Tuesday: Exploring Venice
We started our day with breakfast in the cafe on the same piazza as our hotel. Next, we walked to the Vaporetto, boarded it and headed to the train station with the goal of getting back on the Vaporetto and listening to Rick Steve's tour of the Grand Canal. We were fortunate enough to get a seat at the front where visibility was not obstructed and listened to Rick tell us about the things were were seeing.
After our ride, we got in line to go into St. Mark's. We were behind a German couple who had three young kids and were next to a fenced off construction area. The couple noted that a wallet was lying just inside the fence and had a small-armed child retrieve it. They then spoke English to the guards, who spoke Italian and English but not German. St. Mark's was a real treasure, but as with many of the churches we saw in Italy, the lighting wasn't what we were used to and so the "WOW" factor was dampened.
After St. Mark's it was back on the Vaporetto to cross the Grand Canal to San Giorgio Maggiore to go up (in an elevator!) their bell tower to see Venice from the air. I'd put this on a "must do" list whether you like churches or not.
After seeing Venice from the air, we took the Vaporetto down a few stops and had lunch at a canal-side cafe. Hoping it would be served with a glass full of ice, I ordered a spritz. While there was some ice, I would have liked more. The pizza was yummy and the view, outstanding.
Murano was a place of interest, so we got back on the Vaporetto and headed out there. The ride was part of the experience. Once we got to Murano, we wandered the streets and looked in the shop windows--oh, and we did a quality check on a local gelato store.
Returning to the St. Mark's area we had dinner at a forgettable restaurant (nothing wrong with it--we never had a bad meal--but this was clearly a tourist spot) and headed back to our hotel.