Since I arrived so late last night I decided to lay in bed and catch up on a few things. Then I ate some of the complimentary breakfast and realized that here in Italy no one knows what a café mocha is either! So I asked for a cappuccino and hot chocolate and mixed an approximation myself. I strolled down to the boat pickup point and made my way to Burano, an island about an hour north by boat from Venice known for its lace making and brightly colored rainbow buildings. It’s a really cool place, and not very big, so I wandered around for a couple hours enjoying all of the colors then hopped back on the boat to Torcello. Torcello is another island just north of Burano with a super old Catholic cathedral on it and that’s about it. Still, because it’s so quiet I can imagine this island as a nice retreat for locals trying to get out of the city for a day picnic. Then I got on the ferry to Murano which is known for glass blowing and glass making. It was around 5pm by the time I got there so most of the shops that gave demonstrations were closed, but I’ve seen enough demonstrations at Ren Faire and in Japan and other places. I found a cute little glass black cat that I bought, and wandered over to another really old church to take a look. Afterwards I headed back to the main islands and wandered the market streets and Grand Canal and walked over the Rialto Bridge before stopping for some pasta at a restaurant overlooking the canal. Then I swung by Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute and made the short walk to my hotel.
I’m really digging Venice, it’s so laid back and the people are nice. There are no cars here, just boats, including police and ambulances which was interesting to see. The tourist areas are crazy, but otherwise it’s quiet and easy to get around once you know your way around.
