On our second day in Venice, we didn't really have too much planned (as was part of our plan ('un-plan'?) but we quickly stumbled into several of Venice's major tourist attractions: Saint Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco), the Campanile (big tower in Piazza San Marco), and the Doge's Palace (Palazo Ducale), again in Piazza San Marco. Our hotel was located just off of the square, so naturally we thought to get a decent view of the Piazza before it got too crowded. Early-ish morning and late afternoon/early evening are ok, but mid-day the place is swarming like an ant-hill that's lost the queen bee. Chaos!
Pre-baby, we would've been up and about before 9 am, but we did well enough to reach the square just before 9:30. A queue had already formed to enter the Basilica, which opened at 9:30, even though my guidebook said 9:45. We lined up and only had to wait a few minutes before entering. Plus side was that it's free, minus side: no photos! So even though I know it was insanely beautiful in there, we saw so many churches over the course of the week that I can't recall exactly what it looked like! Definitely on the must-see list for Venice, but tbat's about all I can say. That, and seeing as I'm really into looking at architecture, I probably preferred the exterior to the interior.
Next up, we wandered over to the Campanile, just across from the Basilica. The Campanile is actually the detached belltower of the Basilica di San Marco, and it's Venice's tallest building. It was supposedly built in 912, but in 1902 it collapsed. It was then rebuilt and inaugerated exactly 1000 years after the original building. During the busy season, I'm sure there can be rather long lines to ride the tiny elevator to the top, but we lucked out and got right in. Cost per person is 8 euros, a bit steep but definitely worth it for the view on a clear day! Also, if you're economically-minded, for some reason the vending machine at the top sells the cheapest bottled water we saw in all of Venice: 1 euro per bottle. Rather ironic, seeing as it has to be hauled all the way up there!
After enjoying the view for a bit, we took the (same) little elevator back down and headed towards the Doge's Palace. This palace was the resident of the Doge of Venice, ie the supreme authority of the republic of Venice. Apparently, whoever this was has no actual power, although he did reside in the palace as a figurehead. The main purpose of the palazzo was for the goverment to have a place to carry out its civic responsibilities. Thus the large courtrooms inside (and the prisons down below). The buildings are now preserved as a museum. Cost to get in is quite steep: 16 euros a person! It's apparently part of a joint Piazza San Marco ticket, but we were rather confused by that seeing as walking through the piazza itself is free?? Turns out that the ticket actually includes the other museums in Piazza San Marco, doh! Museo Correr, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Sale Monumentali della Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana are included in the price, FYI. Guess I should've done a bit more research before we left, but seeing as I was about museum-ed out by the time we got through the Doge's Palace, we probably wouldn't have visited the other museums anyway. I think that we did actually visit one within the Doge's Palace (museum within a museum?), seeing as a guide stamped our tickets, but don't ask me which one it was!
By the time we finished up with the Palazzo Ducale, it was nearing Keila's snack time, so we headed back to our hotel for a break before lunch. And in terms of breaks, this post is taking much longer than planned, so that's it for now. Next up: Lunch at al Paradiso Ristorante, near the Rialto Bridge!
Since we have so many photos from this trip, I thought that maybe flikr would be easier for hosting them. So here's the link to pictures for this post: http://www.flickr.com/photos/70807662@N08/sets/72157628721766839/ Enjoy!
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