raleighsheffield:
Venice
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Supposed to be an 830 departure but a World War II bomb was found along the tracks. We were delayed for almost two hours
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This means silver arrow but this morning it was a little tarnished
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Walk out the station at Venice and this is what you see. Sort of like the Amtrak station view in Omaha, sort of,
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On the bridge connecting the station with rest of Venice. What you don't see are the other 300 tourists on that bridge
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Booked a B&B in Venice. Nice and quiet but hard to find. This was the pleasant little garden
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The B&B was located in a back alley off the Main Street. Here is the way you get there. Even GPS was confused
raleighsheffield:
You can rent these for about $70 an hour complete with gondolier
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Lunch, pizza, what else? Pizza in Italy has thin crust and less calories. That's why I can have a few beers with it!
raleighsheffield:
Lunch, pizza, what else? Pizza in Italy has thin crust and less calories. That's why I can have a few beers with it!
raleighsheffield:
Venice is just a maze of canals. Never saw so many people looking at phones and maps. I think most were lost, including me for a while
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La Salute Church located across the Grand Canal
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If you've seen those cruise ship commercials then you have seen this location
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Guy in the closest gondola is thinking, "and I paid 70 bucks for this?"
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The tourist epicenter, St. Marks Square. This is St. Marks Basilica and the Campanile or bell tower
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Nope didn't think twice about climbing this one. The sun never came out the entire time I was in Venice
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Completed in the 11th Century, the Basilica is a mishmash of various architectural styles. It was closing when I arrived.
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See what I mean. It is one of the most ornate churches in Europe. Ornate, yes. Beautiful? The jury is out for me
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The Doges Palace adjacent to the square. The Doge was the leader of Venice and its conquered territories. The first version was built in 810
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Lacey detail on the palace
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Inside the Doge's Palace. Just a tad busy
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Ceiling
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Look at the size of that painting
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Overwhelming or just overdone?
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Bridge of Sighs leads from the palace to the prison. The story, probably fabricated, said prisoners sighed as they were led to prison knowing they might never again see the beautiful canals of Venice
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Had to get that lamp pole in front of the Doges Palace
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The famous Rialto Bridge. This version was completed in 1553
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On my way back to the B&B I missed getting hit a golf ball size piece of plaster falling from a three story building. At first I thought it was one damn big bird. Glad it wasn't!
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The B&B did not have a table to set my toiletries on so I finally used the bidet
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See that small space between the two buildings? That's where I got to my room
