I LOVE VENICE!!

Friday, July 8
Wow ... I love this city ... always have from the first moment I visited when I was 18. After a fab breakfast we were off. There's so much to see (and buy) in Venice that I decided we would NOT be doing it all. I was just going to focus on getting Bobbie to the main sites and then relax, get lost in the back streets and shop.

First stop was San Marco, the sumptuous basilica in the main square. The main part of the basilica is free to enter but I would have paid for it anyway. Bobbie donned her very cute church outfit (i.e. scarves around shoulders and legs ... it's a great look) and we were in. We stepped inside to the pure voices of nuns singing praises to God ... I got goosebumps. Where to look was an issue. Either you got caught admiring the tesselated patterns of the marble tiles (some even with a 3D effect) or you look heavenward to be greeted with glittering mosaics of glass. Unbelievable. Awe inspiring. I've been in this basilica before and it never ceases to invoke a sense of reverence. It truly is a feast for the eyes. All through our wanderings in the chapel the nuns continued their worship and it was so beautiful, I was moved to tears.

We then moved on to the Campanile (bell tower) ... we had assumed we were paying for the pleasure of walking up numerous stairs only to be pleasantly surprised that there was a lift to the top (yay us!). Great views, despite trying to manoever around others at the top. Bobbie was definately getting the full eye treatment from the Italian lift operator! Oh la la! Couldn't peel his eyes away!

I wanted to get away from the main piazza as that's where all the tourists are and prices are usually push higher because of it. Starting wandering into the back streets behind the piazza and stumbled across the glass store I have looked for ever since I first visited Venice. I was soooo excited! This store has a 1.5metre wide window and it is FILLED with a miniature orchestra complete with string, wind and percussion area. There are elegantly dressed men and women dancing in their period costumes underneath triple light poles ... gondalas gliding past in the 'water'. Found another couple of stores that I will forever keep the business cards in the hope that when someone else visits Venice, they can bring me back more miniature glass creations.

Instead of catching a vaporetto (bus boat) back to our side of Venice, we walked .... oh my, what a long walk it was. Up and down bridges, into squares that are not marked on the map but plenty of wonderful things to see on the way.

It was pretty much time for dinner when we got back to the hotel so we made an effort (as per our travel book suggested to do while in Venice) and donned a pair of clean jeans and high heels. It was an effort trust me! Walked up and down a couple of blocks and then settled on eating at Gino's ... the restaurant right across from our hotel! Met a lovely couple from Canada and spent the evening twisting round and talking to them and laughing at some of the experiences we have had.

Can't remember if I've mentioned it but Bobbie has trouble rolling her R's (ok, she just can't do it). Presents a bit of a problem when in Italy as they all roll the R here ... especially when saying thank you "Grazie". Bobbie's comes out as "Grassy". We had been discussing this with our Villa owner back in Tuscany and she laughed because 'Grassi' means FAT. So everytime Bobbie has presumably been polite saying thank you ... she has in fact been calling everybody FAT. FAT. FAT. FAT. Have since discovered that once she's had a couple of wines, the R's roll real well!