Today we went to two beautiful churches, and Randy and I took a gondola ride!
Randy took an early morning solitary walk. You can see a little blue bag in the second picture. He said he heard a noise and saw it was a pulley system to lower the trash bag from a window to the street.
We went to Basilica San Marco, a beautiful church. Then back to the church Randy and I had been to earlier, adding a visit to the crypt there.
I took pictures of the floor in the Basilica San Marco, they were so intricate. The eagles in one part look like what the US uses for its symbol of eagles. I said, “These look like United States eagles,” and Randy said, “No, the United States eagles look like these.”
The third to last photo is, I believe, a painting of a scene where Mary has just given birth to Jesus, and some women are bathing him. I like that scene because it shows Mary having help and support, not giving birth in a stable all by herself. Scholars believe she and Joseph probably stayed at a home of some relatives, and the “stable” was space in the home where animals were sheltered, which was common then.
The last couple photos are from a bridge we crossed on the way home. I liked the reflections in the water. I stopped to wait for a couple on the bridge opposite to get off so I could take the picture without people in it. After several minutes, I realized the guy was waiting for ME to get off, for the same reason, I’m sure. We walked off and waited around the corner until they left. :)
We took SO SO many pictures. Click on pictures to see full photo, title, and description. For the 100s of photos we took, see my smugmug: https://moonfamily.smugmug.com/Travel/Italy-2026
After that, Randy and I took a gondola ride while Cori wandered around on her own. It rained a bit but not too bad, and we had on our hats and jackets. The ride went on a small circuit that took us into the Grand Canal for a few minutes, where we caught the water taxis, and under the Bridge of Sighs. Our gondola driver said it’s called that because it led to a prison and the prisoners sighed as they took their last look at the sky from the two windows.
