Day 11 Exploring Venice

Buon giorno! Today is our full day in the city of Venice. As with every lovely day it started with a hearty breakfast. We had the cutest barista at breakfast today. He was such a cheerful person who literally hopped from the tables to the kitchen where he made the drinks. He would sing his Italian, smile, bow. He was just very charming in his dapper suit. I honestly felt like he loved the job he was doing, or else he was just having a very lovely day.
After breakfast we gathered our day bags and headed back out to the nearby square to meet up with our local guide for the day, Elizabetta or Betta for short. She was this firecracker of an Italian who actually lives on a nearby island. She took us out to show us her Venice. Once again we found ourselves winding through alleys (or roads so thin they could only be considered an alley). She took us to this lovely lion statue pictured below. Mom and I recognized it immediately. This was one of the very first pictures Emily had shown us when she went to Venice. She told us that she had tried to find the statue again, however this was the second or third time she had actually seen it. Just goes to show you that Venice is big enough to get lost in and just because you find something doesn't mean you can find it again. Another thing that I have heard is that you cannot get too lost in Venice since it is an island. Somehow I think that if you did not know any of the landmarks you could find yourself very lost very quickly. 

Anywho, our walk also led us to the Rialto which was half covered in scaffolding. Several buildings near the grand bridge also were covered and being worked upon. Emily said that when she was in Venice just a couple weeks ago the bridge was not covered. It was still early in the morning so this area was not too busy. She pointed out some of the architecture nearby and indicated the different types. Despite the scaffolding the bridge is still quite incredible and lovely.

We followed a canal to this little open area before a grand building. There was a statue/monument in front of the building. My interest in this particular building peaked when our guide informed us that the building was a hospital. I have never seen a hospital this lovely in my life! I really wished I could have gone inside to see what the interior was like. A little voice in the back of my head was saying, "I think I could practice in a building that beautiful." In this area we had an opportunity to use a restroom. Apparently 1 euro is the gold standard of restroom fees in Venice, or else you can purchase something from the shop and use the restroom for free. We were told to spread out across three "bars" to use the restrooms. 

When we met back outside just a few minutes later our guide took a moment to point out a gentleman walking by. To us he seemed rather ordinary and he fit into the surrounding population. Our guide told us that he was a pick-pocket. I don't understand how they know who is and who isn't a pick-pocket other than their actions perhaps. I don't know. I think everyone held their possessions a little closer after that.
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Elizabetta, our Venice guide.
We went inside to see a cute middle-aged man who was wearing an apron covered in paints and color. He welcomed us in and had all 28 of us pile into his little studio. He did not speak English and so our local guide had to translate for us. I think she has done this a few times. Sometimes she would finish up with the English translation before he was done, and he would look at her expectantly. Together they made quite a pair! They were showing us how to make paper mache masks, a step above what we know paper mache as (i.e. pieces of newspaper dipped in batter). He demonstrated the steps of taking out a mold, and covering it with a protective substance before placing the paper mache in. Once the paper mache was all in place he then proceeded to smooth it out. He was very fast and very thorough, making sure that every feature was prominent and clean. He would then allow this to dry. The next step included taking the dried mask and sanding it so that it would appear smooth. Once the mask is smooth he goes and cuts out the eyes. The eyes are very important, and may even be the most important part of the mask. This is because the shape of the eyes determines what the mood of the mask is going to be. He penciled in the eyes and then cut them with an exacto-knife. After this was done he then took some white paint and painted the mask completely. There are typically a couple layers of paint so that none of the paper mache shows through. Once this has dried then the mask master is allowed to start decorating the mask. The variety of patterns and designs are endless. Our guide donned an extravagant green mask featuring beads and a full feather headdress. It was stunning! While she had this mask on she selected one of the gentlemen from the crowd, Tom, who she dressed up with the different mask shapes. While she did this she gave us a bit of a history on each type. It was a splendid time watching Tom play along! It was just wonderful watching the man work too! He made it all look so easy! They also showed us some of the different items he uses to make the masks look like they do. It really is an art. 

After the demonstration we were led across a canal to his shop. Inside there were many different masks that could be purchased. He had all types, designs, colors. I was just thrilled to be standing inside a mask shop looking around at all of the lovely masks! This was on my list of things that I HAD to do while in Venice - go to a mask shop! 

