We had an excellent breakfast at the Orsaria, then hopped on a vaporetta through to San Marco. The boats were already busy and lots of the city was on the move. We'd gotten accustomed to being ahead of Italy in the mornings, but not in Venice.

We arrived to a line-up at our first stop, the Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducalle), and were a little frustrated getting in. Things were not
clearly stated as to what to do with our ticket confirmation. Regardless, we got it sorted out after about 15 min in wrong lines and had an excellent visit once in.

A "Doge" was the chief magistrate and leader of Venice, a system established and lasting for over a thousand years. Doges of Venice were elected for life by the city-state's aristocracy. Commonly the person selected was the shrewdest elder in the city. As a sign of importance and Venice's wealth as a republic, the Doge's Palace was built. At present a museum, this vast complex which overlooks the lagoon in Venice served as home to the Doge, government chambers, huge rooms for entertaining and even a prison. We actually enjoyed traipsing through the prison area and the maze of cells under the palace. The famous "Bridge of Sighs" is part of this complex as well.

Leaving the Doges Palace we got in line for Basilica San Marco. Nicely the line moved quickly and when we navigated entry we went to the outdoor walkway, over looking the square, and Museum of St. Mark's located inside on the same floor. There was a mass going on below and the ceilings and walls, which glitter like gold, were well lit. Jane got several nice pictures of the interior. The museum had inside the actual set of four bronze horses which had once been situated on the facade of the church, and we read they were over 2000 yrs old.

The Museo Correr hosts a wealth of interesting paintings of Venetian life, plus a fine collection of artifacts (like coins, costumes, the doges' ceremonial robes and hats, and an incredible pair of 15-inch platform shoes) that gives an interesting feel for aspects of daily life in the city’s heyday. While there, we actually wandered into the archaeological museum and viewed part of that as well.

Jane packed a light lunch of sandwiches for the day that we enjoyed looking out over the lagoon in Venice. Peaceful, with the water lapping at our toes and Gondolas slowly paddling by.

We decided to walk to Rialto Bridge and Market. It was fun to wander through the narrow, merchant filled streets, crossing bridges and following the crowds. More quickly than I had expected, we were at the edge of the canal and walked onto the Rialto. Jane got hooked by the shops and shiny objects (almost like a raven) and ended up buying some souvenir Murano Glass Ear rings. We continued on to the open markets, where we picked up several oranges and sweatshirt for Peter. The fish market had closed, but it smelled so much like the bait shed in Canso that it was like being home.

The guide book said you should take some time to get "lost" in Venice. After Rialto we sauntered through the streets towards Galleria d'ell Accademia, the Art Gallery we would visit in the afternoon. We sauntered through in the general direction of the museum. This was the first time we stumbled upon what I realized were the raised platforms Venetians use when spring flooding occurs. They just pull on the rubber boots and walk the decks.

We passed piazza and church, patio restaurants and foot bridge, and finally made our way back the Grand Canal. That afternoon we also walked around Dogana da Mar, making our way around the spit of the island with a fantastic view of the lagoon. We saw a huge ferry from Greece arrive, and being thirsty work we treated ourselves to gelato in a waffle cone for our last steps before the art gallery.

Galleria dell'Accademia is one of Venice's largest Art Galleries. It has a rich collection of Venetian paintings from Veneto as well as from the Bizantine, Gothic and Renaissance artists. Inside things were very busy and Friday afternoon crowds had arrived. I was meeting my art fill at this point and my lack of familiarity with Italian artists started to shine through. I was ready for a Monet or Van Gogh... something familiar. We did enjoy the visit, but were starting to find the offerings somewhat repetitive.

We visited a church near Accademia named Santa Maria delle Salute. It was so cold in there you could see your breath! It's a beautiful round church, with no seating, where we happened upon afternoon vespers, and listened to the church's pipe organ.

Lastly, we took a leisurely stroll back past the Guggenheim to San Marco where we caught the vaporetta home. I took a whack of video at this point... it was fun because the canal was so busy. Also, we went back to the Co-op (yes the name was co-op & wouldn't O'Handley be proud) for sustenance. In fact, we had our best homemade evening lunch of the trip in Venice. Antiche conserve di Sicilia suga alla norma - wicked good stuff we found to be our "bruschetta" attempt. We need to find a recipe (80% tomato sauce, 20% eggplant, olive oil, fresh herbs, zuchini, salt). Lucked out with this Venice forage find! Big snack, with grapes, wine, oranges, salami, asiago cheese, bread, bruschetta, and chocolate. A bit much, but darn good after our day roaming Venice.