Day 27 - Monday 3 October - Venice

We left the windows closed overnight so it was hot but still managed to sleep ok. Well other than waking up hot and sweaty at one point. Even Mum felt hot.

Wandered around the Grand Canal and San Marco for a bit before breakfast and watched the sunrise.

Gondolas in Venice at dawn

Doge's Palace at dawn

Sunrise in Venice

Breakfast again at the hotel.

First up was a ferry out to Murano.

Ponte de la PietÃ and Chiesa di San Giorgio dei Greci bell tower

Buildings along the Grand Canal

The Amerigo Vespucci

Abbazia di San Giorgio Maggiore (left) and Basilica di San Marco (St Mark's Basilica) (right)

Building Bridges sculpture by Lorenzo Quinn and Riparto Bacini da Raddobbo

Faro di Murano (Murano Lighthouse)

We went to the glass museum first up, arriving just as it was about to open. It had some quite nice glass works there and a bit of history.

Murano glass light fitting in Museo del Vetro (Glass Museum)

Table setting in Museo del Vetro (Glass Museum)

Silicon Dioxide by Tony Cragg

As we were leaving we asked if there was anywhere we could watch glass being made, and they suggested looking around Colonna, so off we wandered. There's a *lot* of places selling glass at Murano. We asked at a tourist information place again and they suggested Giuarnieri which was 5 euro each but we had front row seats and it was a nice sit down and we saw the dude making a glass and a horse. Really cool. Or hot. heh.

Bags of quartz sand and calcium carbonate for glassmaking

Furnace at Guarnieri Vetreria Artistica

Making a glass tumbler

Making a glass horse

The finished glass horse

The finished glass horse is so hot paper will instantly catch on fire if it touches it

Apprentices train for like twenty years to be able to churn these out every few minutes, and they sell for only 20 Euro!

They put finished glass works in here to cool down very slowly (otherwise they can shatter)

Murano glassworks

Then a ferry back to San Marco (taking the other way around the island so I could see another Indiana Jones location).

Chiesa di Santa Maria di Nazareth next to Venice train station

Ponte degli Scalzi outside Venice train station

Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia (Venice train station)

Buildings on Giudecca Canal

Parrocchiale di Santa Maria del Rosario (Gesuati)

Went back to the hotel to freshen up.

Then a twenty minute wait to get into St Mark's Basilica (I'd tried yesterday for skip the line tickets but there weren't any available til after we left). Despite what some websites say it's 3 euro entry, not free. We didn't pay to see the altar, but we did pay for the museum and outside viewing area (7 euro each). At first glance St Mark's looks pretty dark and dull, but then you realise all the artworks are mosaics which are pretty amazing. Not that you can really see them from so far away. But you do get a closer look at some in the museum.

Basilica di San Marco (St Mark's Basilica)

Interior of Basilica di San Marco (St Mark's Basilica)

Cristo Emanuele dalla volta (Christ Emanuel, from the vault of rhe Zen chapel)

St Mark's Horses

Piazza San Marco from the balcony of the basilica

Piazzetta San Marco from the balcony of the basilica

This drain makes him look like he's about to fire a bazooka into the hordes of tourists below

Interior of Basilica di San Marco (St Mark's Basilica)

The mosaics in St Mark's are amazing, but photos don't do them any justice

Murano glass for sale in one of the many stores selling local glassworks

Next we wandered across the piazza to the Correr Museum. We were slightly early for either of our entry times but they let us both in. We probably didn't really appreciate this one either but it was nice enough.