Venezia - giorno secondo! Wednesday 11 July, 2012

Day 2 in Venice!

Our disembarkation time was 9.30 so we arrived at the Michelangelo dining room to wait for our group’s call.  Sad to leave!  Found our suitcases and walked to the ‘People Mover’ train and rode into the bus station.  Hotel Arlecchino was a short walk and we checked in!  The consierge organised the water taxi to come and take us to the island of Murano, famous for its glass.

Murano glass is a famous product of the Venetian island of Murano.  Located off the shore of Venice, Italy, Murano has been a commercial port as far back as the 7th century. By the 10th century, the city had become well known for its glassmakers, who created unique Murano glass. While Murano glassmakers have settled and operate elsewhere, some say authentic Murano glass is fabricated only in Murano.

According to the consierge, the factory we were taken to is the best.....  We wouldn't know but we wanted to see Murano and see some glass blowing.  It was a very interesting factory and David was completely engrossed in the work of the tradesmen.  He reckons he could have sat there all day!  Obviously very talented and masters of their craft.  I enjoyed looking at the glass pieces and wished I had a bank account like the late Michael Jackson, so I could afford to buy some!!!  Fortunately, there was also a gift shop with jewellery and smaller pieces....  one might have slipped into my shopping bag and claimed residence at Currimundi for the future......  :-)

Found the water bus stop after a spot of lunch.  Returned to the Rialto Bridge and walked around the square – crowded and full of many people.  It was hot!  Found our Irish Pub again from yesterday, just in time for another 'cooling' prosecco.  We liked it so much we asked the bartender (who said he spoke 6 languages) if we could buy a bottle to take away.  (Dave M told the bartender that he also speaks 5 languages:  English, kiwi, Aussie, Canadian and American) – he’s such a dag!

Returned to our hotel via the water bus – enjoyed an extended ride along the Grand Canal – which was the highlight of my day as I sat up front and was able to get a fairly clear view.  Have never seen so many boats, gondolas, taxis and business vessels in one place – general chaos!  A cold shower was a welcome relief at the end of the afternoon – oh, along with a prosecco or two!

Just after 6pm we left our hotel to start looking for a good place for dinner (‘to put the feedbag on’ as Dave M says).  Happened upon a gondola station outside our hotel.

Although the motorboat (or vaporetto) is well accepted today, the gondola is the more traditional means of transportation.  A surprisingly agile craft, each gondola is lovingly built like a piece of fine furniture, sometimes requiring more than a year to complete.  Gondoliers belong to a centuries-old guild , steeped in tradition, and are quite adept at moving their boats easily with a single oar.  The tall mooring poles with distinctive spiral striping are the original models for barber poles.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity really, to take a gondola ride as Venice is the only place to take an authentic one.  We spoke to Mario who said he’d take us for a 30-40minute trip for  80 euro – and not on the Grand Canal, rather a canali piccola – quiet side canal.  Loved our trip – Mario told us he took 2 years to learn and had been a gondolier for 8 years.

We ate la cena (dinner) at Trattoria de la Rose which advertised as being air-conditioned, but unfortunately it was not working well enough, and it was uncomfortably hot.  We did enjoy our meals though.  Enjoyed a cooler evening walk – San Marcos square still busy and crowded with people at 11pm!