Venice - Day Four

Today we left Venice for a tour of Torcello and the island of Burano, both near Venezia. We rode up the Grand Canal and took a leisurely one hour boat ride to Torcello. The centuries old church there is rich in history and one of the shrines of the Catholic church. Photography was not permitted in the church but we did receive a history of the church at Torcello and were allowed to tour the grounds, where photography was permitted.

After Torcello we took a ten minute boat ride to Burano. This very colorful island village is a must stop for anyone visiting Venice. The richly colored village is a photographer's dream. I walked practically the entire island and just had a grand old time clicking away with the camera.

On day five we visit the Jewish ghetto, which does not mean the same thing ghetto means in the US.

Venice - Day Three

The sun rises the same way, everyday, in every place on the planet. What is different is what is located underneath the sun. The sun rising over the Grand Canal in Venice is indeed a beautiful sight. Shimmering off the blue water and casting a rosey glow on buildings that are hundreds of years in age is truly beautiful.

One of the side benefits of shooting photographs at sunrise in Venice is there are no crowds. The wharf at Venezia goes from shoulder to shoulder crowds during the day to practically deserted at sunrise. For a photographer shooting at sunrise this is nirvana. You can go anywhere and the only crowds you encounter are at the choice shooting locations, where we all smile, nod hello, and hope the photographer who beat us to the best spot does not linger long. Fortunately in Venezia there are many places for such photography.

Venice - Day Two

Day two in Venice was every bit as exciting as day one. We started off the day visiting the Rialto market. Fresh vegetables, fresh meats and fish, fresh fruits and a lot of people were everywhere. The peppers in the photograph to the left were just some of the many foodstuffs available.

We then took a water taxi across the canal so we could visit the Church of San Giovanni e Paolo. This church is not only a house of worship but it also holds the remains of many of Venice's most prominent citizens down through the years. That is down through hundreds of years. There are folks buried in sealed cases in the floors, there are people entombed in caskets on stands on the walls, and photographs or paintings of many of these folks are located next to or underneath their grave. Our guide said many of these people just did not want the world to forget them.

We also visited the architectural museum at Arsenale and saw some of the many architectural ideas Italians have for living in limited or tight quarters.

Photographs are being added daily to my flickr page at http://flickr.com/bdinphoenix.

Venice - Day One

Day one in Venice came to a close with a nice dinner at a family restaraunt and a group meeting at our hotel. The flight to Venice was a long one but US Airways showed three different movies and served two meals, or at least some material on trays that looked like food.

The trip from Marco Polo airport in Venice to the hotel villa igea was a 45 minute ride in a water taxi that circles the lagoon that Venice resides in and then journeys up the Grand Canal. It is a wonderful sight seeing trip and a portent of things to come.

The water taxi stops about 50 yards from the hotel villa igea and after checking in I went walking and photographing. There are tourists everywhere. These folks come from all over the world as Venice is a popular spot for European holidays.

I got a look at the canals and St. Mark's church as I went on an approximate one mile circular walk with my hotel as the central point. There are small alleyways and bridges crossing canals everywhere. There are a lot of small shops and the usual tourist traps designed to separate you from your money.

This really looks like a great place and I am looking forward to exploring more of it.