Venice - Day 4 - Finding St. Mark's Square

On Day 4 we made plans to mark off the remainder of "Things we Must See" on my list.  But first, we explored our little village that morning of Campalto.  This is a very small town and we tried to find a little restaurant to have brunch at.  With our limited Italian language and a gluten allergy, we were not successful.  With knowing this, I still felt like we picked a good area to stay in.  It was local and not touristy at all.  We felt like we immersed ourselves in the area.  Some of the things we quickly learned were that when you go to the local produce market - that you don't pick up anything and take it to the counter.  The owners will bag everything for you and take it to the counter - don't touch the produce!  There is a local grocery store within a stone's throw from your apartment and you don't have to go the Lidl further down the road. Everyone is nice here and sometimes if you are lucky, you will find a random stranger that can speak English and wants to help you at the grocery store.  Although the streets paths could be confusing and it felt like you were walking in circles, it was a wonderful place to explore.  One of my all time favorite things about Europe is the smell all the trees and bushes that have fresh blossoms and the walks become an adventure of what is new around the corner.

After our morning adventures, we headed to the Venice on our bus and took the water bus to St. Mark's Cathedral area.   I need to give kudos to my husband here.  I sometimes joke that I think my husband could get lost in our own hometown.  However, when we are away he is the travel master.  He makes sure we purchasing the most economical travel, rather it be by bus, train, taxi, or tram.  He then gets us to point A to point B with maps.  I trust him fully on these types of trips and I don't know where I would be without him.

So with my handy husband leading the way - we set off to find the square.  We are easily distracted by cute boutiques everywhere and stop to shop, but did not purchase anything - we may have purchased Gelato.  In fact, I am almost certain we did.  



When we reached our destination it was breath taking.  The Piazza San Marco is surrounded by restaurants and at the end is the beautiful St. Mark's Basilica.  We decided to not go on a tour of this, as it was nearing closing time and it required a long line wait as well as checking your backpacks and purchasing a skirt to go around your shorts.   We admired it from outside and enjoyed the stroll around the Piazza to see Clock Tower of Torre dell'Orologio and Doge's Palace.  Just down the street a bit from these the Bridge of Sighs.  Take the time to wait here and snap a picture.. it is marvelous to view.  It is said that this enclosed bridge came by its' name as it is the bridge that led prisoners to their jail cells and because of the small windows in it, convicts could have one last glimpse of Venice before being incarcerated.

After all the walking and exploration we took the girls home and returned to Venice for Date Night. We enjoyed an evening violin performance and dinner at a restaurant where I had the most delectable spaghetti I have ever had in my life!!!  (Sorry mom).