Venezia

I had a day and a half in Venice, which was not enough. The city is completely shut down to cars – the only way to get around is on foot or boat. With hundreds of canals running throughout the city the thousand little streets are a maze. Nothing is a right angle…seriously…and there is absolutely no way to keep a sense of direction.

This incredible staircase (called Snail) is brought to you by the wonderful world of geo-caching virtual.

So somtimes in Italy, you stare at your food and your food stares back.

We visited St. Mark’s Basilica which was incredible. The ceiling artwork is not frescos but incredible mosaic tile work. Imagine creating a beautiful piece of artwork about the size of an American football field by covering it with tile pieces the size of a contact lens. Unbelievable. The ceiling was created during a time of illiteracy so the ceiling is small pictures telling the stories of the Bible.

No pictures allowed inside so to see it you'll just have to visit yourself!

There are hundreds of little shops. The glasswork there is BEAUTIFUL. Every February the Venetians have a grand festival in which everyone gets dressed up in fancy old-school clothing and there is a masked ball. All over Venice are little shops for masks that are just incredible. They took my breath away. (Then on the streets are cheap little venders who sell masks from China – not as impressive, I must say).

I enjoyed Venice, but everything was SO expensive! I came to Italy expecting to like Rome and love Venice, but instead it is quite the opposite. I like Venice but I LOVE Rome!