Venice, Italy

I Love Venice!!!

Meet our gondolier... we call him Marco.
He was very helpful in telling us the history of the city found on water.
It was well worth the money for our 40 minute ride on the stinky water.

Originally the city of Venice was comprised of buildings on little islands.
The buildings were built up on timber much like houses you see on the shores in the States.
Bridges connected the islands to make travels easier.

Over time, the water has risen making the whole city look like it was built in water.
There are 4 tides daily causing a rise and fall of approximately 2 feet.
(By the way, the water is from the Asiatic Sea.)
There are over 200 canals and 500 bridges throughout the entire city.

The Rialto Bridge is THE bridge in Venice. It spans over the main canal.

St. Mark's basillica is one of the most beautiful cathedrals I have ever seen (and believe me, I've seen tons in both of my travels to Europe).
The inside is incredible with the marble floors that have designs throughout, and the ceilings with mosaic art all over. It was amazing to see all of the tiny tiles used to make such beautiful masterpieces.

If you don't like water, then this is NOT the place to be.
Here is Kim standing at the edge of the city and looking out across the water at more buildings.