Day 7: Tyrol, Austria to Venice

Venice Costumes ....
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Today we wind through the astonishing beauty of the Brenner Pass to cross the border into Italy. It's a short boat ride to the historical center of Venice to see St Mark's Square, the Doges' Palace and the Bridge of Sighs.

There is no better way to see Venice than from a gondola . Enjoy the sunset over Rialto bridge while over looking grand canals and it's Gondolla's and then treating yourself to a Venetian evening meal .

Venice is sinking ... take a Gondola ....

Venice Parking
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Along the way in Italy, we got to see the Appennine Mountains. Typically, there were vertical cliffs and one looked like the Grand Canyon but not orangey here . The drive from Austrian Tyrol to Venice, broken by the occasional stop at "Autogrill" - the chain of roadside cafe's part owned by Italy's president - took 1/2 the day . We were delighted by the various grilled Paninis ( Italian Sandwiches) .. our introduction to Italy started with Bonjorno ( Greetings ) and colda ( I want it to be served hot ) .

Santa Maria della Salute - Venice , Italy
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We arrived at Tronchetto in the afternoon and took a water taxi to Venice . That was the very moment when Dave started playing - " And if Venice is sinking " the song by Spirit of the West .

The buildings of Venice are constructed on closely spaced wood piles (under water, in the absence of oxygen, wood does not decay) which penetrate alternating layers of clay and sand. Most of these piles are still intact after centuries of submersion. The foundations rest on the piles, and buildings of brick or stone sit above these footings. The buildings are often threatened by flood tides pushing in from the Adriatic between autumn and early spring.

Winged lion of Saint Mark - Venice , Italy
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In many old houses the former staircases used by people to unload goods are now flooded, rendering the former ground floor uninhabitable. Thus, many Venetians resorted to moving up to the upper floors and continuing with their lives.

In May 2003, Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian Prime Minister, inaugurated the MOSE project. MOSE, the acronym for the experimental model created to test the gates' performance (Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico), will lay a series of 79 inflatable pontoons across the sea bed at the three entrances to the lagoon. When tides are predicted to rise above 110 centimetres, the pontoons will be filled with air and block the incoming water from the Adriatic sea. This challenging engineering work is due to be completed by 2011.

Venice , Italy
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Our main day in Venice began with a drive to the water bus, and a glass blowing demonstration, followed by a obligation free sales pitch that lasted about three times as long as the demonstration. Then we all are in Piazzo San Marco and Basillica di San Marco. The Basillica is ornate on an unsurpassed level and the grand square is a great place to watch people run screaming from the thousands of pigeons waiting to be feed.

Venice is essentially the worlds largest pedestrian zone and with the absence of motorized vehicles there is no threat to keep people on their toes . We were escorted by Allison and his group of girls to the shopping district of Venice , which is in and around Rialto Bridge . Human traffic comes to a complete stand still just outside of Rialto Bridge. A classic destination which overlooks one of the more Venice-esque photo ops and which is also lined with a million kiosks filled with everything from miniature toy gondolas to Dantes didgeridoos. The most prevalent and artistic items for sale are the masks from Carnival.

Bridge of Sighs Venice , Italy
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Around sunset, all of us went on a gondola ride, the thing to do in Venice. We went through various canals and we all had wine during our ride. It was a great relief after a grueling walk all over Venice.

Some of us went to La Valigia Restaurant for a fun-filled Venetian dinner. The dinner was a simple 4 course Italian dinner and no big portions. The highlight of the dinner was the gondoliers singing . We choose to hang around in Venice and we bumped into Amisha Patel who was also hanging around just like us .

Gondolas along St. Mark's canal
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Venice - city of dreams. Charming, intriguing, disorienting and attracting visitors so much that numbers have to be restricted in the summer.

Looking almost like it did in the 13th century, Venice's masterpiece and one of my favorites is Piazza San Marco with the stunningly beautiful Basilica di San Marco . It was originally built as a resting place for S. Mark in 828, but has since then undergone 2 more reconstructions . The strong Byzantine influence and the richly embellished interior makes it one of the most remarkable and memorable Roman Catholic churches . On it is mounted a replica (original is inside) of the Quadriga, the four famous bronze horses stolen from Constantinopole . Napoleon was also guilty of appropriating and then mouting it on the Arch de Triumph by the Louvre, in Paris. A replica still stands there after the original was returned. Quite the horses!!!!

Venice , Italy
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The Grand Canal, even with its murky waters fascinates leaving you gasping for breath (sometimes almost literally I hear!). For the budget conscious take a vaporetto, instead of the appealingly priced gondolas, for a ride along the canal.

Be sure to stop and admire the unique and stunning masks. You may even get lucky and see an artist at work.

Venice really does feel like you are walking through a daydream. Seeing the familiar sights of the canals from stories and movies is so surreal. I tried to imagine all of the wooden planks supporting the city, which was an incredible thought. There are people who live in Venice year round. And again, I would highly recommend going in the off season to get a more authentic feel for the city. But it is wonderful, a place everyone should see before they die.

St. Mark's square - Venice , Italy
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Venice is definitely another place I would love to come back to spend a bit more time too!