Venice With Old Friends

I guess I'd better finish up the blog on our 2013 Italy trip, as we are preparing to leave for India in a couple of weeks, and I have a feeling that once that begins, it will be difficult for me to return to this one!

On the last leg of our 2013 Italy trip, we drove to Venice and met up with three friends from Sacramento: Tom and Nancy Griffith, and Keith Rogers (who, somewhat recently, moved back to England after about 25 years in the USA). Although Keith had been to Venice once (many, many years ago), I believe this was Tom and Nancy's first time in this unique city on the water, and Sam and I love nothing more than sharing what is one of our favorite places on earth!

We rode the vaporetto (water bus) over to the island of Burano, hoping to have lunch at a trattoria where Anthony Bourdain ("No Reservations" TV host) says they make the best seafood risotto he has ever tasted. Sam and I tried to eat there one Tuesday back in 2009, but discovered when we arrived that it is closed on Tuesdays. This time, we went on a Monday, and guess what? Of course, they were closed! So, we didn't get our risotto, but we did have a nice wander around the island, which is as colorful as a rainbow!

(Remember, click on any photo to enlarge it.)

Nancy, Keith, and Tom walking back to the vaporetto.

Of course, we did all the other touristy stuff, including an elevator ride to the top of the Campanile bell tower in Piazza San Marco, where we had a bird's-eye-view of Venice and the lagoon.

Nancy got tricked into feeding the pigeons, and then had to deal with the guy who "gave" her the seeds, but actually, wanted a goodly amount of euros for them! (This also happened to Sam the first time we were in Milan in front of the cathedral in 2002.) Nancy handled it well though, and gave him the change she had in her pocket.

We climbed the Rialto bridge with all the other tourists, taking pictures with the iconic Grand Canal in the background.

And we wandered the many walkways, streets and bridges, taking in the timeless ambiance of Venice!

In keeping with our tradition of finding weddings wherever we travel, we saw this couple having their photos taken among the rocking gondolas just outside of Piazza San Marco.

Another good excuse to visit Venice this year was that it was a La Biennale year. This bi-annual international art exhibit is a truly amazing event, especially if you happen to have an appreciation for modern art. There are small galleries all over the city, but the two main venues are the Giardini (Gardens), where individual countries have separate pavilions, and the Arsenale, a huge complex of structures where ships were built when Venice was a super power.

Canal running along an outside wall of the Arsenale.

It's hard for me to choose a favorite piece, but here are a few I really found interesting.

Sometimes the space itself is as interesting as the art that is on display.

Finally, after a day filled with man made art, what better way to end it than with nature's art -- a beautiful Venetian sunset!

To see more photos from Venice and the rest of our Italy 2013 trip, go to my Flickr page and click through my photo slideshow.