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A cruise liner approaching the lagoon |
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Palazzo Ducale and the Campanile tower as seen from the lagoon
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Palazzo Ducale - the building where the adminsitration of Venice was run from for 500 years. Built in middle 1400's. |
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La Torre dell'Orologio (St Mark's Clock) near Piazza San Marco |
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Built 1499, restored a few times afterwards and still ticking!
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The face of the clock. Originally built in 1499 AD. |
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A dome of Basilica di San Marco |
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Piazza San Marco, the Times Square and the Trafalgar Square of Venice |
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Murals of Basilica di San Marco |
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Campanile Tower at Piazza San Marco |
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St. Mark's square, where you can sit down to sip one of the most expensive cups of coffee in Europe |
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€ 12 a cup at some restaurants here!
And no, we didn't. |
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A typical Venetian street |
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One of the 35 million canals in the city. |
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Gondolas, gondoliers and tourists. |
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The gondolier in the white shirt is texting on the job! |
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One of the 5 million bridges in Venice |
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Ok, not really that many, but countless. |
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A canal lined with typical buildings you would find in Venice |
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Fine Italian crafts on display. They are so exquisite, they make you cry. |
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Campo Santa Stefano, another square |
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Gelato ice cream, anyone? |
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We were only expecting a cone, it turned out to be an entire meal on its own.
Yum! |
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Grand Canal, seen from the Accademia bridge |
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Grand canal and the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, seen from the Accademia bridge |
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Spend a sunset in Venice and it will make you a believer in fairy tales. |
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Gondola in the lagoon (St.Mark's basin) |
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Gothic architecture in Palazzo Ducale (or Doge's Palace), the ancient administration building of the city. |
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St. Mark's square, seen from the Campanile tower |
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St.Mark's square and the neighbourhood, seen from the Campanile Tower. |
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About 1/4 of the city of Venice can be seen in this pic. |
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Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, seen from the Campanile |
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St. Mark's basin (the lagoon) in a morning |
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The domes of St.Mark's basilica |
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View towards Arsanale and the Lido, across the lagoon |
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The church of San Giorgio Maggiore to the right! |
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Piazza San Marco. And me. |
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Basilica di San Marco - The present building built in 1063 AD. |
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Said to be one of the best examples of Byzantyne Architecture, whatever that means. |
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A musician performing in Piazza San Marco |
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The entrance to the basilica |
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Traditional Venetian masks on display! |
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Grand Canal seen from the Rialto Bridge |
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Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal |
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This is the oldest bridge across the canal, this structure built in 1591 AD. |
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A closer look at a gondola |
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Godoliers wearing their uniform: a blue striped shirt and the boater hat |
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On one of the countless bridges |
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Walking is a breeze; navigating is not. |
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You will get lost and found every 5 minutes, even if you try to follow a map. |
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It, however, is a part of the whole Venetian experience, they say. |
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Rio di San Girolamo, in the District of Cannaregio |
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A vaporetto (waterbus) full of passengers, plying the Grand Canal |
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Another vaporetto on the Grand Canal |
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Waterbuses are bulky beasts and cannot travel fast. If you walk fast, you would be able to catch up. |
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Since there are no land vehicles in Venice, waterbuses are the popular (or the only) mode of transport. |
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If you are suffering from aquaphobia, perhaps you should give up the waterbus and make the journey on foot (The only other means of travel). But really, if you are an aquaphobiac, you should not go to Venice in the first place. |
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Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore |
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Another vaporetto approaching from the island of Lido |
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Another view of the Venetian sunset |
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Basilica di San Marco. And me! |
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Gondolas, awaiting business |
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The island of Murano, about 10 minutes away from Venice |
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Murano, popular for its glass-blowing industry |
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It still produces beautiful glass ornaments & jewellery. |
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The island of Burano, about 50 mins from Venice |
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Burano is famous for its houses painted in the most contrasting and unusual colours. |
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Even more ludicrous colours! |
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Burano is also famous for its lace industry. |
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The main high street in the island of Burano |
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Fine wall-hangings on display |
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A vividly-painted row of houses in Burano |
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A Burano cat, wating for its owner to catch itself some fish! |
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The fisherman and his kitty |
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More outrageously coloured houses apently |
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Back in good old Venice |
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Walking from Fondamenta Nouve towards Rialto |
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Evening scenery near Rialto Bridge |
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Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge), the most famous pedestrian arch bridge in Venice |
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Rialto Bridge. Although this is not the original bridge built here, this structure dates back to 1591 AD, i.e.: more than 400 years ago !! |
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Built in stone. |
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Hitching a ride on a gondola along the canal! |
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Our gondolier, "Franco", took us aboard for a trip spanning half the length of the grand canal and back to the starting point via other narrow canals |
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Starting/ending point: Santa Maria dell Giglio, near Accademia. |
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Buildings along the grand canal |
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More buildings along the grand canal |
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Rialto seen in the distance |
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Along the narrow canals at night...... |
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Piazza San Marco (St.Mark's Square) at night |
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An orchestra in full swing |
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Piazza San Marco |
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View from San Marco towards Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute |
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Undergoing restoration, hence covered in scaffoldings. |
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Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo, a small palace best known for its external spiral staircase with arches. |
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The structure dates from the 15th century. |
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Inside the church Santa Maria Formosa |
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Another one of the 10,000 beautiful, ageing churches in Venice. |
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Church I Frari |
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Interior of the church San Polo |
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Interior of the church I.Frari, one of the biggest in Venice |
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I. Frari, one of the biggest churches in Venice |
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Closer to Piazzale Roma in the district of Santa Croce |
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"The Fish Merchant of Venice", the play that Shakespeare could never finish. |
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A vaporetto on the Giudecca canal |
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View of San Marco from the Canale di San Marco |
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These look like photographs, but they are not. |
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Stunning paintings for sale, Dorsoduro district |
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"Osteria Vivaldi", the friendliest restaurant in Venice |
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View at night from Rialto |
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The Bridge of Sighs, conencting interrogation rooms of the Palazzo Ducale and the adjoining prisons |
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A closer look at the Bridge of Sighs |
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The bridge name, given in the 19th century, comes from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice out the window before being taken down to their cells. (Wikepedia) |
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Courtyard of Palazzo Ducale |
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The Golden staircase of the Palazzo Ducale. So named because the ceiling above the staircase is plated in...er..gold. |
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View from Palazzo Ducale towards San Zaccaria & Arsenale |
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Isola di san Giorgio Maggiore, as seen from Palazzo Ducale |
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Bridge of Sighs as seen from the Doge's Palace |
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Inside the Palazzo Ducale |
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View from the Bridge of Sighs |
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The entrance to S. Giovanni e Paolo, the biggest church in Venice |
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A massive Venetian kitty! |
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Was up to no good when we first saw it, but quickly went into the "lie-low" or defensive mode when it realised it was under surveillance. See mischievous look and the way its trying to shy away from us in the last pic of the sequel !! |
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Arsenale, the shipyard and the naval port in the Venetian Empire. Now occupied by the Italian Navy. |
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View from the Arsenale towards the lagoon, along the canal "Rio dell Arsenale" |
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THE END. |
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