Italy, Day 6: Venice, Part II

Day 6:  Venice, Part II

For a few euro, you can take a photo with them.

It was raining on the boat, but I got the angle.

So much graffiti! 

The second day in Venice was filled with walking.  First, we stopped at a Murano glass company where we watched a demo, followed by a walking tour with a local specialist.  It was overcast and drizzling for a better part of the day, but nobody minded.  Venice, especially, is not for people who have a difficult time walking.  Because Venice is comprised of several small islands, there are tons of bridges and stairs.  It’s not that they are steep.  They are very abundant and uneven.  The steps have warped from centuries of people walking on them.  Anyway, our local specialist was this adorable older woman, who grew up in Venezia.  She pointed out how much has changed since in the time she has been there.  The water level keeps rising, but the government isn’t really doing anything to fix it.  So people do not live on the first floor because the water at high tide comes in.  You can see the wood rot and algae from the years of water damage.  She showed us several wells, gardens, and passageways.  In one courtyard there was a pulley system.  As the residents age, they are no longer able to climb up and down the stairs in their homes, so they stay in the living areas.  People bring them groceries and other necessities, which are then hoisted up by the pulley.  At the end of our tour we were able to walk around on our own.  We stopped at St. Mark’s Basilica, and grabbed a dessert. 

Duomo

St. Mark's.

Dessert.

Everyone met back at the docks so we could head to our next stop:  Burano.  Burano is an old fishing village known for its colorful houses and handmade lace.  It is such a fun place to go.  The dinner for the night consisted of seafood dishes that were special to the area.  Normally I am not a fish eater (unless it’s not fishy tasting).  Our tour director asked me what I would prefer, because the place also offered meat courses.  I opted to stick with the local catch.  The courses were:  creamy shrimp risotto, calamari and shrimp fritti, spaghetti with clams, and white fish with arugula salad.  Desserts were local special cookies (to be dipped in wine) and almond brittle, paired with an amaretto shot.  After dinner we had time to explore the island and peek in the shops.  Many of them sold lace and dry foods (mostly pasta).  One of the shops had a lace museum with a lace-only dress from the 1800s.  

An old, lace dress.

The main street in Burnao.

Table settings.

Shrimp risotto.

Spaghetti with clams.

Fritti!

Fish with salad. 

Cookies & brittle.

After the short stroll through Burano it was time to get back on the boat.  We went to the hotel and packed up for the next day.  It was going to be a long ride to our next destination, so we packed as soon as we got back.  Until we meet again, Venice!

So long, Burano!