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321 |
322 | 323 | 324 |
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325 |
326 |
327 |
328 |
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After lunch, we were ready to tour one of Murano's glass factories for which the island is world famous. While there, we happened upon an unusual scene in #s 321-324 where some sort of large sculpture was being created. The designer (322) was from another country and had an interpreter who would convey instructions to the glassmakers (321, 323). This was fascinating to watch as this international combination created a large work of art, probably for a commercial structure. Later, we toured the showroom (325-327) and, on our way out, happened by a dumpster (328) that had lots of "mistakes," some almost perfect but still not good enough. |
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329 |
330 |
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332 |
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We stopped briefly in the Piazza San Marco (330-332) and saw pigeons, pigeons everywhere. The pigeons are actually fed each morning by plaza staff. One youngster (331) was having quite a time kicking up a storm with them. While in the square, we stopped for some Italian gelato at the Cafe Florian, a 19th century hangout of Byron, Dickens and Proust. We also briefly passed by the Bridge of Sighs (329). Built in 1600, it linked the Doge's Palace with the prisons. It takes it name from the cries of prisoners as they made their way to their unfortunate fates. |
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333 |
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335 |
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Early on the morning of September 18, we disembarked for good from the Rotterdam and made our way by water taxi to our hotel, the Pensione Accademia, near the Accademia Bridge (340). The hotel, consisting of only 22 rooms, was a charming place and it is understandable why it has a cult following in both America and Britain. During the three following days in Venice, we visited a great number of the city's highlights. One day, we went to the Lido, an island in the Lagoon which has streets and cars instead of canals and boats (333). It's hard to believe it's Venice. In September, the island was rather sedate but it's most known for its beach resort (334-335) and includes some well- known hotels such as the Moorish-style Excelsior Palace. When the Excelsior opened in 1907, it was the largest luxury resort hotel in the world. Although still nice, it looked like it had seen better days. On another occasion, we happened upon a gondola repair shop (338) just down the canal from our hotel. Another day, we toured the Accademia Galleries, quite close to our hotel. They house the largest collection of Venetian art in existence and the collection was moved by Napoleon to the present location in 1807. Besides the exceptional quality of the artwork, it also houses some of the largest paintings we have ever seen. One evening we went to the famous Harry's Bar for dinner. It was quite an experience and super expensive but the food was excellent. In the small, intimate dining room, it was funny to watch during one moment when a cell phone rang and everyone in the dining room reached for theirs--everyone had a chuckle until persons could figure out who had the call. Vicky sampled the famous Bellini cocktail, a peach and Prosecco concoction. The bar is named after a Bostonian named Harry who thought Venice had a scarcity of good bars. Today, it is probably the most famous bar in the world. After dinner, we attended a Vivaldi concert in a nearby church. There, four young women played Vivaldi music in a setting which seemed most appropriate for Venice. |
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338 |
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