Monday, April 30, early in the morning we began the approach
into Venice and the end of the World Cruise.
What a wonderful 107 days and a truly great experience we have been
through. The ship arrived at the San
Basilio Pier a little before 7AM. A
beautiful sail in as the sun rose.
Venice spans 118 islands, a web of 150 canals and 400
bridges. Although the motorboat or
vaporetto is widely used, the gondola is the more traditional means of
transportation. Each gondola is lovingly
built like a piece of very fine furniture sometimes requiring more than a year
to complete. Gondoliers are quite adept
at moving their boats with a single oar.
The tall mooring poles with distinctive spiral striping are the original
models for barber poles.
The heart of Venice centers on St. Mark’s Square. The piazza is very large with galleries,
shops and cafes all around. Also found
in the in the square is the Basilica San Marco, built to accommodate St. Mark’s
tomb, the Campanile (bell tower), the Clock Tower and Doge’s Palace. Opening onto the square is one of the most
famously photographed icons; the 17th century covered stone bridge,
Bridge of Sighs.
Many passengers made sure they either travelled on the Grand
Canal or walked over the Rialto Bridge, another very famous Venetian
bridge. An interesting note: the term “ghetto” for a Jewish quarter
originated in Venice.
We departed Venice at 11PM
heading for Ravenna and the 2nd port of the Holy Land cruise.
