We left Firenza and took at expressway to Bologna. Bologna was a medieval town that grew into a major city during Mussolini's time. Unfortunately since it was a critical hub during Mussolini, it became an Allied target during WWII. Several old buildings were bombed, but have since been repaired to their old original state. There's one tower that was missed that was built in the 11th century, which is now leaning due to the weight of the tower. We didn't have a guided tour through the old part and had about 2.5 hours to wander the streets. Roger and I ended up in the University section which was rather far from the old section where we were supposed to meet up. Fortunately we were able to find our way back but I think it was an indication of things to come later.
After Bologna we got back on the expressway and headed to Venice. The men that Roger talked to were all amazed at the passing skills for the large vehicles on the highway. From our bus, it looked like we could touch the truck we were passing. Inches not feet folks.
Venice is like nothing we've ever seen. First off we had to take a boat to a landing and then walk to our hotel. Our luggage was sent ahead of us on a boat. We stopped at a Murano glass blowing factory called Arti Veneziane alla Guidecca. Each piece is made by hand and some of the pieces in the gallery were amazing. Roger really wanted to buy a parrot piece, but it was a mire e9800. I talked him out of it, with the statement "where would we put it?" I found a piece for e12,000. The overhead of the showroom had amazing chandeliers. Pictures were prohibited in the showroom, but allowed in the demonstration section.
After we spent time there, I suspect our luggage had been boated to the hotel. There are no cars that we've seen on Venice, boat or foot is the way to travel. Roger and I went to a grocery store for a light supper and found it by watching people go by with COOP bags. We made it back to our hotel by shop navigation, as oppose to map navigation, because the alleys are not marked well on the map. This evening we had a boat tour of the Grand Canal and a couple of side canals. The Grand Canal is about 1.6 miles long, but you don't get a sense of length going through the various side canals. Several of the pedestrian bridges are low, but Roger didn't bump his head. Once we finished with the boat ride, we had alfresco drinks as a group in the Grand Cafe. Venice is known to be windy, and both of us can confirm this fact. We sort of got turned around on our walk back to the hotel in the dark. The streets look very different in the dim lights of the alleys. Fortunately we figured it out and we made it back. Our guide, Mario said that getting lost is all part of the Venice experience.
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