For this trip, even though we were visiting a lot places, we were not changing hotels too often. Our stay in Venice was to be the shortest, at only two nights, but that makes sense, as we certainly would not use it as a base to explore any other cities, and personally one day in Venice is PLENTY. We had both visited before and, as anyone who has visited there before knows, it can be overwhelming. The crowds are something, and while beautiful in so many ways, it is kind of like Manhattan, in that it is best enjoyed in measured doses.
I think our hotel was completely full of tour groups, from multiple tours companies, including two other Gate1 groups. For breakfast, they had each company segregated into different eating venues. After breakfast, we all congregated outside, along the canal, from where we took a short walk across two bridges, to meet a boat that was to take us to the island of Murano, which is famous for its Venetian glass. The boat was too tall to travel under the bridges in Venice proper, so instead it took us about into the lagoon which surrounds Venice, past the main ports where produce and supplies arrive, as well as the cruise ships (luckily, none were in town this day, as we were told it is even crazier when the ships arrive). We then essentially sailed all the way around Venice, and up north into Murano. Embarrassingly, I did not know the history of Venice, and it would beat into me by multiple guides over the course of this day. It was emphasized that Venice is "very young," especially compared to Rome. It really only started in 8th Century, many many hundreds of years after Rome. When the onslaught of the Germanic tribes swarmed s0outhward into Italy, it became almost an annual cycle of rape and pillage against the villages of people living on the mainland in northeast Italy. Every spring, the "huns" would come down, on their way toward Rome, and ravage the villages. The same would happen in the fall, when they retreated northward again, ahead of the winter. As a refuge, the tribes ultimately moved to a series of essentially sandbars that dotted the lagoon of what is now Venice. Over time, they used large timber beams to fortify the sandbars, eventually building them up into dozens of proper islands. In the brackish water, the timber petrified, become as solid as concrete. With that, they were protected from the Huns by the surrounding lagoon, and that allowed them to grow and flourish, ultimately growing into the mighty maritime power they became, which lasted late into the 18th Century.
On Our Boat Ride Around Venice, through the Lagoon, to Reach Murano
Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, Built To Mark End of Plague in 1630 (Festival Held Every Year and Boats Tied Themselves Together to Form a Walking Bridge To Reach the Church from Venice Proper)
St. Marks Square, from the Water
Quarantine Island (Anyone arriving in Venice with signs of illness were sent here until they were well enough to be allowed into the city; original of the term "quarantine.")
Bridge of Sighs (links the Doge's Palace and the Prison); name comes as prisoner's crossing it from court, in the palace, rarely ever returned.
Standing Row Team (evidently a huge sport in Venice)
At Murano, we toured a glass factory, seeing their traditional way of making and crafting glass. Yes, it was touristy, but it was also really neat to see, and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. We eventually reboarded our boat and headed to the San Marco Plaza, where we met up with our local guides. Given our group size, and the realities of trying to navigate the narrow and crowded streets of the city, we were divided into two groups, each with our own guide. As with all of our tours, we had our "Whispers," which are receivers we wear around our necks, connected to ear phones from which we can hear the guide. This allows us to space out and still hear what is going on.
In Murano, Glassblower at Work
Our guide was quite good, and she commenced taking us on about a 90-minute walking tour, the majority of which was focused on the history of the city, and explaining how they live today. They have lost about 2/3 of their population over the last 40 years, with more folks moving out all the time. There was, of course, much talk about the problems posed by climate change, to include the regular flooding. They have in recent years installed multi-billion-dollar retractable levees around the city, which help against the worst flooding, but they do not offer 100-percent protection. In fact, as I'll write about later, the day after we left Venice, the city flooded with more than four feet of water, and that is after the emergency levees were deployed.
