We tool the train form Pordenone into the St Lucia Station in Venice, and when we arrived guess what was there?! The Venice-Simplon Orient Express train! THIS is how train travel should be --- wood paneling, velvet cushions, silks, private compartments, waiters in tuxedos, live music. (In fact Deb’s partner, Maurizio, used to play piano on the Orient Express.) I would love to take a trip on this train, but I’m afraid that possibility is way out of reach of our pocketbook. David got to snap a few quick photos before the OE pulled out of the station as we were disembarking.
I’m not going to describe in detail what each of these pictures are --- it’s Venice, with canals, very narrow streets, old buildings, churches. People travel by foot or via boat to get around. And yes, some of the gondoliers do sing O Solo Mio.
These are the pictures from the famous Saint Mark’s Square. The symbol of Saint Mark, and thus Venice, is the lion, so you see this emblem all over. (They are doing restoration work on the cathedral, thus the scaffolding that you see in some of the pictures.) Of course there is the traditional bell tower too that is in every Italian city.
This is the clock in the Square, atop of which is a bell that two “men” strike on the hour.
Other buildings in the Square
Saint George is slaying his dragon
A bridge to cross a “street” of water.
It was a hot day and even the pigeons were grateful for this water fountain.
There are shops that sell all kinds of things for the tourists. Murano glass, Burano lace, cameos, masks and costumes for Carnival.
Pigeons have become a big problem in St Mark’s Square --- you know the kind of damage they can do. There is a movement to try and rid the Square of them; but really, what would Saint Mark’s Square be without them? Some people even “pose” with them.
This is the famous Rialto Bridge
And here is the Bridge of Sighs. This is where convicts were sentenced for their crimes in the building on the left, crossed the bridge to the building on the right to meet their fate --- imprisonment or death. The sighs would come from the prisoners as they peeked through the small openings for their last look on the world, or their families and loved ones who may be watching them cross.
As you stand along the water, you can gaze across to some of the islands in the lagoon.
While walking back to the train we stopped to buy a drink, and while sitting outside I could hear this beautiful birdsong. It sounded like a canary, and when I looked up, there was the soloist singing away on the balcony above us. After this I started spotting other canaries “hanging” around. They’d be an easy animal to keep in Venice, unlike a dog. For them there are no parks or green places for doggies to “go.”
