Venice!

The kids have the week before Easter, also known as Semana Santa ( Holy week) here, off from school. This year we decided to use the time off to go to Italy. I've always had a fascination with Italy and Venice, an almost magical city. Venice is a city comprised of 117 small islands connected by small and large bridges. We drove from the airport in Milan, a three hour car ride (long story) and arrived to the San Marco garage around 7 at night. I was so thankful that I had made the reservation as our (oversized) vehicle had the last space in the garage...and cars were everywhere...and it was the last we saw of a car for the next 4 days. Our hotel was right off the Piazza San Marco so our first glimpse of Venice was aboard a water bus down the Grand Canal. We got off the bus stop near the piazza and wandered dragging our suitcases with our handy GPS guidance on Nick's Blackberry over bridges and down alleyways until we found the Torre Dell'Orologio Suites...named for the clock tower of the same name that sits on the piazza. Only in the morning light did we realize that we could have gone straight from the bus stop toward the Piazza San Marco, and make one turn, walk through the clock tower and find the street on the left. I think the GPS version was more fun though.
Our first morning was Palm Sunday. I had seen online that they have a procession through the streets with palms making their way to the Basilica. We had no further information of time. But while we were eating Breakfast Joseph noticed the procession passing through a small window and we rushed out to see the end of it. After Breakfast, we decided to take our maps and guidebooks to find a mask shop. Venice is full of mask shops but I was warned before hand to make sure the masks were made in Venice and not China. So we picked a reputable shop out of the guidebooks and since we needed to cross the Grand Canal again we headed for a water taxi.

Here is a view of the Doge's Palace from the water taxi. We later learned the hideously large Toyota ad covers the renovations for the exterior of the palace as well as the Bridge of Sighs.



Once on the appropriate island we started on foot. Once again over bridges and through alleyways to find the mask shop.


We were lost more than we were found during our walk and took a break for some pizza when we found the street but not the shop. I read the other tour book we had (yes, I have more than one) that said it was closed on Sundays. We picked another mask store close by and were able to find that one.
They had the most lovely masks and all the girls were able to find masks. Joe and Nick were still searching, though.
We passed a church that had some signs for a Leonardo DaVinci exhibit. Joe was interested and we went inside. There was some really cool inventions that DaVinci had created that the kids could manipulate. And it was in a beautiful old cathedral. Below is the alter.

We found some signs on the building that lead to the Rialto Bridge which would lead us back to the island that the Piazza San Marco was on.
The Rialto Bridge is one of 4 bridges that span the Grand Canal. It is the oldest bridge having been constructed in 1591. And it contains stores along either side of it's length going across.
one of the stores on the bridge
Trying to find our way back to the Piazza we found an opera house. I'm not sure which one it was. We had were beckoned by some music wafting out...and walked around the interior. We weren't able to see a the actual theater though.
Alexa and Joe were entertaining themselves through the walk trying to take pictures of themselves with Alexa's camera. I'm not sure what happened to the picture they had just taken before the following picture. But they sure found it funny...
We found our way back to the Piazza and our hotel. After a quick break we went out to celebrate Alexa's birthday at dinner. We ate at a lovely restaurant with a patio on the Grand Canal. Alexa ordered Lobster but didn't eat it...we all helped her finish and she ate Nick's Lasagna. They brought out Sambuca to finish our meal.
Our next morning we took another water taxi out to Murano.




We saw a glass blowing demonstration where they made it look so very easy!



It was a beautiful tranquil town which was very enjoyable. We found the Cathedral of Saint Maria and Donato. Saint Donato is a relatively unknown saint who apparently killed a dragon by spitting on him. Apparently the dragon had poisoned the well and something had to be done. A challenge was issued, the spit flew and the dragon fell....and now the bones are on the wall behind the alter in the Cathedral, which is why I am telling you this.
I couldn't take a picture of the bones in the church but you can see it if you go here:

http://blogs.artinfo.com/secrethistoryofart/2011/04/20/the-dragon-bones-of-saint-donato/

After our visit to the island we came back and rested...we then decided to finally take the Gondola ride that Jess kept asking for.

It was lovely to pass through the small waterways and under the quaint bridges that we had been crossing the last few days.


below is the top of the Torre Dell'Orologio, the clock tower. The two figures are said to represent Moor's and they strike the bell on the hour all day long.

Our third day we went into the Doge's Palace. Venice was it's own country until the 1800's at time occupying the land into Italy as well. It earned it's power and money from trade and it's success in the Crusades. The inside of the Palace, in the inner garden was the only place we could take pictures.

I thought the most interesting place was the dungeons. We've all heard the story of the Bridge of sighs where prisoners would pass through on their way to the dungeons and sigh at their last view of freedom. Here is where they were going..
the view from inside the Bridge
Then we waited in a very long line for a very short time to go into the Basilica of Saint Mark.
Saint Mark is one of the 4 gospel writers of the bible. He died and was buried in Alexandria. During the history of the Catholic Church it became popular to have bits and pieces of various saints buried in the giant cathedrals they were building. A group of Venetian merchants thought that a piece was not good enough and they went to Alexandria and took St Mark's body, all of it, back to their Cathedral in Venice and Venice got a new Patron Saint.

It was a very ornate church. And in the back there is a golden piece of artwork with thousands of jewels and precious stones that is quite remarkable. Still it was a stone coffin that holds the remains of St. Mark that were the most powerful for me. For over 2000 years, people have read and been inspired by his words. It's impressive.

Andrea decided to go back to the hotel and rest. The remainder of us decided to get lost again. And get lost we did. With the help of GPS we were able to get back on track and found our way to the Rialto bridge again and it's lovely markets.
Jess bought herself a Gondolier sweatshirt.

Our last night the kids had sandwiches in the hotel. We finally realized that dinner was much more enjoyable without the whining teenagers who had had enough of culture by the time dinner rolled around. The kids did really enjoy wandering around Venice. We gave them the maps and GPS and had them lead us around. We let them pick our side trips into the Exhibits and stores. They were more than happy to go into each mask shop looking for the perfect mask. It was a beautiful three days and I can't wait to go back.
The next morning we moved onto Lake Como spending a day in Verona but this entry is already too long so I'll post more soon.