Waking up in Venice was lovely. It is mostly very quiet, a nice change from the mornings in Rome and Florence. The quiet is occasionally interrupted by the sound of a boat making its way through the canal outside my bedroom window. The bed in the Air BNB is the best one yet – I didn’t want to get out of it, until I remembered WE ARE IN VENICE!! We grabbed our apartment key (with a flotation device) and headed out for the day.

The fog was better than when we arrived last night. We had plans to meet our tour guide, Romy, near San Marco Basilica. We were all shocked when we walked into the square and saw a gorgeous, huge, church – Saint Mark’s Basilica. We couldn’t see it at all the night before. Ty is over looking at the inside of churches so we skipped this one.

While waiting for Romy, I was standing under this gorgeous Venetian 24-hour clock tower, completely unaware of the pigeons overhead. I felt what I thought was a rain drop on my shoulder. Then realized it wasn’t raining. Yep. The pigeon shit on my shoulder. The guide assured me that was good luck.

Romy arranged for a private water taxi to take us out to Murano and Burano islands for the day. However, the fog was too thick for him to feel comfortable going all the way to Burano. We will have to do that island next time – known for colorful homes and lace making. Murano is the home of Venetian glass blowing factories – moved to an island due to the fire risk the factories created. It was incredible. We hopped off the water taxi at LP Glass Factory. The maestro demonstrated first how to make a simple vase. Then he started a second piece of glass. He magically transformed a ball of hot glass into a beautiful horse. We were all in awe! There are no female maestros in Murano. Who will be the first?
This is the one that got away. I loved this unique piece of art, but I couldn’t make that large of a purchase as an impulse buy. Dang accountant brain kicked in. Maybe next time it will still be there waiting for me. We did pick up a few (much less expensive) souvenirs, but they are all wrapped up so I don’t have a photo.
We got to ride back to Venice island in the factory boat. Look at the glass!

Because our Burano tour was cancelled, we had to change plans and Romy walked us around the island, showing us so many highlights that we would have never noticed or known walking on our own. I’m going to try to share a few nuggets of information with you, but I highly recommend a tour with Romy. I can share her information if you are interested.

Venice was “born” on March 25, 421 AD. It started as 116 islands and 177 canals. Early settlers built wooden structures on the edge of the islands using wooden piles. The water and silt caused the wood to petrify – the perfect foundation for buildings that have lasted for centuries.

There are many shops that sell Carnival masks, but there are only 3 mask makers on Venice. The masks are made using paper mache. If you stop and look you can tell which ones are authentic and which are imported souvenir masks. The details on the authentic masks are incredible.
The long nose mask was first worn by doctors who thought that it would help them during a plague. They stuffed different herbs in the nose to try to purify the air. And then they didn’t wash their hands. It was a good thought.
Ever heard of a guy named Marco Polo? His home was here – unfortunately it burned down in a fire.
Yesterday I mentioned there are no cars. There are also no ambulances – on wheels. This is a Venetian Ambulance boat. We saw one racing down the Grand Canal, causing all of the gondola captains to rush out to the boats to keep them from banging against the docks.
This is the Rialto Bridge. No big deal, just built in 1588.
Venetians accumulated extreme wealth due to its role as a major port in global trade. This building was originally the German trading warehouse. It later became the Venetian Post Office, then was converted into a luxury brand shopping mall.
Not at all historic but a pretty awesome chocolate fountain.

After our tour, the kids were ready for a rest. Not me! Jay and I got them situated in the apartment and we attempted to get lost in Venice. We sat down at one cute restaurant along a canal for a drink. We were having a lovely time, and the couple at the table next to us started causing a bit of a scene. Turns out a rat crawled up the table and onto the guy’s lap!!!!!!! His girlfriend was freaking out. Jay saw the whole thing go down, and then he watched the rat climb up another table. He chugged the last of his wine and we got up to pay the bill. I told a waiter what was happening, and we watched the rat head down an alley. The exact alley that Jay and I had to go down. We saw a guy stomping his foot in a doorway, the doorway to the restaurant kitchen. And then, just as you would picture in a movie, the chef saw what was happening and he shouted “MAMA MIA!!” It was perfection.

One side of San Marco square had several different Murano glass chandeliers. If anyone is looking for a birthday gift idea for me, I will take one of these.
We ended the day with a nighttime gondola ride. It was so peaceful. I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get the singing captain, so we will have to come back and try again.
Bucket List Item: Ride a gondola in Venice. Check!!

We fly home on Sunday. Three Italian cities in a week! We have seen so much, and I am blessed to have been able to experience this part of Europe. Lily’s favorite part was The Colosseum in Rome. Ty’s favorite was The Roman Forum. Jay’s favorite was wandering around Rome and seeing old stuff everywhere. Venice was my favorite. There is no place like it anywhere else in the world.

While we were exploring Italy, Kaycee was getting spoiled by Vivalda. We were so fortunate to be introduced to her. She LOVES Kaycee, and in the videos she sends it looks like he’s pretty happy with her. THANK YOU!!!