Arrivederci Venezia

Our exciting two days in Venice ended when we left Burano, where we see two residents chatting at the front door of the small home. Later, back on Lido Island at the hotel, the moon lit up the many cabanas lining the beach.

Murano and Burano

A boat ride on the Grand Canal took us to Murano, where the famed glass company had a wonderful demonstration for us, a seen in the horse formed almost by magic in front of our eyes. Then the island of Burano, wonderfully colorful in the July sun, where we had what our tour guide called a Lunchy Dinner. Bellisimo!

Palazzo

Right near San Marco is the impressive Palazzo of the Doge. From the door decoration to the courtyard, a beautiful scene in every direction.

San Marco

The center of Venice is St. Mark's Square in English, Piazza San Marco in Italian, and is every bit as exciting and beautiful as advertised.

Night and Day

A huge moon hung over the bay outside our hotel room, the tops of the beach cabanas visible at the bottom of the image. The next morning, I captured a blazing sunrise forcing its way through the trees. When I heard a favorite old Rolf Harris lyric, this poster practically wrote itself. Harris was known in the 60s as being a creative Australian singer, most famous for Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport. Several of the new friends we made on this tour were Aussies, and a part of the genesis of the poster is to honor those fine new friends. G'day, Mates!

Grand Canal

After another look up a side canal, we headed into the Grand Canal and toward the Lido Island, the location of our hotel. On the way, we saw this larger-than-life modern sculptor's message on the futility of war, with the soldier's dwarfed by the impervious giant controlling hand.

From the Canal

From the canal, one sees so many styles and colors of building that it is hard to take it all in. Among them, in the upper image, we see the Rialto Bridge, the supposed scene of THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, a popular play by Shakespeare.

City of Canals

From Verona we went directly to Venice, where our gondolas and gondoliere were waiting for us. A picturesque view of the city from the canals was a highlight of the trip.