Venice May 20

Our day in Venice was magical. I loved Venice and would love to go back one day. We stayed in a

locally owned hotel and it was just what we needed. We got around by Waterbus which is just like our public buses only it is a boat. The first picture is of me on the dock waiting for the bus. I was standing in front of the Grand Canal. The Grand Canal is the main canal and then there are a lot of little canals that go out from it. The sidewalk ran parallel to the Grand Canal. It was behind the set of buildings that line the canal.

Kevin and I spent some time exploring the city. We were just walking around through the sidewalks and over the smaller canals. The smaller canals were lined with apartments. You could see their wash hanging out to dry. The locals were very nice.

Later that night Kevin surprised me with a Gondola ride. I thought we were going to do one during the day because they were cheaper then. When I heard Kevin say yes to the gondilier I got in the gondola as fast as I could because I knew Kevin wouldn't change his mind if I was already in the gondola. The ride was wonderful. The gondilier pointed out all the really old buildings and churches. It was really romantic. I'm so glad that we were able to take the gondola ride especially at night.

The next picture is of the entrance to San Marco Plaza. This is the main sightseeing attraction in Venice. This picture was taken from the waterbus. In the plaza, is a bell tower, San Marco Basilica, a clock tower, and Doge's Palace. The clock was interesting because it was the first 24 hour clock that I had seen. Doge's Palace is important because in ancient Venice this is where the most powerful man and his family lived. Even today the government has important meeting here. Across a small canal next to the Palace is the bridge of Sighs. This bridge is enclosed with only a small window. The bridge got its name from the prisoners that were escorted across would sigh as they saw their last sight of freedom. The prisoners were going to have their sentence carried out.

The last picture is of the main bridge over the Grand Canal. This one had shops the lined the bridge. It was very grand and beautiful.

Venice is a very nice city. It had a small town feel. I would love to visit again.