Burano | Murano | Gondola Ride
Venice: Hello again from Venice.
We had another great day and the weather was perfect! After a quick
breakfast in the hotel dining room, we met in the hotel lobby and
walked to the water bus station, about two blocks away. Woody had
planned our itinerary for the day - first stop: the island of Burano.
The Breakfast Room at the Hotel >
The view of the Tilting Tower of Burano from port
Arriving in port (jrw)
Burano is a very small island, just a few minutes by boat from Venice. It
is famous for lace making and their own leaning tower. The buildings are
painted with bright colors and Kathy and Mary kept commenting on how the
perfectly quaint state of decay reminded them of Disneyland. We walked
completely around the tower, but could find no direct access to the tower
courtyard, so figured it was either closed for the day or closed at all
times due to the fact it is leaning at an 85-degree tilt!
We
see quite a few dogs in Italy. (We have only seen one neutered dog in
Italy.) While the dogs are out walking with their masters, rarely are they
on a leash, but rather just seem to follow along. Many shop owners have
their dog inside, resting on a plump pillow. A few dogs seem to have been
let-out on their own for a potty break. They travel their specific route,
stop by their friends to have their ears scratched, beg at the local butcher
and then return to their door. Dogs are on the water buses, in the cafes and
in the shops. They are usually pedigreed
pooches and seem quite pampered.
Fat Cat (dt)
Burano street scene (dt)
Burano was my first experience with an Italian pay toilet. One Euro
handed to an attendant to use a spotlessly clean toilet (with a toilet
seat), toilet tissue, soap and a towel!
We popped our heads in a few lace shops, strolled the canals and looked into
the church in the town square and then headed back to the ferry.
Burano Town Square
Main canal through town
The Leaning Tower of Burano
A canal in colorful Burano
Lunch delivered in Burano (jrw)
Canal in Burano (jrw)
Next stop: Murano, the famous glass-making island! Murano is not as
quaint as Burano, probably since probably every tourist visiting Venice
ventures over here at least once and because it has countless glass
factories. Industrial chic. The amount glass for sale is over-whelming:
beads, chandeliers, wine glasses, plates, art "objects", ash trays, glass
animals, religious icons, clocks, statues, earrings, rings... well you name
it and it can be found, or made, on Murano.
Murano street scenes
DT and I sample breadsticks at lunch in Murano
Lots of walking and it was time for lunch! We found a nice sidewalk cafe.
Sounds quaint, but it in Murano the "sidewalk" is right on the canal and
every time a boat went by, we had to lift our feet (and bags) off the floor
to avoid getting wet from the wake! This is something we do not do every
day, so we thought it was charming.
Grilled sole
Gnocchi in a cheese sauce
Most of the glass wasn't our style or would have been too cumbersome to
carry around the rest of the trip. Not to worry though, obviously DHL
delivers.
DHL truck - Murano-style
Then, it was back on the (water) bus to find a gondola so the Happy
Couple could celebrate their wedding anniversary in style (and we could ride
along to document the moment).
Steve and Mary in Venice - they were also
here on their honeymoon 30 years ago. (dt)
Kathy hired the most handsome gondolier in Venice for our 35-minute tour
down a small canal, out into the Grand Canal, under the Bridge of Sighs and
back around smaller canals to our origination point. Alex was a new
gondolier and explained to us the procedure to obtain a license. Two years
of school are required - and the boats cost around forty thousand US
dollars!
Mary - with Alex and Venice
The Bridge of Sighs (jrw)
Alex, under the Bridge of Sighs
After
our ride, DT and I went back to Lido and the rest stayed in Venice to shop.
We walked through St. Mark's Square (right) again on the way back to the
water bus.
After DT and I arrived to our hotel, we walked next door to have a coffee at
a little cafe. It was a small shop, operated by two middle-aged women. They
brought our coffees and we were enjoying a moment of rest at a teeny
sidewalk table when there was a huge crash, screams, and all sorts of
emotional outbursts, coming from the back of the cafe. A little girl, about
five years old, came racing out of the bathroom, screaming, with a flood of
tears streaming down her face.
Her parents, Americans (I'm just guessing New Jersey) asked their distraught
daughter what had happened. "I caaan't tellll yooou." she sobbed. What
happened? What did you do? The coffee shop ladies were yelling in Italian
and the Dad finally stood up to access the situation. Somehow, while the
child was in the rest room, the sink had come off the wall and had crashed
into the tile on the floor. It was a mess. (I'm not an engineer, but I think
there was no way that small child could have toppled a sink, even if she
could have somehow climbed up on it and jumped up and down.) The Mother was
so upset, thankful that her daughter hadn't been seriously injured, but the
ladies at the coffee shop were on the phone - were they calling the police
or a plumber, we will never know - and the Father was trying to pay their
bill and get out of there. Everyone was yelling at each other in their
native languages and no one could understand each other. It was hilarious
and frightening at the same time. DT tried to get our check and the
frustrated woman looked at him and said "two Euros". He put the coins on the
table and we left as fast as our feet could carry us - the cheapest cup of
coffee in Venice. Entertainment, priceless.
DT ran along the Lido beach and then we went back into Venice to meet the
gang at Cafe Madonna for a truly delicious meal.
Seafood Soup, artichoke bottoms and Veal Milanese
Specialty de la casa: Seafood Madonna
In the alley outside Cafe Madonna
Our last night in Venice. Pedometer today read an incredible 20,661 steps
(8.8 miles). Which is a good thing: Gelato Flavor of the Day: vanilla.
And panna cotta.
And chocolate.