Roland and Stephanie's Semimoon

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A Day in Venice

Thursday, September 10

We didn't have anything early on the agenda, so we took our time on our first full day in Venice. I had never stayed overnight in the city before, and it was pretty special to open the windows of our apartment's living room and look out over a quiet Venetian calle. A few students walked briskly by. A gentleman, presumably the local garbageman, trundled along with a wheeled cart, picking up plastic bags hanging just outside. The little common things of everyday life in a very uncommon city.

Morning laneway view

Garbage Pickup

Morning in the Campiello

As I said earlier, we had no particular plans for the morning. Roland and Stephanie were keen to visit Murano, and did some investigation to determine how best to arrive there. Jenn and I had been to Murano several times recently, so we declined their invitation to join them. Instead, we decided to simply wander - wander through the back alleys, with no particular destination (well, perhaps stopping at a few shops mentioned in our apartment owner's guide). Later in the day we did have an appointment for a guided tour of a clocktower, but for this morning, the objective was simple - just experience Venice.

Our top-floor apartment

From the other side

Grand but Quiet

Roland and Stephanie headed off for the Vaporetto that would take them to the island of Murano. Jenn and I began our wander, mostly staying within the boundaries of the Dorsoduro neighborhood. The neighborhood (district, or sestiere in italian), tends towards students and local residents, rather than tourists. Certainly the tourist load - in fact, overall congestion - was only moderate. Mostly it was people who seemed to have a 'real' destination: an older lady carrying groceries, a young student carrying an architectural model, a cargo boat ferrying soft drinks, a water taxi carrying a couple of businessmen in trim suits.

courtesy JInnes

Belgian Consulate

CS Margherita Fish Market

Morning at the Caffe'

Santa Barnaba canal

Rio de S. Barnaba

Floating Stand

Recommended Seller

Delivering Beverages

Morning Taxi Traffic

The back-alleys of Dorsoduro did not disappoint. There was always an interesting, unique building - usually old and a little timeworn. A canalside garage where a boat-worker was talking with a gondolier about repairs to his gondola; a shop making Venetian carnivale masks; macellerias, pasticcerias, cafes; floating fruit and vegetable stands.

courtesy JInnes

Honest woman restaurant

Streets that end in water

Mask-making shop

Masks in production

Intricate Venetian Mask

Intricate Venetian Masks

courtesy JInnes

Ruined Bell Tower

Masked Sentinels

Bread San Toma'

We eventually wandered our way to a bakery and pastry shop recommended by our apartment's owner, where we bought a few tasty snacks. We then headed back to our apartment for a mid-morning break. So nice to have a little home base to which to return!

Rio del Tentor Bridge

Back to the apartment

Meanwhile, Roland and Stephanie were enjoying the glassworking activities on the island of Murano. Here are a few pictures of their visit to one of the many glassworking fornaci.

courtesy RHanel

Furnace Interior

Forming Glass

Murano Glass, ready to ship

After a short break at the apartment, it was time to head out again. We had a tour scheduled for the old St Mark's clocktower in the afternoon, and we had to present ourselves at the ticket pick-up point by 2pm. Ahead of this time, Jenn had expressed an interest in visiting the nearby Doge's Palace (both destinations are directly off of St Mark's Square).

Cross-canal view of Apartment

Campazzo San Sebastiano

Watery Garage

So, out we went again. For variety, we took a different route through the neighborhood, heading more directly east along the Fondamenta Ognissanti, one of the major streets/canals of the Dursoduro neighborhood. A quick left-hand turn at the end of the street and we were soon at the edge of the Grand Canal - Venice's impressive central water highway. We crossed over the canal on the Accedemia bridge, entering the much busier sestiere of San Marco.