The day started early with the boat ride back to the island of Venice and we headed to a glass blowing shop. Venice is known for is their beautiful and ornate blown glass. Our group went to a demonstration and watched them make AMAZING things from glass in all shapes, colors and sizes. In seconds a red hot blob of glass would be a beautiful vase or even a cat! And they do it so fast and make it look so easy!!! When in reality, this is a trade learned over a long time and passed down from generations.
From their blown glass comes amazing jewelry. We all ooh’d and aah’d at their showroom. Then my to-good-to-be-true husband surprised me by buying me a BEAUTIFUL necklace and earring set. I will be all decked out for our next special occasion! Thanks honey!!
We were very excited about the next thing on our agenda for the day… it is something you MUST do when in Venice. It is the ONE thing most people think of when they think of Venice. Any ideas yet?? That’s right- a Gondola ride through the famous canals!
Little did we know that Bogi had ANOTHER surprise up her sleeve for the Newlyweds… It was a group excursion but we would be divided into small group of 6 and our group only included two of our other tour mates (two Kiwis we had become friends with). The other two passengers were an accordion player and a singer! That’s right; we were going to be serenaded!
We boarded our Gondola and off we went. It was fabulous! What an amazing way to see Venice. We had been told that it was custom for lovers to kiss under each bridge and who are we to break tradition!?! We floated our way through the labyrinth of canals enjoying the architecture and marveling at the skill of the Gondoliers. Since the canals are used as a main passageway for daily supplies and transportation, it wasn’t just us tourists trying to make our way through. It would get quite crowded and there were some tight squeezes we were navigated through!
The soloist was a powerful Tenor and his voice filled the canals. Folks passing by on foot would always stop and listen. Most songs were in Italian and very romantic. There were a couple with some English mixed in, including one we all knew… it was made famous by Dean Martin… come on- sing along!! “When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie, that’s amore!”
The Gondola ride ended all too soon… we could have stayed there for a few more hours!! But alas, we said “Grazie!” to our entertainers and Gondolier and ended our ride. We were then given a couple of hours to wander around Venice and grab lunch. We decided that we were in Italy, so we needed to have pizza!! We found a nice place outside under some umbrellas and right by the water. We enjoyed some yummy pizza overlooking a Gondola “parking lot” and watched the busy city hum with activity.
After we ate, we weaved our way through the streets of the city and bought souvenirs before time to meet up for the next outing. This was an optional outing that we added kind of last minute and not everyone from our group attended. The outing was called “Discover the Venetian Lagoon”. We didn’t really know anything about the destination. To be honest, we added it only because we felt like without it, we would have had WAY too much free time to fill. But let me tell you… I am SO glad we did this excursion because I thoroughly enjoyed it!!
Our group boarded a bus for a 45 minute cruise through the Lagoon. Venice is only part of this lagoon which is made of lots of tiny little islands. Some of them are inhabited, some are privately owned and others are just ruins.
Our destination was a small fishing village called Burano with a population of only around 2,500. It is actually made of 4 very small islands, linked by bridges. The main mode of transportation, other than a few boats through their canals, was by foot. From the instant we got off the boat we loved this village. Having just come from the crowded, busy and over-touristy Venice, the vibe in Burano was relaxed and calm.
It is known for two things… the brightly colored homes and their second industry (after fishing) of lace making. The lace making came from the women of Burano. They used to create and mend the fish nets used by their husbands. The turned this skill to lace and they are known around the world. We walked through a few shops and saw some demonstrations and beautiful lace. They are very proud of their work.
The painted homes were so unique. They made the island more beautiful than it already was! The story behind the colors says that it started as a way for a fisherman to be able to recognize their home from out in the lagoon. From there, it took off and every house was brighter than the other. If I hadn’t known I was in Italy, I would have guessed the Caribbean somewhere. It just had that feeling.
Our time there was too short. If you are ever in Venice, take the time to travel to this island. You won’t be disappointed. As we got back on the boat to return to Venice, we already missed laid back Burano. We picked up the rest of our group waiting in Venice and headed to the hotel for dinner and bed. We would be on the road again the next morning… headed for Rome!
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