The Old Gray Mare She Ain't What She Used to Be...Day 10 in Venice...

While this trip was actually a 12 day trip, the first and last days were travel days. I have not included those in my count of days in the Title of each Blog entry. Hence, this is day 10 and we are in Venice but we have actually been gone 11 days.

The day started rainy. We all had on whatever rain gear we brought. We did the drill with the coach to the dock to the boat and around to the place we would visit. This day we were unloaded about four bridges from our destination. As we walked to Piazza San Marco, another little miracle happened and the rain started to go away. The chance of rain this day in Venice was in the high 90's. This was indeed a blessing and a miracle. Most of us had paid for a gondola ride. Since the weather cleared, Luigi herded us to the place to take our gondola ride while there was no rain. Here is a gondola ride in Venice.

Five people to each gondola. Our's had a couple from Ketchican, Alaska, Ida Mae (Alan's wife), Claude and me. The gondalier is very specific about the loading process. We followed his instructions and had no problems with our gondola tipping over! Our gondalier did not sing but he did on occasion tell us about something interesting we were passing. I will share three of those things as we go through the ride in pictures.

You go under several bridges. I took video of us going under one of them. These back canals are not used to get to homes or businesses much anymore. Mostly gondola traffic and a few boats.

We were told this is George Clooney's favorite restaurant when in Venice. Don't have any idea what the name of it is.

We came out at the Rialto bridge and went onto the Grand Canal for a bit from there. The Rialto Bridge was under renovation, so we did not ever get to walk cross it. The Rialto Bridge is the oldest of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. It has been rebuilt several times since its first construction as a pontoon bridge in 1173.

Now we are on the Grand Canal.

Palazzo Loredan.

Ca' Farsetti.

Palazzo Grimani di San Luca or Corte d'Appello penale di Venezia. Built up from 1556 by Gerolamo Grimani. Today it houses the Court of Appeals.

We turned back into the smaller canals forming city blocks.

The pink house is where Mozart lived in when in Venice.

Piazza San Marco or St. Mark's Square. 

Saint Mark's Basilica

These four horses are in the movie "Angels & Demons". 

The interior ceiling and most walls are mosaic tiles. Each tile has a bit of gold in it. It is really apparent as the light shines on the walls.

Torre dell'Orologio or Clock Tower. Building began in 1496. 

There are two metal men at the top. One is old and the other young to represent the passage of time. Every hour of every day, the bell rings and they strike the bell. It also features a large astronomical clock. From St. Mark’s it stands as a triumphal archway and monument marking access to the city’s main commercial artery; from the Merceria, it serves as a sort of telescope, offering a perceptive view that takes in the seats of political power and the city’s waterfront.

Piazzetta San Marco. Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana on the left; St. Mark's Basilica center back; and the Doge's Palace on the right. A Piazza has a regular shape, like a rectangle or oval. A Piazzetta is a smaller extension of the Piazza. 

Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana.

The Doge's Palace.

Inner Courtyard of the Doge's Palace.

The little slots by the door were mail slots for residents to place their complaints. All complaints had to have your signature. Remember this for the interior side of these slots pictured later.

We would go up the stairs where the rooms were that were used for the Duke (Doge) and other political leaders. I cannot remember what each room was for. July look and enjoy the wealth of these people back in the day.

I found this door in the Doge's Palace absolutely fascinating!

The clocks fascinated me. This is a 24-hour clock but the one is at about 8 on our clocks.

This is an astrological clock.

Inlay in the floor.

Remember the mail slots for complaints. This is the interior view. Three leaders each had a key. It took all three to open the mail slot. Only signed complaints were accepted.

This is the interior of the Bridge of Sighs pictured much earlier. That bridge went from the Doge Palace to the prison. We could cross it to view the prison.

The Prison. 

We again entered the Bridge of Sighs to get back into the Doge's Palace.

Filing room for paperwork

Antique Gondola.

Clock on entrance to St. Mark's Basilica at Inner Courtyard of Doge's Palace.

Do you suppose the artist who made this lion sculpture knew that it would be a place for children to climb on and sit?

Piazza San Marco from St. Mark's Basilica.

These frames with boards on top are all over the Piazza San Marco. When it floods, the frames are set up with the boards on top to form walkways for the residents over the flooded pavement.

Cutest vendor stand ever! It's a gondola.

Walk to the boat. One more leaning tower for the road.

The boat would take us back to the dock. We would walk to our coach. It would take us to the Venice Airport. Along the way, Luigi, ever the thoughtful guide, shared a bag full of items he purchased in each of the places we visited. He held the World's Best Raffle by Luigi as we rode to the airport. Such a great guide. 

Our flight was back to Rome where we would have one more night in a hotel before flying back to the States the next morning. 

This Old Gray Mare is most certainly not what she used to be. But there is still enough left in her to have a good time with a dangling arm and a hubby with a sprained ankle. I told everyone on the tour we were going home for couple's therapy. It would be with a physical therapist, but it would be couple's therapy. 

We definitely loved being in Italy. We would go back in a heartbeat. In fact, we have talked about a Southern Italy trip with a run up to Northern Italy. We understand Sicily is amazing. We would love to spend some time in Tuscany. We need to get Claude to Vatican City. I see some type of a trip to Italy again in our future. This time...without the falling!!