3 nights
Hotel Astoria
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I cant get over how much I love this place

Can you believe I started jumping up and down once we got off the little boat from the train station well thats exactly what I did and Sam thought I was really weird...but then again, I think HE is weird so hey, works well...

Looking out to St Marks Square from the Basilica of St Marco

I will never forget sitting in St Marks Square with my little bottle of red wine writing in my journal, its just so beautiful and just full of ao much interesting history and charm
(even though 5 mins into writing my first page an old man came and sat down next to me and started asking about my history and where I come from.. im like leave me alone will ya you 65 year old man, I dont know what it is with me and old men really, the people at my old work HP would know what im talking about! something I have attracts them, the one at HP was over 80...ask for this story if interested, sheesh)

HRH and me in St Marks Square ... Heaven!!!

ANYWAY, there is one sad thing though, since the last time I was there (2002 january) they have really pumped up prices and are ripping off tourists big time! for example 1/2 hr of interent was 4euro! pull the other leg as well as my ear please someone.....restaurants are pretty expensve as well, and you cant really do much because there isnt really a supermarket around the city venice and you have no choice but to eat at a restaurant, and the closer you are to St Marks Square the more expensive it is and if u venture out you get lost! lol

BB gun owners PARADISE x 20!! pigeons galore i tell ya

Another thing, there are a number of Africans (actually, heaps of them!) trying to illegally sell fake brand name bags (and run off when the police come by) they are seriously EVERYWHERE, "bag for you pretty girl bag for you or your pretty mum pretty girl pretty bag pretty pretty bag for pretty girl with pretty mum" and Indians trying to sell roses for 3euro each! go away will you!? it really ruined the atmosphere from the last time I was here and it upset me in a way because its now not about art, history or the beauty of the place, its about tourism and money, sad very sad but what can you do? even the guy who I bought my venetian mask off said the same, they usually have masquerade balls in january but now its just a tourist thing and not a tradition anymore,you can tell he doesnt like it, and i dont blame him really! (even thought I am one of those tourists! makes me happy to live in Sydney)

View of Santa Maria Church from the Bell Tower

Well, the first day there we went to St Marks Basillica, so full of history and the artwork is amazing, nobody could do such a thing nowadays, I always wonder how these people made such extravagant buildings and artworks, when we dont and cant do them these days! well, we can but they end up looking so 'manufactured'

One of the canals of Venice with their famous gondolas

Ok, time to skip a few sentences those who arent interested in history (geeks)
Initially, the Cathedral was built in 828 for housing the body of St Mark that was smuggled over from Egypt in a basket covered in pig bodies. The 'chapel' was built next to the Doges Palace. In the year 1027 it was changed to become the Cathedral of Venice. The construction of the present Cathedral was started around that time ad artworks from all over the world were brought over and lovingly placed in and on the Cathedral. Old bits of buildings from the mainland were also brought over and morphed artisically into the building. So muich history. We were amazed by the different artworks from different eras placed into one amazingly unified structure, works so well...

View of the northern part of Venice from the Bell Tower, its like a film set, you cant imagine that people actually live here

We saw the body of St Mark which is at the front under the altar

This time I went into the museum in the Basillica and it was so amazing and I spent over an hr looking through the exhibitions. The 4 horses above the Basillica is actually brought over by Armenians from Constantinople, my armenian/argentinian friend told me about this, he was in Venice studying Armenian in august this year and he had a great experience doing so! I would have loved to have done something like that

Visiting the Armenian Univesity in the centre of Venice, such history!

I bought a Venice guide book and had a read through it every now and again when walking through the amazing city and trying to dodge tourists. They were rennovating the ground underneath St Marks Square at the time. They were fixing the drainage pipes and then they would fill it in with cement and then create new drainage system that will keep St Marks Square unflooded. Apparently 3 days before we arrived it was all flooded! and because St Marks is the lowest point in Venice, it gets flooded first and the most.

Another amazing view from the Bell Tower

I went up to the top of the Bell Tower this time, it was closed the last time i was here so i was pretty excited. Waiting in the line for 30mins was annoying and paying €6 for the elevator up to the top was a bit frustraing but once you get there you forget about everything and your eyes dont know WHERE to look (and no, i dont mean the boys!) the view was TREMENDOUS! (i have to start using new words now) and I took a lot of photos (no..really?) but once you see some of them you will know why I took so many. I stayed up there for about 30mins and just stared at the view, very very charming, breeze flowing through your hair (and tourists cameras snapping in your face - but you get used to it after a while i guess) ahhh, yes, a sight not to forget...

A gondolier resting

Santa Maria Della Salute - a Church built by the Venetians to thank Mary for saving them from the Plague that hit Venice in 1631.
I took off by myself and went and had a look at this amazing Church then went walking around the area taking photos and enjoying the views.

The Inside of Santa Maria Della Salute - just beautiful

The boys and I went to the Rialto Bridge together, I really wanted them to have a look at this bridge. From there we walked to the Armenian University located in the Duodormo area (which I wasnt able to visit the last time I was in Venice) its a shame because they dont really teach Armenian as much as they used to, I think this is the school where Basterman went in August to learn armenian.

Oh! they were filming "Casanova" infront of the Doges Palace the time we were there...its an american film and actors all dressed in historical outfits were everywhere in St Marks Square, it was amazing!

The filming of Casanova in St Marks Square!

