We hemmed and hawed about going to Venice. Paola, our Florence landlady, just had this dreamy look in her eyes whenever we mentioned it. Others said that the city might be flooded from all the rain we've had in March. Would it be folly to spend 4 hours on the train for a single day in Venice? No, let's do it, we said.
This was our first experience on one of Italy's express trains. Nancy made reservations on Trenitalia's website for an 8:30 departure and we brought a printed copy of it with us to the station. The train itself reminded me of Amtrak's Accela: sleek looking, quiet, but fast. We left Florence right on time and arrive in Venice just a few minutes after the scheduled time.
It was another cool, gray day, but, happily, it wasn't raining. So off we went on the vaporetto outside the train station headed for Piazza San Marco. Sort of. By the time we hit our 4th stop, we realized we were headed in the wrong direction; 15 stops and 45 minutes later, we arrived at the San Marco stop.
As we approached the Basilica, we could see that long lines were snaking around the Piazza and that everyone was standing on platforms raised 18 inches off the ground. The water in the Piazza was about 2 inches deep. So, we jumped into the line that looked like it was heading for the Basilica--and this time we got it right. But as we came to the entrance, we learned that no backpacks were allowed. Turn around and proceed to Via Basso where you can find a place to check your bag. Off to Via Basso; back in line, and into the Basilica. Definitely worth the effort. See pictures for evidence. Spent about an hour marveling at the ceilings, columns, paintings, sculpture, jewels.
Quick stop for a sandwich, eating as we walk to the Doges' Palace. Once again, see photos. For hundreds of years, this region of Venice was governed by the guys (no mention of women) who lived and worked here. I'm going to guess that the air temperature was about 42 degrees outside. But this palace was unheated. So after touring inside (where the sun didn't shine) for an hour and a half, both of us were getting serious shivers. I think we began to worry about hyperthermia just as we entered the prison & torture section. We actually started jogging so we could get out of there to find some warmth.

More on Venice...
It was a great relief to be out on the Piazza again and in the sunlight. By this time the water had gone down so that everyone could walk around without benefit of the platforms. For the rest of our time in Venice we wandered the narrow canal ways, enjoying the quaint bridges, lovers in gondolas, charming windows and tempting treats. We knew we were officially lost when we saw the same dish of marzipan for the third time.

The day in Venice counts as one of the best on the trip so far, so we were glad we took the chance.