Kate's Fantastic Adventure - Venice

The last day of Kate's Fantastic Italian Adventure was spent in Venice.  We rose early and made the drive to north to La Serenissima.  Unfortunately, my exceptional directional abilities were on the fritz and it took far longer to get there than it should have.  In any event we finally made it there. 

Luckily, the weather was fabulous that day.  As we made our way from the parking area on the edge of Venice towards Piazza San Marco we came across some gondoliers.  It seemed like a good idea to get our gondola ride out of the way early so we all hopped into the boat (very carefully, of course).  We had a real cutie for a gondolier who spoke some English.  It was probably more interesting traveling through the canals so far from Piazza San Marco--quieter canals and fewer tourists. As you can see from the photo, a great time was had by all.

Dom was having a great time, too.

It was quite peaceful floating through the canals.  The juxtaposition of water, boats, Venetian architecture, people and sky always makes for a great panorama.

After the gondola ride we continued walking to Piazza San Marco.  Eventually, we arrived and joined hundreds of other tourists.

The Basilica is always gorgeous.  Unfortunately, about a third of the facade was in scaffolding.  In all the years I have been going to Venice, I think it has been totally clear of all scaffolding and tarps only once.

Another interesting building on Piazza San Marco is the one with the clock.  It is quite elaborate and when it chimes figures come out onto the balcony and all sorts of other things happen.

We were lucky enough to see a bride and groom walking by.  It was a Tuesday but weddings are often held midweek here in Italy.

Here is the entire ladies group pictured--Cindy, Kate, Lou, Cherie and Emily. 

That evening we drove back to Bologna and spent the night there.  Early the next morning Dom and I saw everyone else off at the airport.  It was a fabulous trip but I am sure everyone was glad to get home.

Kate was a wonderful traveler and I look forward to more trips with her in the future.