Italy Days 6-7: Venice

 Sites Seen
Maria Gloriosa dei Frari

San Rocco
This was a guild house and consisted of a school and church. The school was amazing...beautiful ceilings and paintings. No pictures allowed on the inside, though. :( 

The Genius of da Vinci Museum
We just stumbled across this museum when we left San Rocco. It had models of many of da Vinci's inventions that you could operate/climb on. I loved it!

St. Mark's Square and Basilica
This is the main attraction in Venice, and the square is very impressive. Unfortunately, it was cold and rainy the day we went, so we couldn't spend too much time walking around and enjoying the view. 

These statues actually move and hit the bell on the hour. It was cool. 

Palazzo Ducale
This palace was the home of the medieval Venice doges (kind of like kings of Venice) and also the seat of government. I didn't know Venice had such an interesting history. We thought this was one of the most beautiful buildings in Italy (which is saying a lot). Darby really enjoyed the display of all of the medieval weapons.

Ponte Rialto

Lessons Learned

• If you're traveling by train on the weekend, buy your tickets early so you don't end up with seats in two different cars. 
• If it's raining, just go ahead and invest the 5 euros in an umbrella, instead of waiting until you're soaked, then buying one. 
• Do not try to subsist on only a croissant until 2:30 p.m., especially when you have been walking since 9 a.m. Well, at least if you're me. Darby seemed to do ok, but I had a major meltdown. 

Favorite Memories

• Eating our giant "individual-sized" pizzas. 
• A pigeon pooping on Darby's head while we were waiting in line for the Palazzo Ducale. I couldn't help laughing, but Darby was not amused. After several hours, though, he was able to quit pouting and joke about it. 
• Meeting a couple from Boston who were looking "to make lifelong friends in Italy." They got my e-mail address, but I haven't heard from them yet. Hmmm...
• Walking through the streets (when it wasn't raining). You hear about how crazy the streets in Venice are, but you just can't understand until you've experienced it. It can be frustrating, but if you just go with it and enjoy getting lost, it can be quite fun. And, especially after the craziness of Rome and Florence, it's amazing to experience the quietness of some of the little alleys and bridges.