Med Trip - June 16

We arose early today to be on deck for our entry into the canal system leading into Venice. We were on the lido deck by 8:00. It was a little misty, so unfortunately the photos we took were not sharp and bright, but it was nice. Our schedule was to be in Venice at noon, but we arrived two hours early. We ate breakfast and caught the water taxi bus which took 20 minutes to drop us off at San Marco. Here we explored St. Mark's basilica and the huge square. (Centuries ago the body of the apostle Mark was stolen from Constantinople and placed here.). We toured the huge church, which featured gold ceilings with depictions of scenes of Jesus as well as the 12 apostles. There were signs everywhere forbidding photography or selfies, (sad that selfies have to be listed separately) and people were asked to be silent. Nevertheless, there were people talking without even an effort to whisper. I reprimanded a Chinese guy who was making flash photos, and a few others were also told. Sister G told a guy not to take photos and he acted like it was his right to. Not to seem holier though, we did take a few photos from outside that showed some of the ceiling through open windows. It was beautiful. We made our way along narrow, dark streets towards the Rialto bridge. We crossed only a few canal bridges with gondoliers. To our disappointment, the Rialto Bridge, a Venice icon, was completely covered in scaffolding and wrap. Leah had recommended we eat at a restaurant with red awning next to the bridge and we found one that fit the description. We all had lasagna and it was wonderful. The pasta did not need to be chewed because it melted in your mouth. After some more meandering through the streets we returned to St. Marks square and saw a few more sites before returning to the ship in late afternoon. Sister G had been real excited about Venice but I think she was disappointed that there were not more waterways with cute little bridges, gondoliers, etc. A gondolier ride cost 80 euros, 100 after 7PM, and was hardly romantic. Most boats had three or more people and they bunched up along the canals, sometimes being squeezed out by water taxis. Not like the movies. I enjoyed he sights but overall, I might like Dubrovnik better. We ate dinner on the ship and dd not go off at night as planned because the boat to the main part of Venice cost 30 euros each, round trip. We had to pack our bags by 10 o'clock. Since Sister T and her friend were leaving us in the morning we had a few late happy hour wines in the bar before turning in. Despite overcast skies and muggy conditions, the weather was not the rain forecast and we were happy once again.

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