the crowds subside we headed back to Plaza Roma.  We took a vaporetto that went on a route we hadn't been on yet and came into the Grand canal form a different direction.  I think we had seen enough of Venice.  We caught a bus back to Mestre and called it a day and packed to leave the next morning.