From the Swiss Alps to the canals of Venice we ventured!  We did not get a very warm welcome, however.  When we arrived it was raining, and people if you know what Venice is like you would feel very sorry for us.  The city is a labyrinth.   We felt like rats in a maze as Alan put it…dead ends in every direction and streets going every which way.  To make matters worse, Justin’s GPS phone was dying.  By some miracle we arrived unscathed at our hotel.  Unbeknownst to us, our hotel happened to be right by a tourist attraction too, which we had no idea even existed!!

After our arrival, the rain seemed to slow down, so we decided to gallivant around the city and see some canals and whatnot.  Eventually, our bellies grew hungry so we decided to stop and eat.  This happened to be great timing, too, because it started to rain cats and dogs!  We took cover under an awning and watched it pour while we enjoyed some good traditional Italian pizza and pasta.  However, to continue our not so lucky day, the awning we were sitting under was being hounded by gallons and gallons of water a minute and it seemed to be weakening.   As we sat there knowing the awning could collapse at any second our lives flashed before our eyes!  At the last second, our waiters swept in and saved the day!  We would be able to continue our journey to the rest of Europe! 🙂

After our near death experience, we decided to wander around Venice for the rest of the night.  Eventually we made it back to our hotel.  It seems that most of the hotels we have been staying at have been family owned, which is neat.  This hotel had a really cool key!  It was an old school castle-like key!

The next morning we awoke to sun and a clear sky, needless to say we welcomed it with open arms.  We knew we had a busy day ahead of us so we started bright and early.  First we went to the outdoor market, which had every fruit, vegetable, and seafood you could imagine.  We purchased some apples and strawberries for future lunches and breakfasts.  Next we headed to the Bell Tower.  This gave us a spectacular view of the city.  Also, we saw a man propose to his woman…this brought back the memories for Katie and Justin.  However, Katie said Justin’s proposal was better (of course, she had to say this ;))

 

 

 

Next we ventured over to take a gondola ride.  It took us through the city using the canals.  Our gondolier also taught us about some of the history of Venice and some random facts.  Turns out the population of the city is 60,000, there are 500 bridges that cross canals, and there are 120 churches.

 

 

Last but definitely not least, we went through St. Mark’s Basilica.   This was a very pretty church; however, no pictured were allowed to be taken, so to your imagination you shall go.

It is time to say goodbye to Venice and head to Cinque-Terre…to say the least, we can walk away knowing we conquered the city! 🙂