Sleeping under a fresco, listening to the bells of San Marco

That was how we found ourselves last night, and it was a perfect way for us to spend our night in Venice! We arrived in Venice via train and took a boat down the Grand Canal to the hotel. Riding down the Grand Canal was just like it appears in the movies--boats of all types cruising around with gorgeous masterpieces of architecture lining the way. We disembarked at San Marco and headed to our hotel. Fortunately, our hotels was a simple 2 minute walk from the square, which turned out to be marvelous. After tossing down our bags--see the last picture-- we quickly headed out for a late lunch. Delicious lasagna, fresh salad, grilled fish (literally three whole grilled fish), bread and of course--great wine. It all came with "Venice prices", but when in Venice...

After lunch, we headed out to San Marco square. Venice is PACKED during the day (even though it isn't even high season yet), but the crowds were virtually gone in the evening. It was great to feel like we had the place to ourselves, and we took in great views of the square, church, doge's palace, bell tower, massive clock, and the other buildings on the square. It was fun to hear the orchestras playing in the cafes along the square-- playing everything from Nabucco "Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves" to "Mas Que Nada". Dodging the Pigeons along the square is an art of its own as they dive bomb towards unsuspecting tourists. We took a little walking tour from San Marco through the shopping district and fortunately avoided buying any souvenirs. (I don't think my bag will hold anymore stuff... Fortunately most of it will go home with mom and Andrew). We eventually weaved our way to the romantic Rialto Bridge and took in the evening. After feeling satisfied with our views, we hopped on a boat back to San Marco and our hotel. We picked up a quick pizza for dinner...followed by gelato!

The hotel was an experience in itself. It was another great mom and pop hotel, with owners eager to please. It had been in their family since 1946. Situated right on a side canal, we were serenaded by frequent gondoliers singing everything from Puccini to Dean Martin's "Memories are Made of This". However, the real art in our room was a dramatic (and authentic) fresco on the 20 ft high ceiling. It was really remarkable to find ourselves sleeping under a huge painting of Michael the Archangel and hearing the bells of San Marco. It was another fantastic day.

As I type, we are back on the train to Milan. This morning, we went out to San Giorgio Maggiore intending to go to Mass but somehow there wasn't was at the time they had given us. However, we found some of our best views of Venice and great art. We followed it with a free, personal tour of San Marco-- which was a real treat! (no other english speakers showed up... So we had the highly informative guide to ourselves!) What an incredible and unique church!! The golden mosaics EVERYWHERE were mind boggling, and the guide walked us through each one. It was really unlike anything else I have seen in my travels. We followed it up with a tour of the historic and art loaded Doge's Palace. It is always a favorite of mine to be able to see real masterworks up close. From there, we grabbed our bags and a few sandwiches while leaving Venice the same way we came; riding on the back of a boat down the Grand Canal.

So far, everything has really been magnificent. We are a little tired, but the trains are wonderful for a little nap or to type! Perhaps the highlight of the whole trip will be tonight... Seeing Tosca at La Scala... One of the the worlds most famous operas at the worlds most famous opera house!

We miss everybody back home! To friends and family alike-- much love to all!