Our first place we visited on this day was the Doge's
Palace.
This is where the president of Venice ruled the city state.
Part of the palace was a prison. It connected to the rest of
the
palace via this bridge.
When the prisoners were sent there, they would have one final look onto
freedom
via the windows. As a result, this bridge received the name :
"The
bridge of sighs".
This is the view from the windows of the bridge of sighs.
View of the inside of the prison.
Note the carving here. Probably of the prisoner.
We found a small place away from St. Mark's square for some lunch.
Time for some capuccino 8-).
Then, we had the afternoon to explore.
"We go here, then here, then...".
As long as you have a general direction, you can avoid being lost by
heading to
a big landmark. In our case, it was the train station.
We also received a tour and demonstration at the Vecchia Murano
(Old Murano)
glass factory.
For dinner, we participated in the optional boat cruise to the island
of Burano. It also has a tower that leans precariously.
Video of the day: Boat ride to Burano (features Nicholas' voice).
The island's community is one of the most beautiful and does not have
the massive crowds of Venice.
Two best friends.
This is the main street of Burano.
One product that Burano is known for is handmade lace. This
one
takes about 6 months to make, and could fetch $1500.
Here we are on the way to dinner.
This dinner, along with the Tuscan dinner at the farm was our favorite
two. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was wonderful.
The risotto was excellent. Probably my favorite dish of the
entire trip. This one was creamy (due to the rice itself)
without
'cheating' by adding cream.
It has been an amazing vacation in Italy so far,
but will our luck hold out tomorrow?