Day 2

I awakened at 2am and lay awake until 3am when I started to read. Unfortunately I woke Becky up and neither of us could go back to sleep. When it was time to eat, we went to the hotel dining room for our complimentary breakfast. As I expected, there were several varieties of slice meat (ham, salami, and something else), cheese, scrambled eggs (very wet), sausage, cereal, several varieties of bread, fruit, yogurt, juice—a very nice spread. We left the hotel to go see Venice. Our first activity was to take our tour of the islands of Murano, Burano, and Torcello. We found our tour operator and had some time to spend while waiting to depart. We looked at the little vendor’s kiosks along the Riva to get an idea of what knick-knacks were available.
We arrived in Murano and were taken to a glass sculpting demonstration. They shaped what looked like a vase and then sculpted a horse for us. From the demonstration we were taken into the showroom (so we could purchase of course!). There were many beautiful items. I found some wine glasses that I planned to purchase as a gift. I picked up one and a salesman came to visit with me regarding the glasses. Each glass is a different color, he told me, to represent the different colors they work with on Murano. Having different colors also differentiates between guests. I turned the glass over and saw a price of E 1530.00! I asked if that was the price for the set or each glass (the set) and carefully replaced it on the shelf. Becky found a bell she like, for E 120.00. She decided not to purchase it. I was almost afraid to walk through the shop and was glad to get out of there. On the way out I saw a vending machine with water for only E .50 and purchase some. Then I let every one know that I had made the best deal on water thus far and we had a good laugh.
The next island is Burano, known for it’s lace and colorful buildings. We went into the lace museum (really just a store) and looked at the lace. This was the beginning of the day’s shopping frenzy. Becky purchased a new table cloth and runner for the china hutch. Everyone (except I) purchased something. I wanted to take photos of the buildings and after the purchases only had a few minutes to quickly take some photos. The church on the island has a tower that leans because the ground is sinking. This I found to be somewhat common in Venice.
Next we went to Torcello. This is the first island settled by the Venetians and was later mostly abandoned, because of the mosquitoes and malaria, for the current location of Venice. There is a magnificent church on the island and not much else. We returned to Venice and our hotel. We asked for a recommendation for lunch and ate at the Crazy Bar. One of the interesting things about Venice is the little sandwich shops. They display their sandwiches in glass cases and you point out the one you want. It is then given to you or heated and given to you. You eat it at the counter or sit at a table. Some places charge extra to sit at a table. This little shop had sandwiches and rolled pizzas displayed. I asked for a rolled pizza while everyone else ordered a pizza from the menu. When asked about the size of the pizza, the waitress indicated that they were about 6 or 7 inches, so everyone ordered their own. They were about E 6 each so we all expected something just right for lunch. Judy and Susan were the only ones to share a pizza and I had my rolled pizza. When the pizzas came out they were more like the size of a frozen pizza, about 10”. Just right for 2 people and reasonably priced. They were delicious.
After lunch we started toward St. Mark’s Square and were waylaid by the shops along the way. The ladies went into many of the shops and bought many items. By the time we reached the square the museums and cathedral were closing. We went back to the hotel and dropped off our purchases. We asked for another recommendation for dinner and were directed to Della Strega (The Witch) near the hospital—a place where the locals eat. We also asked for directions to a grocery store and it was along the way. After wandering around, and getting turned around, we found the store just before it closed. There we found water for E .45-.49 per 1.5L bottles and lots of goodies. The store is about the size of 2 convenience stores put together, very narrow and long. I found my favorite German cookies and bought several bags. Mom found her chocolate bars. We had fun wandering the store for a few minutes. When we made our purchases we were asked if we wanted a plastic bag and were charged E .05 for the bag.
From there we sought out the restaurant and after wandering for about ½ hour we found it. Mom and Misty went back to the hotel to finish their pizza for dinner. Becky and I ordered the specials while Judy and Susan ordered lasagna to split. Our total bill was E 40 for this dinner, ½ the cost of the previous evening and tasted every bit as good, if not better, with more food. The special started with pasta (I had penne with spicy sauce, Becky had spaghetti with marinara), then came the second course (Becky had chicken and I had “Balls flavored Venice style—one was fish, one veggie, and one meat) and salad. After dinner we made our way back to the hotel. There we found that mom and Misty had gotten lost then found their way back to St. Mark’s Square and the hotel by asking for help every so often.