Illistrating Italy Part 1

 For once I feel my words have failed me, and in my shame I have delayed writing this too long.  Instead, I'll pictures of my journey.  Here is Venice

We arrived on a beautiful day, as many days in Italy were, and set out soon to explore the city though we were hot from carrying our bags over bridges and tired from spending the night awake in anticipation. 

I love the layout of Venice, though it was difficult to navigate every bridge gave us new sights to see and Gondolas were around every turn.

"What news on the Rialto" (Shylock and Salanio, Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare). The largest Bridge in Venice has been home to shops for many years.  The items are expensive, but the location is iconic.

My favourite clock in all of Venice.  It is both true to the Italian/Roman style of having 24 hours marked on it, as well as the western zodiac signs.  It can be found in Saint Marco's Square.

A taste of the church in the Square, a taste I wish I had more of. 

 

"I summon thee, Saint Marco's Lion"  One of my favourite pictures.

 

  I suppose here is a good time tell you how I fell in love with Venice before I even stepped foot on Italian soil.  It began back in the third grade when I read an article on how Venice was sinking.  The idea of a city like Venice took root in my brain and never left.  Three school years later I was reading almost any book that passed into my hands, one of which was The Thief Lord. It was set in Venice, and it rekindled my love of the city I had never seen.  Around that time I also read the first Stravaganza book, City of Masks.  City of Masks is set in an alternate world Italy (Talia) around the 1500's.  I adore the Stravaganza series, and look forward to City of Swords, the next instalment. All this, along with the Thief Lord movie have encouraged my love of the city. Especially since in the movie San Marco's lion flies around the city.

 

 

Art work on the cluster of islands known as Murano.

 A sample of the different coloured houses on the islands of Burano, known for it's lace.

 Sunset on our last evening in Venice, overlooking the grand canal from the top of the Rialto, facing the direction of San Marco's square.  I feel like this picture high lights most of Venice because you can see the types of buildings, the gondolas, and the water buses.

On the morning of our departure we forked over some money and took a short gondola ride.  The experience was almost what I had hoped (there was no singing and it was not at sunset).

 

So, we left Venice for Florence, which will have to be delayed  some more since it is currently 12:30 and I have shopping to do in the morning.