Wednesday Vacation Blogging: Venice

It was extremely hot and muggy when we got to Venice. We discovered right away, though, that we had made the best mistake of our European vacation by booking a hotel out on the Lido, the resort area far from the main part of town, which gave us beach access. So in addition to taking all the usual tourist pictures featured here, we got to spend a day just lying on the beach and swimming in the Adriatic. It was wonderful, and just the break we needed.

The city of Venice itself is a marvel, though I think next time we go there, it will have to be at a time of year when it isn't so damned hot. But we definitely will go back. Just walking out of the train station onto the Grand Canal is like entering another world entirely. It is truly an amazing place.

As always, click on the individual pictures for a larger version.

The main site associated with Venice, Piazza San Marco. This is the wide-angle view from Mrs. Generik's camera.

Basilica di San Marco. The church itself.

Pigeons and the Campanile.

Venice was part of the Bienalle Art Festival that was all over Europe last summer. As such, there were lots of exhibits of public art, like these red penguins seen on various balconies all over the city.

The Bridge of Sighs.

Even in Venice, Mrs. G found flowers to shoot close up and personal.

Public art in Venice: Enormous. (I know that looks like a Klan hood in the background, but I believe it has some other significance in the European Catholic community that has nothing to do with the American racist organization. Still, it was a bit disconcerting to our eyes.)

In the corner of Piazza San Marco.

Detail of the Basilica.

"Follow that vaporetto!" The main transportation around Venice; reasonably cheap, reasonably efficient, not particularly speedy.

The Rialto Bridge.

Basta with the damn red penguins, already.

Ceci ne pas un Mona Lisa.

A face at every window. I believe this is the Opera House.

A garden just below the window where our friends Scott and Julie stayed.

The view of the Grand Canal from the Accademia Bridge.

Gondoliers jockeying for pole position.

A couple of sweaty tourists on the Accademia Bridge at sunset.

Our last night in Venice, we saw torrential, biblical rain and thunderstorms like we've never experienced anywhere before, ever. It was fabulous. This was the calm before the storm. Ciao!