Arrival in Venice

Soon after leaving Verona, we parked at the Maestra train station. The train crossed the bridge and we stepped into Venice. Despite the forecasts, it was a lovely afternoon, which we then spent the next hour searching for the apartment that we had rented. Jeesh - I don't know how anybody finds anything in that city! It's a labyrinth. A rabbit's warren. But gorgeous! If you're gonna get lost, this is the city to do it. Every turn leads to a surprise. Bridges that lead to a door. Walkways that just end. 10ft wide paths that become barely wide enough to squeeze through. Then all of a sudden, it opens onto the Grand Canal - and you have no idea how you got there. Almost mystical.

So after finally settling in, we wandered off to find San Marco. (There WERE signs pointing the way, but much like the Cheshire Cat, they often pointed in opposite directions.) We were glad to see that the Campanile was still open and we took our ride to the top for a fabulous view of the city. Much to our surprise, the bells started ringing while we were up there - loud but so cool! We took a look at the Bridge of Sighs, the Doges Palace, watched the gondoliers and chased some pigeons in the piazza. We had a nice meal and then crashed. (Very pleased with ourselves that we had found our way home!)