Day 15

Tuesday the 17^th of January

As Indiana Jones said “Ah Venice”, of course he then had several gun fights and a boat chase, but we decided on a much more sedate course of action.

We had a small mix up with the Vaparetto pass that was soon fixed by the travel agent. So it was on to our first event which was a tour of the Doge’s palace. We headed out to get the boat over to the island and discovered that a very cold clear morning had turned into a very foggy, very damp and very cold morning. It was so foggy that as we crossed the lagoon we did not even notice the massive container ship passing us till the last moment. After it was gone all we could discern was the dull boom of its fog horn.

The Palace and the Cathedral are a very good example of the art of building in Venice. Everything in Venice is built on a swamp a very poor foundation upon which to put heavy stone buildings. So to support them over the years they have driven Alder logs into the mud, down till they reach the clay and sand deep underground. Over time they have petrified into pilings that are as strong as concrete. However if you put too much weight on them they will subside. So the palace is a mix of stately and light. Much that looks like stone is in fact wood.

We would have liked to show you some pictures of the palace and the church. However we were not allowed to take photos inside.

 So here is a pic of the group before entering

After the main palace tour we were allowed to take pics inside the jail after crossing the “Bridge of sighs”

The boys in jail!

The outside of the palace facing the church

Lunch was taken at the rialto bridge area. After which we crossed the island to catch a boat to Murano to look at glass.

The narrow streets of Venice

At Murano  there was a demonstration of glass blowing and glass sculpture making which captivated the group.  They then set about buying as much of the product as their funds allowed.  With luck you will get to see these as whole pieces.  However the funds kept stretching as they came across each new shop.

A dark photo of the glass blower at work

The Island is beautiful with is little canals and boats

After Murano we went to the island of Burano where lace is made. It is a very quaint place where all of the buildings are multi coloured and the pace of life is very slow.

The main street of Burano

Now as you look at these pics you will notice that they look foggy and perhaps a little cold. Well it was cold…. Like minus 6 deg worth of cold!

The docks at Burano before we left

Daniel at the end of a busy and cold day.