One of the things I love to do is walk around cities. I get guide books that have walking tours or ones that have walking combined with public transportation. This time, I had bought Rick Steves pocket guides to Venice and Athens. These small books were very useful as they fit in my purse easily. Plus they had guided tours of interesting areas in the cities and museums and palaces. In addition, I found that they had these guided tours (most of them, but not all) in audio format that one could download via an app or as .mp3 files. This proved to be very useful.
We used the audio tour guide at St. Mark's on the first day. We started the second day with the Doge's Palace. i was really happy we got there when it opened. There was no line and we were in before we knew it. Later that day and the next day in mid-morning, the lines were around the building!
The Doge's Palace was the center of the Venetian Empire. A fact I learned was that Venice was sort of a democracy. Every citizen didn't have a vote. But every member of a noble family (males of course) had a vote and the Doge was voted in. The palace is designed to impress the visitor who comes to seek audience with the Doge and the ruling Council. It is also designed to humble them by keeping them waiting in waiting rooms that are impressive and showcase Venice's power and wealth.
This is the entrance courtyard of the palace. At the far right in the back you can see the staircase of giants. An important visitor might be met by the Doge standing at the head of this staircase.
Our tour started at another staircase, which led up to the Doge's apartments and important governmental rooms.
A gilded ceiling is impressive.
How about a marble floor that looks 3-D from on high?
More gilded ceilings on the next flight of stairs.
Then one goes into the various rooms where one waits. All of them have beautiful paintings and frescoes.
Finally, one is admitted to the chamber where the Full Council sits.
That is where everyone sits and you present your gifts, and your case.
The ceiling of the Full Council chamber.
Looking out over the laguna from a window in the Council Chamber. There was a party going on in that restaurant directly across.
The courtyard from on high, There's that staircase again.
But not all of the apartments were for the visitors. Venice ruled with a iron hand. We saw a judges' chamber where people were brought in for trial. You were arrested when someone denounced you. Very often you didn't know who accused you. You didn't have any legal representation. You were brought before the judges and you hoped they believe you. If they didn't, there was a door right in the chamber leading to the prisons. Savonarola was tried in that chamber and walked through that door.
The way then led through some dark and dank corridors across the Bridge of Sighs. The bridge connects the Doge's palace with the prisons. There are openings in the bridge and one can see the laguna and the pier. This would be your last view of the world outside. The prisons had no windows and were damp and cold. Remember that Venice is close to the water. Some of those rooms were below the water line.
This is the Bridge of Sighs from the other side - the outside. In the previous picture, you see a bridge in front of the laguna with heads of people on it. This photo was taken from that bridge.
After our visit to the Doge's palace, we went on a walking tour of Venice - another audio guided tour. We had the files/app on our phones and used headphones which meant we didn't look too much like tourists. But in Venice, almost every other person is a tourist so it doesn't matter. It is very expensive to live in Venice so many of the people who work there live on Mestre and commute in. There is more space and it is cheaper. The taxi fares are lower for locals than for tourists.
Anyway, the next few photos are from the walking tour around Venice. No specific comments on any of them.
This dark photo is the sign for Harry's Bar. Hemingway hung out here.
Venice's famous opera house - La Fenice. It is pretty spectacular on the inside though we didn't get any further in than the lobby. There is a fee and I didn't want to pay it to see the empty theatre. Donna Leon's first book is 'Death at La Fenice'. The cover of the book shows the inside of the theatre.
I like reflections and I photograph them a lot.
There are power boats on the canals. Venice has garbage boats, police boats (with flashing lights), ambulance boats, and apparently even a UPS boat. We didn't see that one though we kept our eyes open for it.
Each square has a statue or two. And occasionally (behind the statue) a modern building.
This is a beautiful spiral staircase. The building is private so you can't go in but it is a hidden gem.
The famous Rialto bridge.
Looking down from the top one way.
And the other. It is jam packed with people, especially on the outside of the shops overlooking the river.
From the top of the bridge, on the outside, one side is peaceful and serene.
The other is full of traffic! The boats sometimes wait to go under the bridges because they are narrower than the canal.
After this walk, we decided to do the guided tour of the Grand Canal by taking the #1 vaporetto. We bought a pass that allowed us to get on and off as we pleased.
Most of the ground or first floors of the buildings are not occupied. This is because they get flooded regularly. There is a phenomenon called Acqua Alta, which occurs at high tide. Water floods in between the stones and there are stacks of elevated boardwalks piled in all the main areas. These are put out for people to walk on.
This is one of the bridges that links Piazzale Roma to the other islands.
Piazzale Roma. Buses, trolleys, cars, etc.
This is what the bridge looks like (the one from two photos ago). Parts of the floor are clear.
To the left, you can see the vaporetti stops at Piazzale Roma and a vaporetto. At each stop, there are multiple docks. Each dock indicates which lines stop there. Once you get your ticket, you look at a board that tells you when the next boat is for each line and in which direction and the letter of the dock.
Piazzale Roma is on Santa Croce island. We spent most of our time on San Marco. This is looking out onto Santa Croce.
We found a little park on Santa Croce near the Piazzale Roma. It is one of the few places we saw trees in Venice.
How's that for a Burger King? Even in Venice!
The Scalzi bridge. There are only 4 bridges across the Grand Canal.
The train station. It is across the bridge from the Piazzale Roma. The trains go across the same causeway to the mainland.
The Accademia bridge. It is really beautiful. It is the only bridge we didn't walk over.
This is the Peggy Guggenheim museum entrance.
