We woke up to a shower with no hot water! We didn't have time to switch rooms, so I washed my face and hair in the sink and stuck my arms and legs in the freezing cold water. What an experience!
We took a water taxi into St. Mark's Square. Crazy and crowded during the day! We then walked to the original Murano Glass blowing factory to watch a demonstration and make some purchases. Three vases - all 24kt gold trim and designs. Ours is the original amethyst and the two for our moms are cobalt blue.
Kristy then took us to one of only two authentic Venetian mask makers. We only purchased a small mask, but to be able to see them all hanging on the walls was awesome. The animal masks were my favorite, so the small one I purchased was a cat mask.
We grabbed a sandwich to go and walked the small streets to the Rialto Bridge and then followed the signs back to St. Mark's Square to take the elevator up the Bell Tower for a great 360 degree view of Venice and its surrounding islands. Amazing and totally worth the 8 Euro. All of the orange and red rooftops against the backdrop of the water was spectacular.
We then strolled through the winding streets to the Accademia Bridge. It's the only wooden bridge in Venice and since the sun was peeking through the clouds, it had some great views for pictures.
We met the group back in St. Mark's at 2:45 for a gondola ride. Fun! Again, I felt like I was at Disneyland! We were also given a bottle of prosecco to drink on the ride. Music and a singer followed in the boat behind us. It was fun and gave us a great look at the canals.
After the ride we grabbed a (the best one the entire trip) cappuccino before meeting the group for a 40 minute ride out to Burano.
Burano was beautiful and truly one of my favorite places the entire trip. No crowds, brightly painted houses, and a small town feel. It was definitely one of the best excursions we did.
We had dinner there on Burano after some free time. A four-course meal. It started with something similar to a tuna pate and bread. Then a seafood risotto and a creamy (non-tomato) cheesy lasagna - SOOOO yummy! Then calamari and little friend shrimp. Dessert was little almond bars (like peanut brittle, but with almonds) and lemon cookies with fresh fruit.
It was a cold and chilly evening as we left Burano for Venice to pick up the others and headed back to the hotel.
Long drive tomorrow!
M
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