We did not have a lot of time to look around, but they did pass out business cards with a little map on the back so we could find our way back to the shop at a later time. We thanked them for the demonstration and for allowing us to see the lovely shop and then we were on our way.
We were led blindly through a few more streets, none of us knowing exactly what way we were going (except for Emily potentially). Finally we came upon a mask shop. Here we were going to be taught how a true Venetian mask is made. Emily recalled the gentleman inside and the shop across the street. She had visited this shop before Carnivale. The owners had allowed her and her classmates to dress up in costumes and pose for photos before making purchases. I thought that was really cool!
We wound through a few more side streets and over a couple canals before we emerged out into the bright sunlight of Piazza San Marco. I actually liked the strength of the sun as it shown down upon St. Mark's Basilica. It was just enough to highlight the strikingly golden pieces of the lovely church. Even the mosaics above the doors sparkled in the sunlight. We ended up at the church at this time for a very special reason. We made our way inside the grand building expecting to see something as marvelous as the outside of the building. It was incredible, but I was shocked at how dark it was inside. The inside of the building, particularly the ceiling looked to be made of gold. However the shadows made it dark. It appeared tarnished. We lingered just inside the entryway a bit longer. Our guide had told us that soon they would be turning on the lights. I did not know what lights they would turn on, but the result was really stunning. 

The lights started turning on way back in the church and slowly moved up until the ceiling sparkled gold. It was absolutely lovely, although it was also crowded inside. Once we joined the flow of people walking around the basilica there was no stopping. We followed the crowd around the building, admiring the lovely domes from all around the church. The floors also were incredible. They were covered in various patterns and designs. Emily separated from us so that she could go along to the university to pick up the bag of luggage she left behind.

After walking around and exploring the incredible church we stepped, once more, into the blinding sunlight of San Marco Piazza. We met up with our guide and Dimitri as well as some fellow group members who were already gathered outside. Another few minutes we were all together once more. From the piazza we disappeared beneath one of the nearby arches into a darkened alleyway. We entered into a building and climbed up a flight of stairs. We entered into a brightly lit room and were immediately welcomed by some extreme warmth. There were two men in the room, the guy who explained the process and the glass master who said nothing. He just worked on creating his masterpieces.
PictureSalute on a breathtakingly beautiful day!
He made a vase and a horse. The process was really incredible! He did it so fast too! It is pretty incredible to think about how many of any of these items he could crank out in a day. After the demonstration we were taken down the hall, through their shop, and into a room where we all squeezed in. Here they talked about some of the glass products they make. These were typically cups and vases. There were several different colors, and they explained what minerals were used in order to create the colors. The most shocking part of this demonstration was then they took one of the cups and dropped/tossed it down on the table. It made a loud smacking sound but did not break. He knocked over one of the cups but it rolled back up into its original position.  We stared in amazement. Once this part of the demonstration was done they invited us to walk through the shop. Mom and I glanced through before we went back out to the street. We had the rest of the day to ourselves. The plan was to go back to the room so that we could meet up with Emily and she could show us around Venice, her home away from home. 

Once we met up with Emily we ventured back out into the streets of Venice. The three of us hopped onto a vaporetto to cross the Grand Canal. Emily wanted to show us her university as well as direct me to another mask shop that she had gone to while looking for her mask. Next to the mask shop there was a pizzaria. We each got a slice of pizza there. The pizza was very good, although Mom's pizza was the best. She was kind enough to share a little bit with us. After lunch we noticed a sign on the mask shop door saying that they would be open again in 15 minutes. We then walked on down the street to the Institutio where Emily studied. There we picked up some Stracciatella yogurt which was also a very delicious treat! We also picked up some apples for lunch later on along with sandwiches we had packed.

I decided to head on back toward the shop before Emily and Mom did. I wanted to have enough time to comfortably look around and not keep either of them waiting.

Back at the shop I carefully inspected the masks they had. There were hats in the back as well. They had several types of masks in a variety of colors, designs, and sizes. There were cat masks, full face masks, jester masks, half face masks, etc. After much consideration I finally decided upon two masks, one was a half face masks that can fit against my face. It is a golden mask with Salute and the word Venesia, or Venice on the side. The other mask is a smaller mask meant to be hung upon the wall. It is blue and gold and it is the face of a jester. Both are lovely and I am so excited to have purchased them!
After purchasing my masks we headed back down to the vaporetto with the plan to hop on it and visit Lido. Emily was using what remained of her student card. Mom and I both purchased full day tickets so that we could use them as often as we wanted between now and midnight. Our next stop was the nearby island of Lido. While in Venice this was Emily's favorite place to go and get away. She led us through the town and to the beach on the other side. My personal body battery is still not fully recovered since our lovely day visiting Neuschwanstein and so I took some time to stand and let the water of the ocean flow over my feet. The rougher sand helped massage my feet too. It was very peaceful. I quickly learned why Emily enjoyed this place so much. 