Hunting for my mask took me quite a while...I went to every area in the St Marks region and ducked into every shop I could see eerie looking masks (whos "eerie" mum? hehe) took me a couple of hours walking to finally find the mask of my "dreams" (id been dreaming about buying a Venetian mask, one of my 'things to do' in Europe) so I got one, a gorgeous mask with black/green feathers with a girls paper mache face and a pearl ont he forehead, charming! so, this was my little baby for the rest of the trip around europe, I didnt mind carrying it around because I loved it so much! (which is a good thing cos the box was pretty big!) ahhh, what we do for souveniers im telling you (well, the boys wouldnt, i think they would rather have a nice meal then to buy a souvenier which is fair enough, each to their own I say, I was happy with cheese and bread and an extra mask!)

Masks GALORE! these are all handmade by the Venetians and are individual works of art

Hah! Sam bought one of those boxers I got the last time for my bro ed with the chongol of David on the front and his vorig at the back! I couldnt stop laughing!!
Oh by the way, Sam can never and will never be in the army...he cant even do a commando roll!! hahahhahahaa, oh my gosh, TEARS streaming down my face! hahah! talk about kids...Daniel and Sam had bought BB guns (i forgot if i have written this or not) but they were trying to shoot pigeons and Jasmens vor the whole trip. Sams "athletic" commando roll (while trying to get Daniel) in our venice hotelroom corridor, did him absolutley no good but get my shoe stuck up his one nostril and a crick in his back! ohahhahahhahah!!! i can just remember it now!!

Puffed out after the Commando roll! oh my gosh, TEARS! i was crying so much, i wish i taped this...

Ahhhh, Venice, definatley happy I came here again, wouldnt mind going again (and probably will) its a definate must for the european traveller. The gondolas, the venetian masks, the beauty of the buildings, the old ugly monobrowed men, the young gorgeous ones that ignore you, the canals, no cars, its one of the best experiences of my life!

My favourite statue in Venice right next to the Doges Palace

Pffft, we were here fro 3 nights and we made sure we stayed pretty close to the main area (we "splurged" on accomodation here, we all agreed) and guess what we DIDNT have? no, nothing too important just HOT WATER! so for 3 nights we all had cold showers cos apparently the pipes werent working..yeah maybe cos the young italian plumbers were too busy grooming their monobrows to do a proper job, i dont know but we werent happy... they offered us a little discount the next time we came to Venice and stayed in their hotel..ohhhh, isnt that just so nice and dandy...ummm, how do you say "notin this lifetime" in italian?

On our way back to the train station for our next stop...

SOME HISTORY OF VENICE

St Marks Square

My most favourite place in Europe (minus the tourists and pigeons) St Marks Square

St Marks square is called the "drawing room of the world" by Musset.

There used to be a canal that divided the square in 2, the present shape of the square was established in the 7th Century for the meeting of Pope Alexander III Emperor Barbarossa by filling in the canal. A new square was built with the columns of St. Marco and S. Todaro, the city's patron Saints overlooking St. Marks basin. This was done all in 1 century adapting to the growing power and wealth of Venice.

Patron St of Venice

The first patron saint of Venice was St. Teodoro.

In 828 St. Mark the Evangelist substituted him when 2 merchants smuggled his mortal remains back from Alexandria (Egypt) St. Marks remains were initially buried in a chapel in the Doges Palace but later a church was built where his body was to be laid to rest. The church later was damaged by fire and was modified many times to adapt ot Venices evolution of power and wealth. This simple little church was transformed into St. Marks Basilica. The modifications to the Basilica continued for about a century and that is why there are so many different styles of art and decorations

St Marks Basilica houses one of the most richest altars in the world...it is covered with more than 3000 precious stones and enamel icons inlaid in gold

St Marcos Horses

The origin of the 4 horses is not well known, but its believed to have come from Constantinople (Turkey). Their heads were seperated from their bodies for easy transportation and then attached again with the addition of a collar to hide the cuts.

They were cast in almost pure copper, hard to melt but easy to hit into shape

In 1797 after Napolean Bonaparte declared the official end of the Venietian Republic he sold the venetian territories to Vienna, before leaving the city, the French invaded and took all that they could carry including the 4 horses, this was later returned by the French government only after 1815

The Bell Tower

"El paron de casa" (the lord of the house), what the Venetians call the bell tower. On July 14th 1902 it collapsed but luckily no one was hurt, not even a pigeon!!

Inside the tower there are 5 large cast iron bells. Each bell has a name and purpose; Marangona rang mornings and evenings at the beginning and end of the work day, Maleficio rang for capital executions, Nona rang at the 9th hour, Trottiera called magistrates to meetings in the Palazzo Ducale and the bell of Pregadi called senators to the palace

The Clock Tower

The clock shows the hours in Roman numerals, the phases of the moon and the zodiac. It also gives indications to sailors about the tides and which months are more favourable for sailing.

Bridge of Sighs

Where the prisoners looked out the windows to take their last glimpse of the outside world and let out a sigh

The Bridge of Sighs received its name in the 17th century, because the prisoners who passed through it on their way to the prison cells on the other side would most likely see the beautiful sight of the lagoon and the island of S.Giorgio and freedom for the last time.

Streets in Venice

The streets in Venice have interesting names which reflect the different types of work that was done in that area.

For e.g. Calle del pestrin means milkman