Microblog
Now, as I write this, we are on the train about 15 minutes from Milano Centrale. There we’ll catch a connecting train to Malpensa airport. We’re going to spend the night at the Sheraton hotel in the airport, then catch a morning flight home. Ciao! #travel
After our Grand Canal cruise, we grabbed lunch, then collected our bags and took a water taxi to the train station. The water taxi was a lot of fun. Ours was a beautiful wooden boat with an open section of roof that allowed us to stand and take in the sights during the ride. #travel
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
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
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
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
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
