Venice, Italy (Day 6)

Hi Everybody,

Today is another coach trip and this time we are off to Venice famous for its many waterways

For this tour we had a guide who told us facts about the canals  and where to go for a pleasant lunch with out being charged the earth.

This is the approach to the city as we entered by boat.

The level of this city has diminished over the years and the water level is now much higher than it used to be

You can see the damage that it is doing to the houses as the brick line disappears beneath the water

We were told that Venice is a little smelly but we did not find that at all and it was a hot day.

But I have to say that it is somewhat neglected in many parts and some of  the buildings look quiet scruffy.

Now of course Venice is famous for its Gondolas.

They are quite pricey to hire ... about 80/90 Euros for 45 minutes ... but they will seat six so if you share the ride with others then it is not too bad

This is St Marks square and it is a very large area

Around the edge of the square are cafe bars with a quartet playing at some of them, which was very pleasant but our guide told us not to sit down.

As soon as you park your bottom on the chairs you will be charged and it is very expensive.

Our guide took us inside and it was beautiful but there is some restoration work going on outside and part of the front elevation was covered in scaffolding and plastic sheeting

This is looking up at the ceiling and it is not painted gold ... it is gold leaf ... and it shimmers in the filtered light.

There was a service going on in one of the side areas and so we wandered round away from them to maintain the privacy.

We sat at the far end of the square on the steps and listened to the music in the lovely sunshine and passed a very pleasant half hour

You can get some idea of the size of the square from this photo and it was very busy.

This is the famous Rialto Bridge  and of course the best way to get the photo is to wander further down the canal and look back.

You can see the amount of people stood on it and there was actually a Bride and Groom in the middle somewhere trying to have photos taken.

This is looking along the Grand Canal at the cafes and restaurants that line both sides.

We are stood on one of the many bridges that cross the canals in many places.

Tomorrow I will combine two days in one post as we start our home ward bound journey.

We go back to France via Switzerland for this part of the journey but there won't be many opportunities to take photos ... though I will do my best

The last part of my holiday will be posted later today and then I will add a Friday Freebie this week as I get slowly back into work mode

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx