Buongiomo Venezia! (Bonjourno Venice!)

What a romantic Island. It helps though when one of you doesn't come down with a 100+ temperature. You can tell by the pic of us in the gondola who was the sick one.

After we got there, by water taxi, we had our mandatory Italian pizza and it was totally different from what we think of pizza, but it was good (and expensive). Everything was about triple what we pay in the states.

Our hotel was centrally located for excusions to the Grand Canal, shopping, Piazza San Marco, and most anything we wanted to see. There are no automobiles, bikes, or scooters in Venice. Just boats galore and footpower. Little bridges cross all the little canals everywhere. There are only a couple of bridges across the Grand Canal. We were lucky to be close to the Rialto Bridge across the Grand canal.

We got over to Murano Island, where the famous glass (read expensive) is made. Don't even ask how much we bought!

Piazza San Marco had St Marks Basilica, amazingly ornate, The Doge Palace, very old ruler of old Venice, bell towers, and in the evening you could sit and have dessert (read expensive again) while an orchestra (your choice of 5) played. When the tide was in the water was coming up the drains, Venice isn't sinking, the water is getting higher.

Were working on editing the video, we took more of it than pics, and as soon as it is ready we'll put it up here. If you want to learn more of Venice go here: www.italyguides.it/us/venice_italy/venice_travel.htm (hope it work, Jan read it to me). Click on photo gallery.

You could could spend a week going into the old churches on the various islands, they were amazing inside.

Venice is also famous for it's masked carnival and balls. We bought a couple of them (read expensive here as well).

Just like Paris, Jan wants to go back. We took the highspeed Eurostar train down to Rome, 5 hour trip and saw some gorgeous countryside (too expensive to retire here unfortuantely).

Click on the photo album and then slide show to see some of our Venice pics.

Rome pics are next.