May 13, 2014

 
After Florence, we went on another high speed train to Venice. Venice is thought to be one big island but it is actually located in a swamp, where hundreds of small islands are connected with over 400 bridges.  It is built on a bunch of pilings which are very strong, but also very flexible.   
 


We took a gondola ride through the many narrow canals and waterways which was very cool. The gondolas are hand made and are longer on the left side than the right. The gondolier always paddles on the right side, so the boat goes straight. 

The canals are about 6 meters deep and would be extremely fun to swim in, other than the fact that there is about 800 years of drained sewage floating around in there...

There are 120 churches on the island, St. Marks Basilica being one of the more popular ones.  We also visited the Doge's Palace.  The Doge was the guy who ran the shipping and trading in the city, and the port, and most of this part of the world from about 700 AD until after Colombus discovered America.  There were many doges over the years. 

The Doge's palace was spectacular - gold on the staircase and the ceiling.  But underneath the palace, in the basement, was a different story.  It was where the prisoners were kept in living spaces and conditions almost inhuman.  The cells usually flooded during the rainy season.  The bridge that is crossed to reach the dungeons was named the Bridge of Sighs, because you could hear the prisoners cries as they crossed it.