I left off with Vicenza, the second to last stop on the Veneto trip. Our last stop was Venice, the home of canals, St. Mark's and what I'm pretty positive is the largest population of pigeons in Italy. I'm sure Christopher will want to compose his own blog post telling more about his experiences -- and he's got a lot more pictures than I do with his spiffy new camera -- so I'll just tell a little bit about what the other wives and I did on our whirlwind tour.
After mastering our train riding technique on our trips to Tivoli and Vicenza, we figured we were ready to take on Venice. Well, we didn't know what we were getting into. Loaded down with luggage, strollers, backpacks, pack n plays and babies, we gradually made our way off the train and out the doors to the front of the station... where we realized that the three flights of stairs leading down to the canal did not have a corresponding ramp. Italy is definitely NOT the US, and they aren't nearly as concerned about the handicapped/stroller-pushers among us. Once we made it to the water's edge, we hopped on a vaporetto (water taxis that ferry people around the city) that dropped us off not too far from our rental apartment. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and mapping out our sight-seeing plans while the babies napped. That night, Christopher and I got to go out to a cute little osteria that offered a plate of fresh seafood as an antipasti, which we devoured with no problem.
The next day, the other wives and I decided to put our muscles to the test by setting out with the strollers in pursuit of the Frari Church, a neat old building with some spectacular artwork, including a St. John the Baptist sculpture by Donatello. After lunch, we toured St. Mark's Byzantine-influenced Basilica and spent time marveling at the incredible mosaics. My favorite was just inside the church to the right and showed the story of the Flood and Noah's Ark.
From Vicenza and Venice |
Later that afternoon, Bernadette and I checked out the Doge's Palace -- a beautiful old palazzo which was essentially a prison for the doge in power at any given time. According to one of the informational guides inside the museum, the doge was only allowed to leave the palazzo grounds on affairs of state. The Doge's Palace also has its own dungeon located across the canal -- so creepy! Convicts would cross the "Bridge of Sighs" on their way to imprisonment, hence the name of the bridge. I wanted to get a good picture of the bridge, but the whole thing was covered in scaffolding for restoration. Boo.
The rest of my time in Venice was spent with Christopher, walking along the canals, taking pictures, picnicking in piazzas and gawking at the tourist-driven shops full of masks, clothes, beads and other glass products. The rest of my pictures can be viewed in this album. Christopher has a more extended collection which I'm sure he'll put up eventually... but Mom and Dad Teague are arriving tomorrow morning for a visit, so we'll be busy entertaining for a while!
We love you all and hope to hear from you soon!