Throughout the tour, the guide kept reminding us to stay to the right. The walkways are narrow and, despite all the tourists, the local residents (and those making deliveries, etc.) have to be able to move around, so everyone is implored to "stay right" and "make way." As such, our tour group was stretched out in a long line. With our Whispers, we did not need to see the guide to hear her, so that helped. We were crossing over one bridge, making a quick right and then immediate left, down a narrow alleyway. I was near the front, immediately behind the guide who was leading the way. We had already entered the narrow alleyway when a man on our tour yelled ahead to "stop," as a woman had fallen. The guide ran back around the corner, and then someone yelled, "Allen, it's your wife!" So then I was running back around the corner. We found Katherine at the base of the bridge, being held up in a sitting position. Her eyes were closed and she was bleeding below her eye. Everyone gathered around her. She started to ask where I was, to which I held her shoulder and told her I was right there. We encouraged her to open her eyes, which she eventually did. While this was going on, the guide was calling our main guide, Johnny. As soon as she had him on the line, Johnny was ready to arrange an ambulance boat to come pick her up, but Katherine insisted on going on. I think she was embarrassed by all the attention. I asked some folks around her what happened. They said she was walking down the bridge taking pictures and next thing they knew, she was on her face. As best we can surmise, she was at the last uneven step on the bridge, was looking forward, and missed the last step, resulting her taking a heavy fall forward. Her glasses and phone went flying, but surprisingly neither was broken. We washed her face and got her standing. She insisted on going on. She was a little unsteady and held on to me for the remainder of the tour. Only later did we realize the extent of her bruises, as her face, lip, shoulder, and knee were all severely bruised, and would remain so for the remainder of the trip. She was sure she had broken her jaw and perhaps some teeth, but luckily neither was true. She remained shaken up for a while, but was determined to press on, so press on we did.
His First Vespa!
You Can See how the Tower is Leaning, due to Settling (taken from the bridge on which Katherine fell)
Within 30 minutes, we met up with the other tour group in San Marco's Piazza. Johnny came up to us immediately, and sent a fellow guide to get a bag of ice from one of the nearby restaurants, which we soon had in hand. He again offered to get her a doctor, but she refused. By now, everyone in the other group had heard of the mishap and many came up to offer condolences and words of support. Many shared stories of falls they had taken over the years, and everyone was very kind. Still, I know K was embarrassed by all of the attention.
With K making it clear that she did not want help, our group was ready to break for the day. The majority of the group had signed up for optional gondola tours in the afternoon, but we passed on that, which worked out well. K had already said she wanted to visit the oldest coffee house in Italy, the Cafe Florian, which opened in 1720. We asked Johnny how to find it, and he pointed to the literal bank of umbrellas directly behind us, on San Marcos Piazza. He cautioned us that it was extremely overpriced, but at this point we didn't care. It was just before noon and crowds were gathering to watch the bells ring, and we were fortunate to score an outside table for two at Cafe Florian. It was a good opportunity to K to settle, so we ordered some spritzes and a light lunch.
We've Reach St. Marks Square
The Campanile di San Marco
Lunch at the Florian Cafe (oldest in Venice)
For the remainder of the afternoon, we had booked an outside guided tour of St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace, both of which we could see from where we sat at Cafe Florian. We wanted to see the inside of both, and a tour seemed the best option. It was quite warm by now, and we sought out a shady spot in a nearby park while we waited for our anointed meeting time for the tour. Our group was small, only about six of us, and our guide was outstanding. She was an archeologist who grew up, studied, and now works in Venice. We again had wireless headsets to hear her as we went, which were a Godsend, as the crowds, particularly in St. Mark's, were quite thick. The tour included "front-of-the-line" access to both sites, so that helped. Her lectures in both places were outstanding, and really put a lot more context behind the city's history and demise. This was definitely a highlight for me. I found it fascinating that the Venetians had essentially "kidnapped" the body of St. Mark from Egypt. The papacy had essentially excommunicated the Venetians for the "wickedry" of their economic prowess. To show not only Venetian citizens but others that they were in fact "favored by God," a plot was hatched to steal the body of St. Mark from Alexandria, Egypt. The body was smuggled into Venice, past Muslim sentries, beneath a literal pile of rotting pork. Ever since then, St. Mark has been the patron saint of Venice, despite the fact that he never set foot there and had no other affiliation with the city.
The Arcade Around St. Marks (SHADE!)
Basilica of St. Marks
Entering St. Marks
Church originally did not have seats. The stained areas are hair oil stains left from parishioners who leaned against the columns.
