We self-toured today. Our first stop was the island of Murano, where all the glass companies are. We bought a day pass for the bus system, which like the taxis is obviously all water based. Murano is a 20 minute ride, with great sightseeing along the way. Taxies zip by in both directions in the main channel, which is also shared with barges carrying working cement trucks, cranes, supplies and other essentials.

The Schiavon showroom with glass blowers was recommended to us, so that was our first stop. The blowing demonstration was amazing - Kevin and I stood right next to the furnace while Sarah and Eric were in a cooler spot with a better view into the flames. The blowers were creating a huge vase with swirling red and black stripes. After the vase was completed, they put it in an oven where they would cool it down over three days to keep it from cracking.

Upstairs in the showroom, we were tagged as big spenders and given a “no obligation!” tour of the more exclusive showrooms. Sarah got the full hard sell on a 7,500 euro vase. By continuing to say “no” she was doing an excellent job negotiating the price. “We’ll give you this smaller one, too. Free!” “We’ll split it up as two credit card charges so you don’t have to pay import tax! Save $400!” Our favorite line was, “It’s not how much you spend, it’s how much you save.” We ended up saving a lot, because we didn’t buy it.

After lunch (and gelato!) we went in search of more furnaces to watch more glass get blown. Despite all the signs pointing all around town, we couldn’t find any that were actually open and blowing glass. The highlight was a sales person who told us, “They are going to lunch. They will be back tomorrow.”

We took the bus back to San Marco, and then jumped onto another bus going across to the island of St. Giorgio Maggiore, where the belltower of the cathedral offers an incredible view of Venice. (Part of my ‘vacation algorithm’ is to go to the top of things, so the belltower was a required stop.)

We then bussed our way over to Ca’ Rezzonico, a museum with evidently a great display of life in Venice in the 17th and 18th centuries. I say evidently, because it’s closed on Tuesday. A perfect excuse for nap time back in the hotel.

Heading out to dinner, we were amazed at how fast we could get to St. Marks Square now that we knew where we were going. We then wound our way back over to the Grand Canal for dinner and then…
(wait for it…)
gelato.

Tomorrow we will bid farewell to Venice, rent a car and head on down to Modena.

View Larger Map
Here is a map of Venice with pins for our major stops.

The Grand Canal

Gondola on the Grand Canal

St. Mark Square

Dinner on the Canal

We had a great time with our guide, Roberta. A lifetime native of Venice, she not only gave us background and history about the city, but insight to daily life on the island. Even though we shot over a hundred pictures today, only a few were able to capture something close to the experience.

We began with a three hour walk through the city, learning about architectural challenges, the various owners and conquerors of Venice, local industries (mostly shipbuilding and glass making) and why locals don’t always like living on the canals (50 versions of “O Solo Mio” every night).

Important take away: the two biggest threats to Venice are salt moisture and Napoleon. And at least Napoleon eventually went away.

Aside from the canals, the biggest tourist attraction in Venice is Piazza San Marco, with St. Mark’s Basilica made from parts, um, “inherited” from around the world. During construction, you could only come into the port if you brought something from recently conquered Constantinople, like a pillar (or even better, a matching set!). The end result gives the cathedral a patchwork quilt feel.

Roberta then took us on a one hour water taxi ride up the Canal Grande to learn more about the history of the residents and residences. We then wound through the smaller canals down to the major Canal della Giudecca, where we disembarked and hit the gelato bar for a needed rejuvination. We walked all the way back up to the market area near Ponte di Rialto, where we said our goodbyes to Roberta and settled in for lunch.

We managed to find the hotel on our own, and after some R&R headed out for dinner along the canal. And more gelato!

For an extra challenge after dinner we decided to find our way home without using a map.