Friday, July 20
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Not having any particular itinerary in mind for the evening, we crossed
over the first bridge on the Grand Canale (the ponte degli Scalzi) and
deliberately wandered via the narrowest, quietest little back-alleys. I
find that this is a much more intimate way to cross through the city than
the busy, tourist-shop filled main routes (which are nevertheless still
beautiful).
Often quiet, sometimes dark, past tilted buildings and empty fish
markets, we wound our way in the general direction of the Piazza San
Marco, the touristic focal point of Venice.
While Pu marvelled at all of
the sights that were new to him, the rest of us explored little nooks and
crannies we hadn't seen on previous trips. I'd never been up in the
campanile (the tower) in San Marco's square, so we spent a little time
visiting that (great views of the Piazza from above and of Venice in
general).