Venice July 17th

Today is Thursday, July 17th and it is catch up day! This cruise has been so port intensive that we have had so little time to review our photos and get them sent. Venice is definitely unique! It is everything you hear about...ancient buildings, water roads and Venetians (not Italians!). We had a wonderful time getting used to traveling around by vaporetto (water bus). Of course, the second day there was a transit strike (almost a weekly occurrence in Europe) but we managed to get on a private vaporetto that was running from the pier! The smaller boats, called water taxi's, are very expensive... what we would consider Limo's. We were constantly amazed at the water traffic (Jack called them "bumper boats") between the Cruise liners, the commercial boats, the vaporettos, the water taxi's, the Gondola's (even more expensive than a Limo) and the local people with boats, it is a VERY congested waterway...and the only way to get around unless you want to walk. About walking...every street, or should I say, every small strip of walkway along a canal, is cobbled and uneven and there are hundreds of little bridges that get you from one canal to the next...each bridge having steps up and down! This is not a City for tender toes! We visited the famous Piazza of San Marco, where we took a tour called the Secret Itineraries of Doge's Palace. We found this very interesting and it was off the beaten tract. We also had made reservations to visit St Marks Basilica during the one hour each day that the lights were on! There's no denying that the catholic church is worth its weight in gold! The crowds were truly incredible and we were always happy to get on our vaporetto back to "home sweet ship"! We have spent a number of wonderful "sail aways" on our balcony drinking champagne and wine with our new friends.