Friday, October 26, 2012

Piazza San Marco

Following our visit to Vittorio, we headed across Venice, stopping as we saw things of interest.  While we sat and had a coffee we watched a gondaleer clean his craft, then, both finishing our respective tasks at the same time negotiated to go with him to view Venice from her waterways.  We did a full circle, taking just under an hour.  Our gondaleer, who initially said he spoke little English, came out of his shell, and while he didn't sing, he did share little points of interest about buildings we were passing and the history of what we were seeing.  We took photos of everything we saw, and in turn were photographed as we were in a gondola.   It all added up to being a most enjoyable ride. Next we traversed Venice, passing the Rialto area, heading across to Piazza Saint Marco. A Mecca for tourists, this was an area teeming with people.  Definitely not for the feint hearted.  Things have changed somewhat, with signs now stating that the birds (ie pigeons) are not to be fed.  Apparently to do so now, puts you at risk of a fine. As for St Mark's the queue to gain entry was prohibitive.  Add to this, the fact that the deposit point for backpacks was a couple of hundred of metres away in a different building and it all seemed too much.  Having been there previously I was happy not to go in, but just to look at the mosaic on the facade of the building.  As for Frank, I think he reached his church/cathedral/basilica quota back in Paris. We decided instead to sit, in one of the nearby restaurants, and enjoy a glass of Champagne.  Much happier to watch the crowds than to join them. Dog count total for the day was 63.  Top score so far this trip.  The Venetians really do love their pets, with a number of pet stores around town.  The cats of Venice are much more easily spotted than their Parisienne counterparts too. 23.10.2012

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