Stormy Afternoon

The Rialto Bridge

Wednesday, June 13

Last night Randy and Joshua and I went out for an evening walk--just walking aimlessly up and down pathways.  That is one thing that you can do easily in Venice--you're on an island--you can only get turned around so much--otherwise, you'll fall into the ocean (and then you'll have other problems to deal with).  Eventually we decided to make our way back, but we didn't know which way because with all of the narrow walkways twisting and turning we got kind of turned around.  Eventually, we followed all of the signs back to Rialto bridge and could make our way home from there.

The Fish Market at night

The Grand Canal at night

The Grand Canal at night with a gondola

Randy and Joshua in a doorway to yet another walkway

A wider walkway leading to a narrower one

Today we slept in then, after a late breakfast, went out.  It was almost noon because Annie had an email from her friend saying that she could not schedule a PSEO orientation meeting because they said that Annie hadn't taken the quiz after watching the orientation web tutorial (she had, but took it again from here).  She couldn't be sure of some of her answers (you are supposed to look them up) because she couldn't access the course handbook from here.  So she had to do that and email her friend that she would skype to schedule the appointment.  (Annie called right before we left and they said that she could not schedule an appointment until Monday--it didn't matter that she was going to be out of the country for 5 weeks--she should have someone else call for her.)

Well, anyway, we headed out.  Since Venice is full of canals, it has no cars--nothing motorized.  There is a bus dropoff and train station at the edge of the island, but no vehicles past that.  If you want a bus, you take a vaporetto (a water bus), or you can take a water taxi.  We watched many deliveries made by boat yesterday.  The boat ties up close to the business, then uses a dolly to cart it's delivery to where it needs to be.  Most travel is done by foot.  The walkways are very medieval in nature, some up to 10 feet wide, more of them only a few feet wide.  The major paths are long, but most are less than a block (some only 5 feet long), then either dead end or open onto a square (a campo).  There are thousands of campos---some large, some very small.  The largest have old cisterns in the center (to catch the rainfall for water for the people that lived near there).  Several have a water pump.   Randy read that all water from pumps and fountains is fine to drink, so we filled our water bottles from there during the day.  Most of the dead ends have a path leading out to another path, but it is difficult to see.  Many simply end at the water or with residences lining it all around.  Because of this labyrinth of pathways, even those with a good sense of direction can get very turned around.  Painted up around the second story near most squares are signs with arrows and either Rialto or S. Marco on them.   Some point to vaporetto or to the bus/train area.  Large churches  just pop out all over the place as you walk.  

A campo-on the left is another church

So we walked aimlessly, the children determining which paths to take.  It was a beautiful sunny day with a slight breeze.  Then we returned to our apartment for lunch, then out again.  Just after going in to see San Marco (St. Mark's Cathedral), it started to sprinkle with a cool wind and thunder.  We walked under the loggia around the San Marco piazza, but the rain just got harder.  So we walked to the grocery store and returned back at our apartment wetter (we forgot the umbrellas) than when we left.  It was around 6:00.  Randy did some laundry and is making dinner now.  Smells good!

Beautiful vines!

Two attractive young women we met at San Marco
 (named Anneliese and Shelby)

Waiting out the rain in the piazza loggia