We sat together on the beach and enjoyed a relaxed lunch. This was after searching for shells and other interesting things upon the beach. The warm sun also felt great. I took a few moments to lay back and soak up the sun and sounds of the ocean. It is so peaceful!

After time spent basking in the sunshine with our feet cooled by the lapping waves of the great big, beautiful, blue water of the Adriatic sea, Mom and I decided to venture off to the colorful world of Burano. Emily opted to stay behind in Lido and visit some other areas. With that decision Mom and I meandered back down the beach and through the town back to the vaporetto stop. We did so quickly so that we could hopefully catch the next boat out in that direction. 

At the boat stop we found the correct terminal and determined that the next boat would be leaving the station within half an hour. We waited patiently for the boat to arrive. Meanwhile we had a woman approach us who was speaking in German. She seemed concerned about something, but no matter what we tried we could not communicate and help her. Eventually she walked off. After an half hour our boat, a larger boat, arrived. We, along with the rest of the crowd, piled onto the boat. We quickly climbed the stairs to make it to the upstairs outside area on the boat. Just a couple short minutes later we pulled away from the dock.
Nearly an hour or so later Mom and I arrived at the beautiful and very colorful Burano. We then had the quickest trip imaginable to this lovely little town (a total of 30 minutes from arrival to departure - we were afraid that there would not be another boat until the morning, which is how the man on the boat over made it sound). Our 30 minute getaway to the lovely Burano was still incredible. We rushed through streets, from the nearest canal and through a mess of streets and over canals. We arrived on the main business street of the town just in time to see a couple posing for wedding photos upon one of the canal bridges. Burano is the lace island. We saw a few store fronts featuring lovely lace. However we were in such a hurry that we did not have time to look at the store fronts. Also many of them were closing at this point. We continued on to another canal and more bright and colorful buildings. 

Emily had mentioned this place and the beautiful buildings when she first visited. It was a place that I wanted to visit just to see the lovely colors of the town. I was very pleased with what I saw. I love how the owners of the buildings also tend to color coordinate the decorations upon their homes. For an example a blue house has blue shutters, a purple house has purple flowers. It is such a charming place! I really would have loved to spend more time exploring the streets and sights of the beautiful town.

As we were making our way back toward the boat we came across a couple of children who were out playing soccer in the street. They were kicking the ball back and forth to each other but held off while we were passing. As we approached one of the kids jumped up in front of us with their arms open wide as if trying to block us from passing by, or like she was blocking the ball. It was a silly thing which got the children giggling. She finally allowed us to continue on down the road. 

We arrived at the vaporetto stop just a bit before the boat, however it was a short rest before we were on a boat and sailing comfortably back toward Venice.
It was a nice boat ride back to Venice. Mom and I were still a little anxious and hoping that we had selected the correct boat to take us back. Sometime later we finally touched down in Venice. We were thankful to be back, however we were still not comfortable finding our way through the sinking city. Our only for sure way of navigating the city is from San Marco Piazza. We ventured on a little way away from the stop where we could gaze down a canal while we waited for the next vaporetto. 
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Back at the vaporetto we watched as a couple "dozen" (or so it felt like) boats came and left before we finally found the right one that would take us where we needed to be. We got to sit at the back of the boat for this ride. Here we watched the sun setting over the sea. We ended up on the boat that took the less than scenic route, at least until we started to get into the city once more. The boat dropped us off at San Marco Piazza. From here we were able to find our way back to the hotel and to our room. Emily was there waiting for us when we arrived. We shared the stories of the remainder of the day and settled in as well as packed up our bags so that we would be ready for our departure the next morning. Our day in Venice went fast. We saw a lot. We saw a glimpse of the place Emily has called home for the last few months. It was well worth the adventure, however we are excited to move on to our next destination. Tomorrow we head for Florence. Until then ciao!