Tori’s European Escapade
Summer 2012
August
4/8 - 5/8
Verona and Venice - Italy
On the way to Venice, we dropped in to see Juliet's balcony. We also saw the Roman Amphitheatre, that despite being older than the Colosseum in Rome, has none of it's famous allure, but is of course impressive.
 |
| Casa di Giulietta in Verona, Italy |
I grew excited as Venice loomed tantalisingly on the horizon. The destination of many of my dreams is really 118 small islands, all linked together by bridges, famed for it's winding canals, art, and architecture that rises literally out of the water. Among it's many famous landmarks there is Piazza San Marco (St Mark's Square), the setting for the annual Carnivàle, and now annual floods, marking the worrying decline of the stability of Venice's buildings, the Palazzo Ducale (the Doge's Palace), the Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge) and the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute (Basilica of St Mary of Health).
Stopping at our campsite, just out of Venice, we proceeded to have our first 'buckets', an ingenious European solution to the voracious drinking appetites of the Australian and New Zealand tourists. Needless to say, there were not many mornings of clear headed-ness, if these drinking vessels were around the night before. However, I did my best to be a trifle sensible, as Venice could easily have topped my list of places to see. It would have taken a miracle to keep me away from the canals the next day, and to be sure, in the morning I was out in force, albeit glad for polarised glasses. I also started the morning right, with my first Italian espresso in Italy, and THAT lived up to ever expectation I had... oh yes.
 |
| Say it with me.. ESS-PRESS-OH! |
 |
| Walking over the Grande Canal with the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute making a familiar background statement. |
 |
| Yo, We in Venice! |
 |
| Traditional lace demo. |
 |
| Gondola ride, with the Joes - the Gondolier told us it was too hot to sing. Boo. |
 |
| The Rialto Bridge in the background. |
 |
| Sharing lunch with Maddy- thank goodness I found a fellow foodie on the trip - girl and I shared a few times! |
 |
| Campanile di San Marco (St Mark's Bell Tower) and the Venetian flag. |
 |
| We are on a bridge! By the Doge's Palace, with Maddy. |
 |
| The Bridge of Sighs. This bridge links the Doge's Palace (left) to the prison (see the cells on the right). |
 |
| Handmade masks of Venice. I bought one here, a traditional Papier-mâché beauty in the jester style - the main souvenir of my trip. |
 |
| The Rialto Bridge. |
Comments
Post a Comment