A good day's journey

Heather and I took advice of friends and tried to get lost in Venice.  We started in San Marcos Square and smiled as we bypassed several hundred tourists waiting in line to see the Basilica.  My adventure coordinator/travel agent/bride of 15 years had purchased the tour pass ahead of time.  After some morning chocolate gelato we headed in.  It was a hoarders delight.  H and I enjoy simple elegance when it comes to decor.  This basilica has been decorated so many times through the ages.  There are hundreds of extra marble columns (not structural) and it is just dripping with ornamentation.

After that, we started down any alley that looked less crowded and saw so many amazing sights.  The windows and doors and shutters were remarkable.

We bought our pass on the Vaporetti (water bus) in Venice today in order to get around wherever and whenever we wanted.  Being on the boats was refreshing and we headed to the island of Murano, famous for it's glass industry.  They have been producing glass for 8 centuries since 1291.  They pushed all the glass makers there to avoid burning down the main part of Venice.

After a little more Gelato we headed back to wander back through Venice and hit some famous spots like the Rialto bridge

After 12 hours on our feet we soaked them in cold water in the tub and are headed off to bed.  One more full day in Venice tomorrow.

Aaron