Ski/Road Trip: Day 10 (Venice)

     Today, after breakfast, we went into the St. Marks Basilica, where we became trapped by a Chinese or Japanese tour group and Averil was reprimanded for taking photographs.  Fortunately she got these shots first:

Pala d'Oro

Treasure Room

     Then we went up a tower called the Campanile (which looks to Ed like it is leaning, but he decided to risk it).  From the top we got more good views of Venice from above:

This is the Tower We Went Up

     After that, it was more pigeon taming:

    Then Ed negotiated for gondola ride with a guy named Lido who agreed to let us bring Ivy along!  Lido is a sixth generation gondolier from Venice.  He told us many interesting facts about the city and about his ex-wives and his divorces as he rowed us around through the canals.  Did you know the Venetians have their own dialect?  This is true.  Venice used to be sinking, but it no longer is because they stopped sucking water out of the aquifer (also true).  But the sea level is rising (also true).  Also, Lido has rowed several famous people through the city including Steve Martin, Sting, and Nicolas Cage.  Did you know that Nicolas Cage is gay?  Lido says he is.  Lido says that he rowed Nicolas Cage and his boyfriend through the city.  Lido says they were holding hands in the gondola.  Lido says they were not just friends and the guy who was holding hands with Nicolas Cage was blonde.  Also, Steve Martin is a good tipper and Sting wore a mask so as not to be recognized, but Lido knew he was Sting anyway.  It was a great adventure to get rowed through the Venice canals on a gondola.  We took many pictures, and many people took pictures of us, and we took pictures of them taking pictures of us, and they took pictures of us taking pictures of them taking pictures of us.  Also, Lido has had two divorces and they cleaned him out of money but he doesn't care because now he has a new wife and he is going to go and retire in two years and move to the Seychelles islands with his third wife.  Anyway, here are some of the fantastic photos of our gondola ride with Lido:

      After that we had lunch -- violating local ordinance by eating take out food in the plaza.

     Then we walked through the city some more, following a map.  It was easy.  And we ended up back at St. Marks Plaza (our hotel is a block from there) by taking the foot ferry.   Ivy is a rock star in Venice.  All the Japanese and Chinese tourists go crazy over her and take pictures and coo to her in their native languages.

     Here are some more photos:

     We ended the day at the Doge's Palace (not pictured) where we saw many large and ornate rooms, frescos and paintings, dungeons, swords, crossbows and early pistols and rifles, globes and maps, and a picture of the different kinds of terrible things that will happen to you if you are bad and end up going to h_ll.  (Hint:  be good!).