Ahh, Venice… The city of… pigeons… I still get shivers thinking about the people that let them perch atop their head and pick bread from their lips. Umm… yeah, on to happier thoughts.

When we were on the ferry going into Venice, we were greeted with this wonderful and, no doubt, most famous sight. The area surrounding St. Mark’s Square and its Basilica is known as the Piazza. From here, the most prominent object is the giant Campanile which towers above the city. We did not have a chance (read: too tired!!!) to climb to the top, but perhaps we can next time we are in town. Flanking the Square is also the Library and the Doge’s Palace, which is where Casanova was once held.

Too bad we only had 1 full day there. I think we could have easily spent a week there, exploring all the little alley ways and catching up on all the sights we missed out on. For being such a relatively small place, there are so many things to see, do, and take pictures of.

Piazzetta San Marco, Venice, Italy, originally uploaded by jasolutions.

Do you remember the first time you visited Disneyland? There is such a buildup; you hear and see such great things about it. You build an anticipation in your mind that is like a tea kettle whistling. That was Venice, or Venezia as the Italians call it, for me.

We woke up early on June 13, 2008 and loaded up on our Italian coach that took us to the port. We boarded the ferry for the short ride to the docks that neighbor St. Marks Square. I was constantly snapping away at every little building or detail that caught my eye. Images of the Italian Job kept creeping into my brain. “Wow, Donald Sutherland and Mark Wahlberg stood here…” You would think a more prophetic thought could enter me wee thinkin box, but sadly, no… That was it.

We passed the Bridge of Sighs, Cassanova’s last hoorah, and into St. Marks Square. What a sight. The Basilica was being renovated at the time, which is nice to see, but we were still able to go in and admire the grandeur of it all.

I just couldn’t believe that Joan and I were in this very place. It was wonderfully surreal. So there we passed over countless bridge after bridge, walking down alleyways, trying to get lost, but not too lost. Just exploring this menagerie of coastal islands. We stopped for lunch at a whole in the wall and enjoyed some paninis.

We crossed over another bridge and saw our first gondolas. The mythic subject of countless romantic tales. I of course had to get a shot. The flowers along the balconies were a nice touch that I felt gave a little balance to the scene. Seeing these canal captains master the treacherous waters is a sight to truly behold.

Our day ended with a lot more exploring, taking a gondola ride ourselves, and enjoying a nice Venetian dinner; but I look forward to possibly returning one day to capture some of the more nuanced aspects of this wonderful collective of islands.

Venetian Gondolas, originally uploaded by jasolutions.

As we walked through the narrow and twisting streets of Venice on our way to the Academia, we just happened to stumble upon The Grand Canal. This is a water way that meanders through the city and is one of the most recognizable areas in Venice.

Now Venice is relatively small, but when you have to walk from one part of the city to another, over bridge after bridge, and then realize that you have gone in circles and must double back, you sometimes need a break. We decided to take one on the Ponte dell’Accademia.

Now the bridge itself is not anything majestic, but the views that surround it are pretty amazing. You can see on coming boats and water taxis coming from the south entrance to the canal, and all along the banks are buildings brimming with amazing character and architecture.

The colors of the buildings facing north especially caught my eye. Peeking out from behind these wonderful trees along the canal was this brightly colored house which popped against the neutral background colors.

Venetian Grand Canal, originally uploaded by jasolutions.