Venice

I think I said it best on Facebook... pinch me, I must be dreaming. From the second you get off the train in Venice and head toward the Vaporetto station (the public transit water bus) you just look like a gawking idiot with a grin on your face that you can't wipe off.
We had met an Australia couple on the train so we ventured into the new territory with them.  Denise and Richard are very well travelled and his Italian was much better than mine so we took lots of directions from them.
Our Vaporetto took us right to San Marco Square which is really the hub of Venice.  Every tourist that has ever stepped foot in Venice has been in this remarkable square.  (and it seemed like they were all still there by the number of people crowding around the Basillica.)
After having left the peace and tranquility of the Cinque Terre we were thrown into tourist mecca.  I am not saying this was a bad thing, just a bit of a shock from where we came from.
We separated from our Oz friends and tried to find our hotel.  It seemed like we had been looking for our hotel forever when out of no where we looked up to see our sign.  Apparently we had walked past our lane 4 or 5 times before noticing it.  But if you have ever been to Venice you know what it is like in some of those alleys. 
There are no roads in Venice, only canals and sidewalks.  You either walk or take a boat.  We got checked into our great bed and breakfast and then headed back to the action of San Marco square.  Saint Mark's Basillica is the picture above.  We had a great night out for dinner then home exhausted.  The next day started off great with the sun shining and 2 cups of coffee in our belly.  It is not customary in Italy to have more than one cappucino with your breakfast and we got dirty looks when we asked for a second one so imagine our surprise when we were offered a refill at breakfast.  (Joe and I drink an entire pot of coffee every morning at home so we had a bit of an adjustment to the local tradition)  Off we head to explore this amazing town.  With water and little bridges everywhere we just spent the entire day with our mouth wide open in awe.  We found the Rialto fish and veggie market where all the fisherman clean, and sell their fresh fish, and window shopped in stores like Furla and Ferrari which were both 2 minutes from our hotel.

The sights and sounds were overwhelming so we headed back to the hotel for a rest before we met up with Denise and Richard for dinner.  Earlier in the day Joe and I found a very cute restaurant with a garden in the back with grapevines hanging from the ceiling so we made a reservation for later that night. 
Dinner was an experience. Firstly we were tempted by the fresh bellinis (they were invented here after all) then when we ordered a litre of the house wine, the waiter asked if we liked pinot grigio to which we replied Yes! so guess what...we got a bottle of Pinot Grigio at a mere 35 Euro a bottle (to compare this, a litre of house wine is usually somewhere in the neighbourhood of 12 Euro/litre)  Our waiter now has us hook line and sinker.  We have no idea that we just ordered one of the most expensive bottles of wine on the menu so when he asks if we want another we say Sure!!!  Antipasti, Primi, Seconde, Dolce, wine wine, Limoncella and Gelati laced with Vodka, the final bill for dinner was a whopping 245 Euro (which is just a mere $347.00 Canadian!!!!  Good thing we all have a sense of humour (and we were drunk by this point so who cares) 
Today was our day to explore Murano, an island near Venice where they make blown glass.  As we entered San Marco square a man approached us with a very official looking badge saying he was an official for the municipality of Murano and they were having special free water taxi ride and tour of a blown glass factory in Murano and would we like to follow him to our boat now.  So unbelievably, we did.

The water taxis cost 60 euro one way and by the time we got half way to Murano we were all second guessing our decision.  Perhaps the Mafiaso were waiting on the other side to rob us blind of our ridiculously empty wallets (after last night).  Maybe, we thought, they were going force us to work off our taxi fare in some unscrupulous manner.  Nope, not at all. We were taken to a glass blowing shop shown a demonstration then quickly ushered through to the store, where no doubt they expect you to buy stuff, none of which was anywhere near our budget range.  They figured out pretty quick that we were not buying so we were unceremoniously shown the back door.  (Other people were giving prosecco and encouraged to linger, I guess we just didn't look wealthy enough) As I think about it now, we were nuts to ever go with the guy in the first place but I guess it all worked out in the end.  The day ended with a gondola ride down the canal.  It doesn't get much better (some think tacky, I say wonderful) than this.  This was on the list of things to do before I die...check!  I love Venice and we won't forget our adventures here anytime soon.  Next stop...our buddy Dave...in Florence!