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07/04/2004: "Venice - June 30"
Our 2nd day in Venice was full of sightseeing, people watching, and strolling along the canals and narrow streets of the city...
We planned our day so that we would visit all the churches in the morning - the cathedrals require that you wear long pants and covered shoulders, and we thought it would get too hot if we went later in the day. We checked out the cathedral right outside our hotel (Santi Giovanni e Paolo), and I got yelled at by a priest, because a tiny little strip of my tummy was showing.
Then we went to St. Marks Square and checked out the Palazzo Ducale (where the Venetian rulers lived). The coolest part was the Bridge of Sighs (where prisoners caught their last glimpse of Venice before being convicted) and the underground prisons (we have pictures - check em out). Then we stood in line to go into St. Mark's Basilica - very beautiful from the outside - kind of a combo of Eastern and Western influences and very ornate. In line, Mike bought some seeds to feed the pigeons (he calls them rats), and we talked with a couple from Northern California who were on their honeymoon - we've met a LOT of people from California, including several from OC (oh, excuse me, Mike makes me say "Orange County" not OC). Later on, we went to the Accademia, a museum containing Venetian art. The painting that I most wanted to see (Giorgione's "The Tempest") was on loan to Austria :(
The rest of the day was spent people watching, eating, searching for "good" gelato, looking in little shops, etc. It was a nice and needed break from all the touristy stuff. One of the coolest parts of the day was shopping in a "Supermarket" It was about a fifth of the size of a Ralphs or Vons. We bought a bottle of wine (about 3 euro), wafer cookies (78 cents), olives (1.50). We couldn't believe how cheap everything was! None of the wine cost more than 5 euro, butter and cheese was 2 euro or less.
Finally, to top off the day, we had a gondola ride (with our wine & olives). This was great, and anyone who visits Venice should definitely do this!