Venice Day 3 - Murano, Burano and Garry's favourite niece!

* Before I start I just want to apologize for my blog being alittle out of whack. I post to my blog via email and sometimes they send in a different order than I plan. I will fix it all when I get home and have real internet and not this "Ship" (although I would like to use another word) Internet.

Today was about catching up with family, with the added bonus of visiting two lovely islands in the archipelago of Venice. Bringing along her daughter Charlotte, partner Gary and his daughter Livvy, Garry's niece Vicki flew out of the UK to meet us. It has now become a little tradition and each time we
travel to Europe, they come to one of our ports of call.

No matter how many times you wander the lanes of Venice you never tire of the wonderful vistas each time you turn a corner or cross a bridge. As we entered St Mark's Square, we stumbled upon a parade for Veterans. Not quite the magnitude of an Anzac Day march, but small groups of Italian 'Diggers' marching under their identifying flags, followed by a large group of active soldiers marching to the beat of a drum, but it was their singing that was most moving.

We walked along the canal until we found the Station where we caught the Vaporetto out to Burano.

The beautiful colored houses that line the canals makes this a picture-perfect fishing village. Originally colored so the fisherman could find their way home no matter in what condition they were in. Another story told was that the fishermen's boats were also painted the same colour as their houses just in case they were lost at sea and if a wreckage was found they would know who it belonged to.

Catering to the tourists, shops and restaurants line the canals and squares, many selling the beautiful lace that Burano is famous for.

Back on to the Vaporetto and over to Murano, a trek we did with many, many tourists who had the same idea for the day. Murano is famous for its glass. Like an all you can eat buffet, you could watch glass blowing for a cost of seven Euros each. Times that by six and you could probably buy a nice piece
to take home. so we passed. If it could be made from glass, they had it. Exquisite pieces that come with exquisite prices. They say if you can afford it, it is made in China; if you can't then it is Italian. But apart from that Murano still had its charm, much like Venice but on a smaller scale.

Another thing that we had noticed in Venice over the past few days were these strange sculptures. Biennale 2017 is on and we Murano had the most amazing glass sculptures out of the three islands we visited.

On our trip back we caught a vaporetto that went to Piazziale Roma, a quicker trip back as we boated into Venice from the back and avoided the scenic cruising of calling into the other islands.

Finishing our day drinking beers and Aperol spritzes, we then bid our visitors goodbye and headed back to the ship.
Our last night in Venice was celebrated with a masquerade ball on deck as we sailed back through the canal in darkness to the sounds of "Time to say goodbye" played around the ship.

 

Venice Day 2 - Discovering the Hill Towns of Veneto

It's not just all about Venice, so today we booked a tour out to the Veneto hill towns. With a big smile and that Italian charm, Marco was waiting for us as we exited the terminal.

Our first stop was medieval Marostica. Walled and cobbled stoned like so many of these small Italian villages. Overlooked by a castle high on the hill with a wall that reminds you of China. In the square, a giant chess board permanently laid out, where the famous living game of chess is played every two years. Real people and real horses are used in this game that revolves around the legend where the fate of one young lady was decided by its outcome.

Walking across a magnificent Palladian bridge we entered the beautiful town of Bassano del Grappa. A street market was in full swing in the middle of the square, surrounded by beautiful buildings, with frescoes still visible on their outer walls. True to its name, we visited a small Grappa museum, where you were rewarded at the end with a tasting. Honey, blueberry, chocolate and coffee, an array of flavours that seem to take the edge of the normally sharp taste of Grappa.

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Asolo was Marco's choice for lunch. On his recommendation, we ate at Ristorante Cornaro, and what an excellent choice it was. Garry and I shared a "White Pizza", delicious with its's cheese filled base and it spicy cheesy topping. Backed up with a lovely crisp salad and washed down a jug of Prosecco.

We visited Villa Barbaro, one of Palladio's most celebrated works. Like a Roman Temple it stands high on a hill overlooking its vineyards. But it was the beautiful frescoes that adorn the walls that take your breath away. The only down side is that you can't take pictures, which for me always taints a
visit a little bit. So, I guess Mr Google will have to take care of those pictures.

Our day finished driving around the green rolling hills of the prosecco wine region. Stunning views of terraced slopes thickly planted with grape vines and beautiful stone villas that dot the countryside. 

We stopped at Ca'Salina for a taste of their award-winning prosecco, Italy's answer to champagne.

 
Well I can't tell you much about the drive home, as I slept most of the way.. The grappa and prosecco made sure of that.