Our ship was pulled by tug through the city of Venice to its mooring. This was an incredible site to witness with the waterways of Venice seemingly vanquished upon the city structures. The canals were alive with many boats who passed across our bow, around us, beside us, everywhere.
We departed for our excursion at 4pm VE69 Doge’s Palace, Gondola Ride and Glass Showroom. This required taking a water taxi to a location that was exactly four bridges west of Doge’s Palace. I thought it amusing that locals measure distance and give directions based on how many bridges you will cross. After spending just a few hours in Venice you quickly find out why. There are literally bridges at every turn.
After entering Doge’s Palace you will marvel at the structure and the intricate work of the many facades. The palace was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the former Republic of Venice. We climbed the Golden Staircase to photograph it from the very top. The ceiling is covered in paintings that are inlaid with gold. Then we moved through room after room of amazing artwork heading to the Four Doors room, the Doge’s room, the Senate room, the Police room, the Prison cells, and the large room. We ended the tour at the bottom of the Grand Staircase where the Doge or his dignitaries would enter the palace. There are a lot of things to be seen here. All worth the price of admission and if you are staying in Venice a few days your admission ticket is valid at several other venue’s making it an even better deal.
After our visit we proceeded to Laguna Murano Glass where we got a personal demonstration of how an ornamental vase is made. It was quite a thrilling experience to watch a master glass craftsman at his craft. The intricate vase was made right before our eyes in about five minutes. Next we visited the glass showrooms with every conceivable glass item you could possibly imagine.
Our next stop was the Gondola station we were boarded a gondola with four others and maneuvered about the canals of Venice. It really is quite amazing how the Gondoliers are able to handle the craft within inches of others, and almost hitting the walls of buildings. Never once did we scrape against anything, astonishing! The ride wound us around a part of the city where we twisted about, saw back alleys, restaurants, and hotels with incredible views of the canals. We traveled along the Grand Canal just for a bit before returning to where we had started.
10,392 steps logged.
Tour operator: Bassani SPA