12. Venice

Venice
We took a day trip into Venice. We rode the train with three friends. It was a whirlwind trip. We followed the arrows through the winding streets to St. Marco's. Each turn was more picturesque than the last. We crossed the canals and saw the Bridge of Sighs. More turns and twists. And then after a final turn, there we were! In St. Mark's Square with the piazza spread before us. It was hard to believe we were there. The lines were too LONG to get into St. Mark's. Instead we opted to go to the top of the bell tower.

Over 170 colorful buildings line the Grand Canal.

Susan stands on the Rialto Bridge which spans the Grand Canal

Venice's mystique.

We went to the top of St. Mark's Bell Tower (or Campanile).

The Horses are replicas of the Triumphal Quadriga (the originals are inside the Basilica).

The winged lion of St. Mark on the left column.

Piazza San Marco

From the bell tower

The Bridge of Sighs

Grand Canal

Plentiful water taxis, gondolas and vaporetti.

Santa Maria della Salute has ties to the Black Death, or plague.

Dinner with Friends I

We had dinner with Alfonso & Rita, their two sons (Massimo & Marco) & daughters-in-law (Liz & Ilaria). The sons took turns sitting by Susan and me since they could speak English. Dinner is something to be savored in Italy. We thoroughly enjoyed the conversation and lingering over excellent food. The appetizer was melon and proscuitto, followed by pasta and a Peruvian chicken dish. YUM!