This is the view from the train station. The first thing you see. And, I gotta say, compared to the buildings in Vienna and Budapest, the buildings here are all fairly small, with the exception of Churches.
The church next to the train station, Scalzi.
Rio Marin
There were a lot of little passages like this. I just barely didn't have to duck.
The Grand Canal
Grand Canal from the Scalzi Bridge facing the other direction. 
there are no streets in Venice. I guess it makes sense, but I wasn't expecting it. There are no cars, at all. And unless it's a piazza, the streets are usually pretty small. There were a lot of streets that look like this. Also, unless you're on a boat, you can't follow canals. I just assumed there would be streets or sidewalks that went alongside the canal, but there aren't. You can take certain streets to get to certain places on the canal. It's weird.
I don't know what church this is. I kept getting lost. Since there are so many small streets, it's really hard to find where you are on the map, a compass would have done me better. Basically I would try to walk in the general direction of where I wanted to go, and then when I felt like I was too lost I would find where I was on the map and then find the right direction to walk in again.
There were a lot of things like this above doors, I was wondering what they were.
These stone things were everwhere too, with water pouring out of a fountain thing in front. Again, I don't know what they are.
Masks! Venice is famous for it's carnival, so there are shops selling masks everywhere.
The buildings in Venice are all ridiculously bright colors.
I liked the gardens on top of the buildings.
Everyone in Venice hangs their clothing out on a line. This was before it started raining, of course.
I don't know why this wall has broken glass and barbed wire on it.
I loved these things. I don't know why they were there, but I assume they used to be used for something. Anyway, they hang by windows and they're tiny, maybe as big as my finger. It's like one of those illusion pictures.
It made me happy that little kids were playing soccer in the piazza.
It was the first fresh seafood market I've ever seen. I didn't get a picture of it, but they even had swordfish there.
the mystery thing from earlier, turned the other way.
this grafitti caught my attention, and apparently that guy's too. He stopped at looked at it for awhile.
next to one of the ferry stops at Ca' Rezzonico.
Santa Maria della Salute
Random alleyway.
Santa Maria
Closeup on the spirals.
Gondalas lined up outside of Santa Maria.
Inside of Santa Maria.
Floor of Santa Maria
Dogana di Mare
This is two palaces across from Santa Maria, but I'm not positive which two.
Santa Maria from down the Canal
Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore
Piazzetta San Marco
Palazzo Ducale
The pidgeons!! St. Mark's Square is famous for them. There are sooo many. Most of them were on the roofs since it was starting to rain when I took this picture, and they hang out in groups around the square, but I think you get the idea that they are crazy. Just walking across the square numerous pidgeons attacked my feet, and two even landed on my head! And I did not have food! They really went after the people with food!
Basilica di San Marco
Pidgeons, and also all the streetlights in Venice are pink. I don't know why, but I actually like it a lot.
The side of San Marco
I don't know if you can tell by the picture, but all those pictures on the church are mosaics. All this church is beautiful, it's made of up many different pastel colors of marble on the outside, which are kinda washed out in these pictures.
They set up these platform/walkway things in the square to walk on. In some places the water was a couple inches deep.
Closeup on some of the mosaics.
Water pouring off San Marco. Can you kinda see the different colors of marble?
Campanile. I was going to go up it, but decided it wouldn't be worth it with all the rain and fog.
Closeup of more mosaics.
This was the only picture I managed to take of the floor of San Marco. They wouldn't allow pictures inside the Church. However, the floor was amazing. It was made out of small pieces of different colored marble, some of them were made into designs, some made images that almsot looked like patchwork quilts. It was awesome. I bought a bunch of postcards of the floor.
Again, the only picture I managed to take, this is of the entryway. The entire ceiling and walls were covered in mosaics. It was the most beautiful church. It was a Byzantine Chuch, so besides the obviously byzantine mosaics, it also had a dome with windows all around it. It made me wish that I could see it when it's sunny out, with the light reflecting off the mosaics.
It took me awhile to realize why so many people had rainbow umbrellas. I finally figured out it's because it was what the street vendors were selling. 
Santa Maria
People lining up to take pictures of the gondolas going by.
Palazzo Ducale
Trying to dry off the seats of the gondola.
Peggy Guggenheim Collection from the Grand Canal. I was going to go, but I didn't feel like museums when I got to Venice. So I skipped out on the museums this trip.
No matter where you were in the city, when they hour struck it was like being in a really bad bell concert. There were so many church bells ringing!
This is the "metro" system in Venice. Crowded boats that would take you down the Grand Canal. I rode it twice, and that was enough. If you hung back, you could get a place by the railing and look at the pretty buildings, but it was sooo crowded. The second time I rode it, I lterally could not move my arms we were packed in so tight.
There's a canal at the end of this alleyway. They're everywhere!
Looking down the grand canal.
Another picture of Santa Maria. I just didn't think I had enough.
Palazzo Barbarigo and Rio di San Vio from the Grand Canal
I walked through a museum about Violin making. It wasn't the most interesting place in the world, but it was free and dry.
Ok, I think this church is San Stefano. The ceiling was really great.
This is inside what I think is San Stefano. These paintings were gorgeous, and they were just laying in a corner.
On last view of Santa Maria as I cross the Grand Canal.
Proof I was there! A nice Italian girl offered to take my picture. Everyone says Viennese people are rude, but I never thought so untill I went to Italy. The Italians were just so out going and friendly. And they didn't cut me off when I tried to speak Italian.
Yes, that's a giant Rosary. 
Street by Canale della Giudecca
Boat on the canal.
This picture just shows how high the water sometimes gets, and also that the canals have waves. Actually, it was pretty funny to watch tourists who don't realize that stand right next to the edge of canals where the water was high and get soaked by the waves.
I thought this was an orange tree and I got really excited, but then I looked closer and I don't think it's an orange tree. But I don't know what kind of fruit it is.
I loved the different colors of the buildings. They're much brighter in real life.
This cat wanted out really bad, but it was on the 2nd story.
Back to where I'm started. And it only took 6 hours.
I love it when the building leads right into the water.
Grand Canal at twilight
Police boat! The weirdest thing were the ambulence boats.
How many bridges do you see in this picture? There are 4, but the craziest thing is that the two in front are a part of a 5 part bridge. I never even knew that there was a need for a 5 part bridge, much less that they're possible.
why does this bridge have so much truss on it?
Venice at night.
Snack bar: coffee, burger, beer and ice cream.
No comments:
Post a Comment