R B
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Didn't get to go to Milan, but the Last Supper was on my list of things to see there....next trip.
Venice however! Oh my goodness! It is very expensive, but you have to go see...
St. Marco Cathedral and the architecture around it...oops, while in the cathedral, notice the "odd" things people sit on. Those are the flood blocks used during the flood seasons! We sat on them, not knowing why everyone was pointing at us and staring. Later, we overheard it from a tour guide. We did not pay to see the extra little places in the cathedral, spendy and we felt not worth it....and yes, we are Catholic. Do not miss the fish market! You will not believe all that you see...it is the big one, as there are plenty of markets around the city. We bought a two-day boat pass, and used it for getting around. The first night we got on and took a tour of the Grand Canal and around the island...all for the price of the pass. We also saw the Bridge of Sighs, and the Rialto Bridge as well....we felt we saw all of the canal sights on that loop. We also used it to go to Murano to see the glass factory and to Burano to see the lace and pretty houses...the painting is soothing. We were very aware of the sales pitches! My best glass buy was on Burano (the lace island) where I found some beautiful glass jewelery at a sales cart. Lace is IMPORTED to Europe and sold as European lace (not only Italy, but Belgium as well.) Some signs tell you up front, but I would also find an Italian tag SEWN into the item. I bought Belgium lace, so passed on Italian. Both, all are very, very expensive, but if the money goes to the lace makers, it is worth it! I did see one lady actually making the lace, and it was fascinating and worth the trip to Burano. We ate lunch at the park on the waterfront and it was cool and relaxing. Those two places took up a whole day. You also get a great water ride, and spectacular scenery.
We also walked around a lot of shopping streets, and these were awesome. I found some excellent leather prices, and to be honest we found Murano glass at better prices on sale here. Maybe it was the season, but it was great. We packed it really well, and the vendors also padded the wrapping for travel. We found a great little place to eat pizza, but DO NOT buy soda while in a restaurant. Italy has THE BEST EVER lemon soda....and that is the name of it! However, in the restaurant we ordered 3 cans....because it was so HOT and Europe does not do ice cubes or ice cold anything....it cost us E4.50 per can of soda! The drinks were more than the food! We learned, and will not do it again! We also found out that the servers at restaurants offer a great meal with many courses. We asked the price and didn't understand. When he wrote it down it was astronomical, and we ordered a la carte. I did try the calamari with the ink sauce, and it was okay. Venice has the BEST seafood anywhere! I think the best fun we had was trying to buy a piece of glass at the last minute before our train was coming. We just ducked into a grocery store...those are great places to buy spices and mixes you cannot get in the states! - bought a can of soda, and took off toward the major shopping area. Winding through the streets we saw lots of interesting architecture and sights. We enjoyed the people we saw and the adventure of finding our way around the Venetian maze. The gelato is not to be missed, but enjoyed many, many times! Also the granitas. Oh they are so, so refreshsing! We found the piece of glass I HAD to have, picked up a granita for my husband who was patiently waiting with our bags at the train station, and we escaped a train strike which I heard happens a lot in Italy...
I was always leery of going to Italy, but now I love it! France and Italy are like night and day, but both rank number one in my heart. Enjoy Venice... |
Peggy I
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Venice, Top tourist attractions, many of them are free.
http://veniceitaly.ca/attractions/index.html
Make sure you go to Cafe Florian in the evening to have a little desert and a glass of wine, and listen to the music, then take the circle route Vaporetto, sit in the back and enjoy the sights. Also make sure you go upstairs at the Cathedral San Marco, there is a great museum and you can go out on the balcony where the horses are. |
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