Our Europe Adventure: Part 7 - Morning in Venice

We woke up and had breakfast around 8:30.  The B&B is also the family's house so we ate our breakfast in their kitchen.  They had bread, rolls and yogurt, with various things to put on the bread.  The 7-year-old daughter of the family had stayed home from school that day because she had a doctor's appointment, so she came into the kitchen to keep us company.  She knew a bit of English and tried it out on us.  She was playing with the kids and brought out some bubbles to blow.  Leah loved that and was very upset when she had to give them back.  Luckily, Davide said that the grocery store where they bought the bubbles was just down the street, so that got Leah out the door.  So we started our morning on a quest to find Italian bubbles.

This is the road that our B&B was on, Calle Corera.

This is the view at the intersection at the end of Calle Corera.  So typically Venetian!

Mama and Leah climbing up a bridge.  This shows exactly why we decided NOT to bring our strollers to Venice.  There were so many bridges that only had steps and carrying the strollers up and down them would not have been fun.  Lots of the roads were also made of cobblestone or other non-stroller-friendly materials, so that would have been difficult too.

Cameron poses in front of the small canal

Cameron chasing birds

This is Via Garibaldi, one of the main shopping and restaurant streets near our B&B

We found the grocery store that Davide told us about.  It was not at all like our grocery stores - it seemed more like a dollar store or Big Lots - tons of random weird stuff for sale.  After wandering through it looking for bubbles (and not knowing the Italian word for bubbles, so we couldn't ask where they were), we finally found them in the very front of the store.  Here are Cam and Leah with their prize, which they each paid for themselves.

Cam chasing another pigeon

Daddy and kiddos walking down Via Garibaldi - this road went down to the road that runs along the water.  It was about a 20 minute walk to Piazza San Marco from our B&B.

Daddy and Leah climbing one of the bridges

View over Venice

Picture from the top of the bridge - you can see the ramps that kids loved to run up and down. The ramps were only on the big bridges that went on the main road that ran along the water.  The smaller canals, including even the Grand Canal, did not have ramps over their bridges.

Cam and Leah were desperate to play with their bubbles so we stopped at a bench to blow some bubbles.

 Cameron blowing bubbles - can you see the bubbles in the picture?

And chasing bubbles

Cam and Leah loved sitting on the tops of bridges checking out the boat traffic.  We thought it was cute but other tourists who were trying to take pictures probably didn't appreciate it!  Oh well, how often are we in Venice - if the kids want to look at the boats, why not let them?

Gondola stop - take a look at it from this angle because we have another picture of it from the top of the bell tower

Another beautiful view down a side canal.  I would love to check out that bridge - it looks like it is in someone's house.

Peeking through a bridge at boats.  I wish we had a picture of this from the other side!

What Leah was peeking at

After a bit more walking (and negotiating our way through hordes of tour groups!), we got to Piazza San Marco.  Here are Cam and Leah checking out the Doge's Palace.

Mama, Cameron and Leah heading towards the Campanile (bell tower).

Basilica di San Marco

More cool buildings around the Piazza San Marco

After a long wait in line for the bell tower, we finally made it to the top.  I remembered having to climb up stairs, but apparently I was remembering wrong because there was a very nice modern elevator that whisked us to the top.  The view over Venice was amazing.

Checking out Venice from above

There were big ledges that were perfect for standing on

Family picture

Looking over the Piazza San Marco - it even looks huge from above

More views of Venice

Mama and Leah, and Cameron perched on one of the ledges

One of the small Venetian islands

Basilica di San Marco and Doge's Palace

Gondola ride

The gondola stop that is in the picture above.  Only 80 Euro for 15 minutes of a "true Venice experience" - one that we did not experience!

While we were at the top of the bell tower, we were lucky (??) enough to have the bells ring.  It was so loud but so cool.  The bells rang for about five minutes.

Another family picture :)

We took the the elevator back down and wandered around the piazza a bit more.  Here is the clock tower in the square - so cool!  I am sure there is a really cool story about everything on the clock face; maybe next time in Venice we'll go on a tour and learn about stuff rather than just checking it out.

Cam, Leah and Mama with the clock tower

At this point everyone was getting a bit tired out so in order to pick up spirits we stopped for gelato.  It didn't really matter that it was 10:30 in the morning - any time is a good time for gelato!

I think they were looking at my camera, rather than Tim's.  Still a cute picture!

More cool sites around the square.  I think this might have been on the basilica.

Doge's Palace

We decided to skip going in the Basilica because of the long line to get in and the rule about being silent and respectful while you were in there (two things that Cam and Leah, hopped up on gelato, were not going to be able to do!).  We also didn't want to eat lunch in the Piazza because the restaurants are so much more expensive, so we decided to head out.  Our next stop was Murano, the glass island.

Tim and the kids heading toward the vaporetto stop

San Zaccaria vaporetto stop

Waiting at the vaporetto station

Well I think this post has enough pictures in it (and it is only around 11 in the morning!).  Murano and the rest of our day in Venice in the next post!