We strolled up the narrow streets looking for bread and cheese . . . that is also not available until the betwitching hour. For those of you who know me, I could not have survived with a good coffee. We did find a small café which was open and I asked for a regular coffee, something similar to the Timmie's or Starbucks variety. Guess what? Regular coffee here is expresso, so I was wired after drinking it. But, we did find the best croissant I had ever eaten at the café . . . warm and melt-in-your-mouth buttery.
We returned to the apartment to get ready to go on a tour of some islands in the laguna. Tanya was coming with us but we were still missing Esther, Brian and Betty Jean . . . and we had prepaid for tickets for the tour before leaving home. They are good anytime . . . anybody want to do a tour in Venice?
One floor below us, they were having their own difficulties . . . you can only Google Translate so much . . . it didn't help to try to find the instructions for the washing machine . . . it wouldn't spin dry so all their clothes were soaking wet.
We were all going to meet at the Rialto Mercato station when we got back to meet Esther, Brian and Betty Jean.
The tour was very interesting. First, to Murano, famous for blown glass where we got a demonstration and time to wander around. Next, it was Burano, which is famous for handmade lace. While there, we took in the sights of the colourful houses which, by law, are not allowed to have their colours changed. There was lace everywhere. Then the bell tower started ringing and Lauren told me I had better move to the side. Seems there was a funeral which had just ended and since there are no cars here they just form a walking procession through town with the casket. There is an island in the laguna that is called the Cemetery Island. There are no cemeteries in Venice or on the surrounding islands, so each island has its' own cemetery on Cemetery Island. I guess that's where the procession was headed. The third stop was Torcello, which has the oldest church in the laguna. The island used to have lots of residents but many were wiped out and others fled during a malaria epidemic several centuries ago.
After the tour, we returned to the pier in San Marco and walked back to the meeting place at Rialto Mercato. Unable to find any familiar faces, we headed back to the apartment. Got to Tanya's and knocked on the door and Brian was there! Betty Jean and Esther had gone for a walk with the others and soon returned. Yup, the gang's all here . . . finally.
We got ready and headed to the canal where we went for our long awaited gondola ride. I am really in awe at how the gondoliers can maneuver their gondolas. Sometimes there were 3 gondolas at the same time passing in the smaller channels. Loved it! We then went to dinner at an Italian eatery . . . everyone had pasta and Esther, Betty Jean and I shared a litre of a really nice red wine. Gelato for dessert from a shop close to the restaurant and then some shopping. After that we climbed the 1243 stairs to our apartment and were in for the night. Well, maybe not quite that many but it is a long way up.
One thing we don't quite understand is why people drink out of these running fountains that we saw a few of today. They don't look particularly clean and we aren't sure where the water is coming from . . . hopefully not the canal! We didn't touch it . . . yuck!
Esther and Brian are asleep, and Betty Jean was trying to get to sleep but there is singing and dancing going on in the streets below us. Quiet time in Venice is 10:00pm . . . not tonight, I guess.
On that note I will let Lauren post some pictures as my computer doesn't like to do it.
Tomorrow Doug, Tiff and Shawn head for Cocoa Beach, while the rest of us will be boarding the cruise ship for our next adventure.
