Woke up at 5:30 this morning and just couldn’t seem to get started. Took our showers and found our way down to the breakfast room. I had some scrambled eggs with a croissant and some green tea. Mom had a bowl of granola and yogurt with her English Breakfast Tea.
We met the group outside the hotel at 8:30AM and were introduced to Elizabeth, a local tour guide who was going to take us on a walking tour of Venice. We put on our little radios with ear buds in place and took off at a fast pace. Elizabeth had an amazing amount of knowledge and it was, at times, overwhelming. She would throw out facts on Venice history like it was no big thing. And Venice has been around a long long time. There is a lot to know.
She explained about the services here in Venice. There are no cars, no buses, no bicycles, no method of transport except by boat or by foot. Garbage is picked up every couple of days by a man pulling a large-ish cart. They ring your doorbell and you come to the door with your trash. Then it’s hauled to a boat that takes it to the mainland for disposal/recycling. *Garbage isn’t left outside anymore due to the huge rat problem that evolved.
Mail delivery. There are a lot of islands in Venice. Each one is it’s only little postal area. And each house or business has an assigned number (like a house number). But there are no street names. Makes the job for the postman much harder.
Food delivery. Each day fresh food is delivered by boat from the market to the restaurants. Some of the boats have refrigerators on them to keep the cold items cold. We walked past many places where food had been delivered and was left outside the front door. You can see in the photo below the boat with boxes piled high for delivery.
Fire department. Elizabeth asked us “why do we need a fire department here in Venice? We are surrounded by water!” Then she went on to explain about the many fired that had destroyed parts of Venice in the past. And yes, the fire “trucks” are boats.
She showed us the different styles of building from over the centuries. The oldest examples are from Byzantine Empire circa 13th century. There is Gothic, Renaissance, Moorish, Romanesque, Venetian Gothic, Baroque, NeoClassical and NeoByzantine (not necessarily in that order). It is truly a wonderful place to see all sorts of styles.
We finally stopped at a tiny little shop of a man by the name of Franco Furlanetto. He is one of four traditional oar and forcola makers in Venice. He crafts them by hand and has been doing so for over 30 years. We learned it can take him about 50 hours to make one forcola (this is the place where the oar is used to maneuver the gondola). Elizabeth likened it to a gear shift in a car. Franco demonstrated how he works his craft. We learned there are the best kinds of wood for the forcola: Walnut (the best), cherry, and pear. The wood has to be seasoned at least a year to avoid problems later.
After the demonstration was over, we walked to the open market where all fresh foods were sold. Mom and I decided we weren’t feeling up to San Marco Basillca and opted to return to the hotel.
When we got back to the room, I set Mom up on the iPad so she could read her email. I fell asleep before she was done; and apparently she napped as well. Thank goodness I set the alarm for 3PM. We were both out like a light.
After our midday nap, we decided to check out the Doges Palace. It was a bit of a walk but there was no one in line so we got right in. Elizabeth and Sara both recommended we wait until after 4PM because the cruise ships would have departed. They were right.
Doges Palace or Palazzo Ducale was the residence for the Doge of Venice. It was constructed in the mid 14th century in the Gothic style. The Doge was the chief magistrate and leader of the Republic of Venice (up until the late 1700’s) and was elected to the position for life. The palace includes the Doge’s apartments, armories, a prison section, assembly rooms and art. Lots of art. On the walls. Ceilings. Fireplaces. Doors. I kept taking photos but you just can’t take it all it. See below for a sample:
We worked our way through the armory display. Amazing collection of weapons.
We finally made it to the prison cells and crossed of the Bridge of Sighs. Legend has it that the prisoners who were on their way to their cells would sigh as they glimpsed their last look at Venice through the tiny windows. It’s an enclosed pathway over a small rio on the way to the prison cells.
We walked back toward the hotel; much easier now after doing it several times. We ate at the restaurant outside our hotel. Mom had chicken breast and potatoes. I had the spinach ravioli. For dessert we shared a tiramisu and a coconut/chocolate cake. We sat outside to eat our meal, and by the time we were done it was beginning to get chilly.
Came up to our room and got ready for bed. Tomorrow we head to Florence. Time on the bus and we get to see David!
Ciao for now!
