Venice - day 2

We actually set an alarm this morning so we would get moving and get out exploring. We did a repeat of an experience that we did last time - riding the vaporetti along the Grand Canal early in the morning (9am or so) and watching the city "set up" for the day. (I was freezing this time though.) It is so fascinating to see how a city functions with only boats for transportation. Moms taking kids to school, strowlers off and on the boats, people going to work, delivery boats such as FedEx, UPS, food boats, police boats, garbage boats, ambulance boats - most of which are pictured in the slide show. We saw a boat carrying a big box containing a new refrigerator - you name it. We are just fascinated by the whole process - if it comes by wheels in the states, it comes by boat in Venice.

We love the description of vaporettos given by Rick Steves in his travel guide: "They work like city buses except that they never get a flat, the stops are docks, and if you get off between stops, you might drown."

By the time we got back to San Marco's Square we both were frozen so we went to the Doge's Palace. It housed the government of this rich and powerful empire in its heyday. It was also home to the Venetian ruler known as the doge. We thought that the most beautiful part was the Scala d'Oro which is the 24-karat gilded ceiling staircase. Of course, there are the dungeons and the "Bridge of Sighs" with the Palace. So all was not golden!

We roamed around a little, got lost, had lunch and ended up at the Rialto Bridge where we caught a vaporetti again. This time we headed to the San Giorgio Maggiore church. It has Tintoretto's famous Last Supper painting and also fantastic views of Venice from it's bell-tower. Fortunately, there was an elevator up the bell-tower!

It started raining so we just stayed at the hotel this evening. Hopefully, the rain will be gone by morning!