These winged lions are the symbol of Venice, and Veneto so you see them on buildings through the region.

The Fenice Theater. I read a book about Venice and this opera theater. Fenice means the Phoenix, which as you probably know from Harry Potter is a mythical bird that is reborn out of its own ashes. This theater has burned down three times and each time has risen again. It’s a simple and elegant theater. We did a tour and were lucky enough to get to sit in on the piano tech rehearsal of “Rigoletto.”

A study in greens.

Color and texture

A gondolier relaxing in the sun.

I loved this! A floating vegetable market. The guy just pulls up next to the side walk, and you can stand there tell him what veggies you want, he’ll grab them and ring them up on his cash register- all on a boat.

 Venice in its prime was home to more than 100 families of Rockefeller wealth. They build spectacular mansions with elaborate features such as this outdoor spiral staircase.

Tom was sly enough to “accidentally” come upon St. Mark’s square by night. I had told him that I prefer to come upon a site and think, oh my goodness what a magnificent church and later find it’s St. Marks Basillica, then to go looking for the famed church only to know we’re there because of the mass of tourists who were also told they had to see the church. St. Mark’s by day is a chaotic mass of people; by night, it’s utterly romantic and charming. On either side of the square small groups of instrumentalists play for the enjoyment of all.

All lit up

St. Mark’s Basilica. Yes, partially covered with scaffolding.

A gondola moving towards the Rialto- an incredibly wide bridge  that has shops lining each side.

The last day we were there we got to see the beginning of “high water.” Water started seeping up through what looked like sewer drains in St. Mark’s square, and then the water started lapping up over the sides from the grand canal! Fortunately we didn’t have to experience high water, just see the beginnings.

The doges palace. This is Tom’s favorite site in Venice. This was the seat of the Venetian republic. I loved learning about the structure of the government. The doge- or lord, ruled not with force or violence, but through giving at least all the aristocratic families a say in the government. There was an early system of checks and balances, and as a result the government was remarkably peaceful and stable for a long time. The palace is beautiful, as you can see.

As I briefly mentioned in the selection from my journal. One of our main activities in Venice was taking pictures. Tom got really excited about learning the manual settings on our camera, and took tons of photos. I enjoyed having the stress of recording the trip taken off my shoulders, and love that I can say these are our pictures. I can’t necessarily tell you who took which.