The Santa Maria del Salute church.
The Grand Canal empties into the laguna at St. Mark's Square. Across the laguna from the square is the San Giorgio Maggiore church. We went there the next day.
This is the customs house. It is right at the end of the canal.
All this was in the first half of the second day. I'll continue with the rest of day 2 next.
We used the audio tour guide at St. Mark's on the first day. We started the second day with the Doge's Palace. i was really happy we got there when it opened. There was no line and we were in before we knew it. Later that day and the next day in mid-morning, the lines were around the building!
The Doge's Palace was the center of the Venetian Empire. A fact I learned was that Venice was sort of a democracy. Every citizen didn't have a vote. But every member of a noble family (males of course) had a vote and the Doge was voted in. The palace is designed to impress the visitor who comes to seek audience with the Doge and the ruling Council. It is also designed to humble them by keeping them waiting in waiting rooms that are impressive and showcase Venice's power and wealth.
This is the view he would see, except with a Doge and his retinue at the top.
Our tour started at another staircase, which led up to the Doge's apartments and important governmental rooms.
A gilded ceiling is impressive.
How about a marble floor that looks 3-D from on high?
More gilded ceilings on the next flight of stairs.
Then one goes into the various rooms where one waits. All of them have beautiful paintings and frescoes.
Finally, one is admitted to the chamber where the Full Council sits.
That is where everyone sits and you present your gifts, and your case.
The ceiling of the Full Council chamber.
Looking out over the laguna from a window in the Council Chamber. There was a party going on in that restaurant directly across.
The courtyard from on high, There's that staircase again.
But not all of the apartments were for the visitors. Venice ruled with a iron hand. We saw a judges' chamber where people were brought in for trial. You were arrested when someone denounced you. Very often you didn't know who accused you. You didn't have any legal representation. You were brought before the judges and you hoped they believe you. If they didn't, there was a door right in the chamber leading to the prisons. Savonarola was tried in that chamber and walked through that door.
The way then led through some dark and dank corridors across the Bridge of Sighs. The bridge connects the Doge's palace with the prisons. There are openings in the bridge and one can see the laguna and the pier. This would be your last view of the world outside. The prisons had no windows and were damp and cold. Remember that Venice is close to the water. Some of those rooms were below the water line.
This is the Bridge of Sighs from the other side - the outside. In the previous picture, you see a bridge in front of the laguna with heads of people on it. This photo was taken from that bridge.
After our visit to the Doge's palace, we went on a walking tour of Venice - another audio guided tour. We had the files/app on our phones and used headphones which meant we didn't look too much like tourists. But in Venice, almost every other person is a tourist so it doesn't matter. It is very expensive to live in Venice so many of the people who work there live on Mestre and commute in. There is more space and it is cheaper. The taxi fares are lower for locals than for tourists.
Anyway, the next few photos are from the walking tour around Venice. No specific comments on any of them.
This dark photo is the sign for Harry's Bar. Hemingway hung out here.
Venice's famous opera house - La Fenice. It is pretty spectacular on the inside though we didn't get any further in than the lobby. There is a fee and I didn't want to pay it to see the empty theatre. Donna Leon's first book is 'Death at La Fenice'. The cover of the book shows the inside of the theatre.
I like reflections and I photograph them a lot.
There are power boats on the canals. Venice has garbage boats, police boats (with flashing lights), ambulance boats, and apparently even a UPS boat. We didn't see that one though we kept our eyes open for it.
Each square has a statue or two. And occasionally (behind the statue) a modern building.
This is a beautiful spiral staircase. The building is private so you can't go in but it is a hidden gem.
The famous Rialto bridge.
Looking down from the top one way.
And the other. It is jam packed with people, especially on the outside of the shops overlooking the river.
From the top of the bridge, on the outside, one side is peaceful and serene.
The other is full of traffic! The boats sometimes wait to go under the bridges because they are narrower than the canal.
After this walk, we decided to do the guided tour of the Grand Canal by taking the #1 vaporetto. We bought a pass that allowed us to get on and off as we pleased.
Most of the ground or first floors of the buildings are not occupied. This is because they get flooded regularly. There is a phenomenon called Acqua Alta, which occurs at high tide. Water floods in between the stones and there are stacks of elevated boardwalks piled in all the main areas. These are put out for people to walk on.
This is one of the bridges that links Piazzale Roma to the other islands.
Piazzale Roma. Buses, trolleys, cars, etc.
This is what the bridge looks like (the one from two photos ago). Parts of the floor are clear.
To the left, you can see the vaporetti stops at Piazzale Roma and a vaporetto. At each stop, there are multiple docks. Each dock indicates which lines stop there. Once you get your ticket, you look at a board that tells you when the next boat is for each line and in which direction and the letter of the dock.
Piazzale Roma is on Santa Croce island. We spent most of our time on San Marco. This is looking out onto Santa Croce.
How's that for a Burger King? Even in Venice!
The Scalzi bridge. There are only 4 bridges across the Grand Canal.
The train station. It is across the bridge from the Piazzale Roma. The trains go across the same causeway to the mainland.
Looking at the Rialto bridge from the vaporetto.
This is the Peggy Guggenheim museum entrance.
The Santa Maria del Salute church.
The Grand Canal empties into the laguna at St. Mark's Square. Across the laguna from the square is the San Giorgio Maggiore church. We went there the next day.
This is the customs house. It is right at the end of the canal.
All this was in the first half of the second day. I'll continue with the rest of day 2 next.
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