The original "Horses of St. Marks," which used to be outside. They were confiscated from Constantinople in 1204 and are now a symbol of Venice
The Square of St. Marks
Doge's Palace, Taken from Terrace of St. Marks
From St. Mark's we walked next door to the Doge's Palace. Our feet were already sore, and it remained hot, so we very much welcomed the 15-minute break she gave us before we started the second half of the tour. We cooled off with some sodas, recharged as much as we could, and resumed the touring. Here, too, her tour was amazing. She provided so much detail, it was almost overwhelming. As a welcome surprise, there were no crowds here. We usually had each room to ourselves for a while, until another group came in behind us, but it made for a much more relaxed atmosphere.
Interior Courtyard of the Doge's Palace
Il Paradiso, by Jacopo Tintoretto, considered the largest canvas painting in the world
Taken from the Bridge of Sighs (Last View Many Prisoners Ever Saw)
By the time we wrapped up, we were properly spent. It had been a very long day. We had reservations for dinner, but still had (on paper) plenty of time to get back to the hotel, freshen up, and make it. We discussed taking the "bus" -- of course, a boat -- from San Marcos to our hotel, but K insisted she wanted to see the Rialto Bridge, which meant that we would walk back. We had a map, but for anyone who has been to Venice, you know they are useless. In addition to the natural protection afforded by the water surrounding Venice, another built-in defense were the actual streets, which were purposely built in no order, with endless dead-ends. By our first turn, we were already off the map. There were signs that directed us toward Rialto Bridge, which helped, but I ended up firing up Google Maps to find us. I have to give the Italians huge props, as they have installed micro-cells throughout Venice, and we had excellent phone coverage, even in the narrowest of alleyways, with no clear view to the sky. I'm not sure how we would have made it out without the phone, to be honest.
Part way through, K's fall, the heat, and the length of the day caught up with her. She now wanted to take the bus, but it was no longer an option. Instead, we found a small restaurant down a tiny alleyway, where we sat down to rest and have a couple of spritzes to cool off. That helped, though the final 20-25 minutes to the hotel seemed quite long. Back at the hotel, we had enough time for a basic clean-up, as well as an opportunity to assess K's injuries.
Rialto Bridge
I had booked us a highly rated restaurant within walking distance of our hotel; it was in fact a Michelin-rated restaurant. I was sure our table was booked for 7:00pm, but when we got there -- exactly at the top of the hour -- we walked in to find all of the staff seated for their supper. It was then we were told they don't even open up until 7:30pm, so we'd have to return. We took the short walk back to our hotel, sat outside, and availed ourselves of yet another round of spritzes. Johnny came by to check on us and ensure that all was well.
We were back and seated in the restaurant exactly at 7:30pm, and it was soon apparent we had the place to ourselves. A couple of days earlier, they had e-mailed us to get our selections, as the menu is not fixed, and is totally dependent on what is fresh at that time. They had offered us a six-course tasting menu. We'd written back, saying that we'd prefer to order ala carte, as we didn't want or need that much food. Despite that, we still ended up with way too much food, and so much attention. As we were the only ones there for at least the first hour, all the attention was on us. Every dish was explained in great detail, and they brought out "special gifts" from the chef while we decided, and between courses. It was all very posh and extremely tasty, with the exception of one dish, which was fresh cuttle fish from the lagoon. Both of us hated the texture, and though we were embarrassed to not eat it, we simply could not. It was the only downside to what was otherwise an absolutely amazing dining experience.
Our Restaurant for Dinner (Zanze XVI)
The Lagoon Cuttlefish, which we did NOT finish
I honestly cannot remember if we had dessert, but something tells me we wouldn't have been allowed to to leave without something to top off the meal. When we left, about 2 and 1/2 hours later, there were about four other tables occupied (most of the restaurant), but we were the only non-Italians. Oh, I should have mentioned our waitress. Her English was quite good, but she shared that she learned her English in a small town outside of Glasgow, Scotland. We laughed at how Scotland is the last place we would go to learn understandable English, to which she agreed, and joked that she had to put in considerable work to overcome her Scottish accent.
We were both utterly exhausted when we made the very short walk back to the hotel and our room. We had luckily packed our bags earlier in the day,which meant we could collapse in the bed, despite the fact that our bags had to be out by 7:00am the next morning.
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