Where the heck are we now?: Our impressions of Venice

We made it across the canal to the San Marco vaporetto stop which put us in the middle of the city.

This was the crowd that greeted us as we tried to get off the boat and it was an indication of crowds to come.

All the bridges on the waterfront were like this.

There were artists selling their paintings...

Vendors selling everything else

Trying to navigate the famous Rialto Bridge.

Here is a picture from the other side. There are four bridges that span the Grand Canal and this one is the oldest. Some say in fact that this is the center of the city and not St. Mark's Square. The bridge is quite wide with shops on one side so it is difficult to get through with people shopping and taking pictures.

I did however manage to stop long enough on top of the bridge to get my first glimpse of the Grand Canal....

The Grand Canal is the main waterway that runs through the center of Venice therefore all the traffic going in and out of the city must travel on this canal. It is madness! It is 3800 meters long, 30-90m wide with an average depth of five meters.

Even trying to get an expensive gondola ride requires some patience as there are boats piled up everywhere.

However a boat ride through the Grand Canal really is one of the defining moments in Venice as it gives you a glimpse of the history of the city as make your way along its banks. The buildings were built between the 13th and 18th century and include grand houses, churches and any styles of architecture.

Coming out at one end of the Grand Canal

Gondolas brave the Grand Canal as well.

One of the first questions when we came here and saw this remarkable architecture that is still standing is how was it built. Well the answer is Venice is built on wood gathered from far away as Croatia and Serbia. The wood was submerged in the water, petrified because of lack of oxygen and then there was a foundation to begin building on. I find it amazing that this city is built that way!

But Venice is much more than the Grand Canal with its hordes of people.In fact, if I was a local Venetian I would not want to live in this city and with a declining population it seems many of them don't want to either. In 1950 there were 150,000 people in Venice, now there is less than 60,000. Contrast that with an average of 60,000 visitors a day, 22 million a year and in the summer tourists outnumber the locals by 20-1! There is a debate here about how much is enough and I think they will soon have to find a balance.

Having said that Venice is most beautiful in the back alleys and canals and we have walked a lot of them...

One of many small canals that branch off the Grand Canal

Well one tourist in a pink coat is not too crowded.

Boats parked all in a row

A quiet cafe on a quiet alley

A gondola ride under one of the small bridges

And down one of the side canals. Sometimes there are lots of people in one gondola.

A quiet campo near the canal.

Of course we have seen some of the more famous sights in Venice including St. Mark's Square and the Basilica.

Here is one of the entrances to the square.

There are many high priced cafes with beautiful musical groups lining the Square.Here you can also see that the church is undergoing renovations.

St. Mark's Square is known as Piazza San Marco and is anchored by St. Mark's Basilica as well as other important buildings relating to the governing of Venice.

Here is Don in the middle of the Square asking, " How do I get back to Shamrock Cove away from these maddening crowds?"

The Basilica is considered one of the best examples of Byzantine architecture in the world and is known as "The Church of Gold" because of its gilded mosaics and many treasures. It was originally built in 828 to store the relics of St. Mark the Evangelist.