June 25th, 2006- After a long series of flights and delays from Seattle, to Philadelphia, to Frankfurt, it was such a relief to finally be in Venice! We took the Alilaguna ferry from the airport to our hotel near the Rialto Bridge on the Grand Canal.
A view of the grand canal from the Rialto Bridge. Our hotel through a passage way by the pink building on the right.
Gondolas on the Grand Canal.
Another view of the Rialto Bridge. Vaporettos (on the right) provided transportation down the canal and around Venice.
We spent much of our time in Venice wandering through passageways, often ending up at a canal and needing to backtrack to find a place to cross.
The view from the end of one passageway.
Cindy in our hotel room. The Grand Canal was about 20 ft. behind me as I took the photo.
The passageway to our hotel was just after the awning on the right.
A small canal. There were Italian flags everywhere, showing support for their team in the World Cup.
A view of the Grand Canal looking toward Campo della Salute, taken from the Accademia Bridge.
More laundry, boats, bridges and canals. A typical sight while wandering around Venice.
There was quite a bit of construction and restoration. Here the tractor was setting in new posts for gondolas.
The produce market near the Rialto Bridge.
A delivery boat near the market.
There were many stands by the Rialto selling ridiculous tourist trinkets. Pasta was one of the more reasonable souvenirs- it came in all sorts of shapes as well as vibrant colors.
New and old on the Calle de Noal. Thoughout our vacation we saw structures hundreds of years old encorporated or renovated to meet modern needs.
A view from the Rialto by night.
Sarah and Cindy on the Rialto.
San Marco Piazza was full of pigeons.
Many people we saw wanted the birds to land on them.
I wasn't one of them.
Piazza San Marco- from left to right- the "new" administration building (Procuratie Nuove from the 17th century), the Campanile bell tower, the Torre dell'Orologio in the distance, and Basilica San Marco.
The Torre dell'Orologio- a 24 hour clock and one of the first "digital" clocks. The numbers flip every five minutes.
Cindy reading in front of San Mark's Basilica.
One of the less ornate statues on the outside of the Basilica.
Sarah and Cindy in front of Basilica San Marco. The building dates from 1071. Mosaics from the 13th century decorate the arch houses and atrium.
St. Mark? The top of the facade of the basilica.
Piazza San Marco through a doorway.
The unlit Bridge of Sighs. An early 17th century bridge that provided prisoners with their last view of the sea, sky, and perhaps a lover on their way to their cell in the palace.
A vaporetto stop and an odd very bright light sculpture. Blue lights ran in waves down the structure.