Serenissima

Back across the Adriatic we sailed to Venice. Hard to believe that a whole week had gone by since we set off from there on our cruise. After disembarking in Saturday morning we took a vaporetto (water bus) to St Mark's Square and then expertly hopped onto another one which took us along the Grand Canal to the Rialto Bridge. What a busy waterway it is, full of gondolas and water taxis. Our hotel was just a few minutes walk through some very narrow streets and over a tiny bridge. As well as a front door onto a little square it has a side door right onto a canal! It was too early to check in so we left our luggage at reception and set off for a wander around Venice. We walked and walked and walked - most of the time we had little or no idea where we were but we didn't care. We strolled along the pretty streets, window shopping and looking along the many small canals, and crossing lots of bridges. The weather was so beautiful that we stayed outside apart from a visit to the Accademia, where the pre 18th century religious paintings were mostly a bit gloomy for me. My favourite painting was Paul Veronese's The Feast in the House of Levi. I enjoyed it for its lively and jolly content rather than its quality - it was originally to be called The Last Supper but apparently the Catholic Church was outraged by its depiction of drunk people, animals and a dancing dwarf so its name had to be changed! 

Eventually we found ourselves right at the point beside the church of Santa Maria della Salute just as a whole lot of sailing boats swept into St Mark's Basin - it was spectacular. 

We continued our meandering walk towards St Mark's Square where we had a lovely afternoon tea at Florian's - expensive but so good! Then we headed back in the general direction of Rialto where we had a little rest in our lovely gold and white room in our hotel before dinner. We also took the opportunity to phone our dear children who are all in Oslo because Jamie and Davie are visiting Ally. They seem to be having a grand time on their boys' weekend. 

We went to a busy wee trattoria for dinner, where the food was excellent but the service was terribly slow, followed by a last perambulation to the Rialto Bridge where we looked at the lights of the cafés reflected in the water.