More! More of Venice!

Lest you think you can escape her clutches even in a far-away, romantic vacation spot for grownups...

Waaah ahh-ahh-ahhhhh! (That's supposed to be an evil laugh.) Nice try. You are no match for her powers. Here are some more shots of us out and about in Venice. Charming streets, scenic canals... is it getting old? Too bad. Whole lot more coming this way.


Here are some shots of the famous Piazza San Marco. Named for St. Mark as they stole his body to make their city more religiously important. This is one of the most beautiful basilicas in Europe. It is covered in intricately detailed mosaics. Many of them are real gold tile. The inside looks gilded. You can't take pictures inside, but there are many places to see them on the web. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mark's_Basilica
or
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/venice-san-marco.htm


This is one of my favorite mosaics outside.
Here I am at one corner. In the mornings the high tides from the Adriatic swell the lagoon and "flood" the city. It only lasts for a few hours and only in the lowest spots. Piazza San Marco is one of them. The city puts up tables all along the square and along some of the high traffic foot paths in the city. The tables are 12 inches to a few feet tall and you walk along them to get about. You can see the tables behind me.

Here is handsome Clayton next to the Palazzo Ducale. The building is built adjacent to the basilica. It is kind of their Capitol building of sorts.
Next we see Clayton standing in between the two columns that represent Marco (St. Mark) and Todaro (St. Theodore). For a better view of the statues on top see:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mitko/2287513946/
These are kind of like the official "gateway" into Venice. However, you usually enter the city from everywhere but here. They also used to have the public executions in between the two posts. They were first put there in 1180 and you can see them in major paintings of the square from that time on.
For those of you that know me well, you might recall a weird obsession I have. It's the unusual urge to kick a pigeon. I don't want to hurt them, I just want to squeeze them or punt them into the air where they will flutter off and start flying. Don't worry animal lovers. I haven't done it yet. They are just so puffy and fluffy and fat. Does anyone else get this?
I didn't cause this, I promise.
The piazza opens up to the lagoon where you can glimpse other islands. Here is Clayton in front of some gondolas. No, we didn't take a ride. They are too expensive, and I think I would feel awkward if a gondolier started singing to us.

This is the bridge of sighs. This is Clayton sighing. I would've posted my shot but I just look like I am deranged. Criminals were marched across this bridge on their way to the jail that used to be in the Palazzo Ducale. They were said to sigh at their last view of the water.