August 25, 1999 Narrative

August 25 After a tasty breakfast at Hotel La Fenice, we set out to explore Venice. As we approached St. Mark's Square, we were accosted (very politely) by one of several gentlemen offering a free ride to the Island of Murano, which Meredith wanted to visit. Seems as though this is the site of some very skilled glass blowing artisans. We took him up on his offer of a ride on a water taxi.

Our taxi took us through a few canals then across the lagoon to Murano. The glass blowers were exiled to this place for fear their furnaces would start a fire and burn the city proper. We were given a guided tour of one of the factories, including a very interesting exhibition of glass blowing, and then, of course, the show room. We succumbed to the temptation to purchase a very nice flower vase and accompanying candy dish, which the company shipped to us. The salesman gave Meredith a horse statue in appreciation of our order.

We left the factory and walked around the island. We found a water bus stand and boarded the next boat. A slight mistake – this one visited the other islands in the Venetian Lagoon and we had to transfer a couple more times before we returned to the city itself. Nice boat ride, however.

Once back in Venice, we had lunch at a sidewalk cafe with a view of the main canal. As we ate, a cruise ship was departing and an accordian player serenaded us and the other patrons. We explored a bit more on foot, including a stop at our room to deposit the morning's shopping treasures. We then walked to the Ponte dell'Accademia and boarded a water bus for a ride through the Canal Grande, the port area, and back to San Marco Square. By this time, we were ready for dinner. A short after dinner stroll returned us to our hotel room.

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