Author
ceperry
This morning, our last day in Venice, we got an early start and took that vaporetto ride down the Grand Canal that we missed upon arrival. It’s crazy to think that the entire city is basically built on pilings that were driven into the mud of a swampy river delta. #travel
Posted on October 8, 2025
We also toured the Doge’s Palace (complete with a walk across the “Bridge of Sighs”), the seat of power for the Venetian empire for a thousand years. #travel
Posted on October 8, 2025
Exterior views of Basilica San Marco. #travel
Posted on October 8, 2025
After touring the Basilica from the ground, we visited the Basilica museum which was even better. It’s inside the Basilica, but high above ground level. So in addition to the exhibits, it also gets you up close to the ceiling mosaics and access to the roof where you can take in the entirety of St. Mark’s square from above. #travel
Posted on October 8, 2025
Basilica San Marco is impossibly beautiful. The entire interior is covered in mosaics made of stone chips that measure about a quarter inch square. No wonder it took 800 years to complete! #travel
Posted on October 8, 2025
Then, of course, there are the gondolas. They’re everywhere! Stand on a bridge for a few minutes, and you’ll see them pass under you, one after another. Yes, they are unapologetically touristy, but they’re also utterly charming. It’s fun to just watch them maneuver through the narrow canals, and of course Heather and I took a gondola ride one evening. #travel
Posted on October 8, 2025
Venice is incredibly cool. There are the canals of course, but walking the city is an adventure too. The walking paths are narrow with buildings looming over them. Nothing forms a right angle. Paths will go 100 feet and then dump you into a small piazza, or you’ll arrive at a bridge over a canal, or the path will just dead end into the water. You never know until you get there. The effect is a rabbit warren of paths that we inevitably got lost in. Thank God for Google maps!
Posted on October 8, 2025
Catching up on the last few days… We arrived by train in Venice the day before yesterday. The first order of business was to hop on a “vaparetto” (or water bus) and get to St. Mark’s Square which is where our hotel was located. We thought it would be a nice way to see Venice’s Grand Canal during the trip. We got on the right
line, but going the wrong direction. So instead of taking in the sights of the Grand Canal, we were treated to a tour of the lagoon and the industrial district. But at least we got to the right place. #travel