Venice- Part 2

On the Lagoon

The Bridge of Sighs

Our night time ride with Alessandro

Rialto at night

The Grand Canal

fire station lit up with the colors of the Italian flag

We really liked this bridge and the buildings around it.  We didn't realize it until going through our pictures but we took pictures here multiple times a day!

Paul needed something that we weren't able to find at the grocery store near our airbnb. He said we were going to the most beautiful grocery store in the world!

The building next door was pretty cool, too.

The English word "ghetto" comes from the Venetian Ghetto which was instituted in 1516.

For more info. see https://www.ghettovenezia.com/en/the-history/

One of the 2 entrances to the ghetto that were only open during the day. A gate would cover the entrance each night.

I would drop my laundry in the canal!

We were there during the Feast of Tabernacles

I bought some earrings from David.  He said his sister worked in a glass shop in Murano.

The other entrance to the ghetto.

Madonna De l'Orto. Built in the mid 14th century.

Palazzo Mastelli del Cammello
Construction began in 12th century

Fountains running everywhere!  There was a pigeon taking a bath in the plastic container but it flew away before Paul could take the picture!

“ponte del chiodo” The last bridge left without railings. The step I'm sitting on says "ponte privato" so I didn't go any further! It leads to the door of a house.

In Venice distance is measured in how many bridges you have to cross to get to a destination.

Calle Varisco. The narrowest street in Venice.

We had alot of things on our list for our last day in Venice. We'd only had pizza once on the trip, in Naples. So we needed another and a different type of pizza. We didn't realize they would be so big! But by lunch time on the plane the next day I'd eaten all of mine. We brought some of Paul's home for Daniel!

When we were seated the waitress said we needed to order quickly because the kitchen was closing soon.  It was weird because it was lunch time.  It was because the group behind me in the picture was a wedding reception.  The kitchen closed right before the bride and groom arrived in a boat.  They didn't offer us any wedding cake, though! :-)  But we did get to watch the waitress chase the pigeons away from the cake!

On the way back to our airbnb Google maps stopped working. Venice was a serious challenge to Paul's amazing directional skills. It's basically a huge maze of alleys and canals and bridges. It took us almost 2 hours to find our way back, carrying those 2 pizza boxes the entire way!

Trying to figure out what time we needed to catch the waterbus to the airport the next morning.

One of the main things on our todo list for our last day! 

 Frederica told us not to ask our gondolier to sing. If we wanted music we'd have to hire a musician and a singer. But he started whistling. We were excited to have our music!

And I needed one last gelato! I had some interesting gelato flavors during the trip. This one was walnut fig. I had pistachio (pistachio flavored--not just pistachios in vanilla) and basil lemon (ok this one wasn't gelato but a sorbet) in Cinque Terre. In Rome I had Bounty (coconut flavored ice cream with chocolate chips and buttered salted caramel ice cream with chocolate chips. My favorite was in Rome. I had a small with a scoop of each flavor 3 days in a row!

Our gondoleir telling us about the buildings we're passing on the Grand Canal.

Casino di Venezia. The oldest casino in the world.

"Opened in 1638, it was originally a theatre called the Theatre Saint Moses, which had a wing for gambling during the intermissions of plays. It helped spark the start of a casino craze in Venice—by 1744, there were more than 120.... 

...built in the 15th century by Italian architect Mauro Codussi, who designed some of Venice’s most beautiful churches....

The city of Venice bought the building in 1946, renovated it, and opened it as an official casino in 1959. 

It has been used for Hollywood movie sets and Venice Film Festival events, and was instrumental in the development of the movie Casino Royale. Indeed, just like something out of a James Bond film, this dimly lit haunt is a gem of old-school Italian design, with felt ropes for handrails on its staircase, crystal chandeliers, and vintage mirrors made by Murano glassmakers. " https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/tour-worlds-oldest-casino

Church of San Stae 

Recognize the buildings and the bridge?  We really, really liked this spot for pictures.  It was right around the corner from our airbnb and where these gondoliers wait for costumers during the day

The campo by our airbnb. Campo means field and once were filled with dirt and cultivated. Now they are all laid with cobblestones or paved. There's a church, a grocery store, a few restaurants, some benches and lots kids playing in the open area after school. We were staying where the real Venetians live.

The street to our Airbnb and the canal.

On the waterbus on the way to the airport.  I was hoping we'd get a last view of Venice from the boat but it was so crowded and packed with luggage I couldn't turn around to see out the small windows.  It was also a very choppy ride on the lagoon!

The trip was simply amazing.  Paul did such a good job of planning.  And God worked to make things I was concerned about go smoothly.  We had a great time seeing the sights and lots of good conversations and time together.  We are so thankful for everyone that prayed for this trip and to God for allowing us to have this special time together.