Well one more cram packed day in Venice and that was that. After an early breakfast I headed for the ferry and a trip to the North Lagoon. The North Lagoon comprises of lots of small islands that are a lot quieter than Venice itself.
I got a day pass, for the journey as I would be doing quite a bit of island hopping. The first island I went to was Murano. Murano was famous for its glassmaking, in fact Murano developed blowing and fusion techniques to extraordinary heights in the 1500s, and so closely guarded were the trade secrets that skilled craftsmen could migrate only under pain of death. The island itself was lovely and was like a miniature Venice with its own canals and alleyways. I visited the glass museum which contained an amazing glass chandelier from 1864, made from 356 handmade pieces. I then had a wonder around again and watched some glassmaking demonstrations, which were free. I also encountered a local who certainly knew a thing or two about colour coordination, he was wearing a red and white leather jacket and beige trousers, which was not too bad in itself if he had not been wearing bright blue slippers as he walked around!! I then walked to a second landing stage (Faro), which was situated next to an old lighthouse. I took a few pictures and then boarded the next ferry to Burano.
Once I arrived in Burano I had a lovely lunch in a little cafe and then just explored, the main attraction was a leaning bell tower. I then headed over to Torcello via another ferry. Torcello was the site of the original Venice settlement. On this lovely little island there is the amazing Basilica di Santa Maria dell'Assunta which contains some of the most breathtaking Byzantine mosaics in the world. There also a lovely little church called Santa Fosca.
After wandering around Torcello I island hopped back to Burano and then got the ferry back to Venice. It was a lovely day and fortunately I did not get bitten much by mosquitoes, as there are swarms of them all over the north lagoon islands.
Once back in Venice I got changed and went out for a light tea, as once again I had stuffed myself at lunch. Then later in the evening I returned to my favourite spot, the Piazza San Marco, for a glass of wine and one final look at the beauty of Venice in the evening. However, as is always the case with me, things are always interesting. No sooner had I got my half bottle of wine the heavens open and there was a torrential downpour of rain, I ran for cover, wine in hand and a snack in the other and parked myself on a marble bench under the arches of the Doge's Palace. I only had a t-shirt on and I had my baseball cap on my head. No sooner I had sat down, three local policemen came over and started grilling me. They wanted to see my passport and asked me were I was from. I guess with the cap on my head, and the bottle of wine in my hand, they must of thought I was a bit of riff raff!!!!
Anyway, I managed to convince them I was a tourist and I was as normal as they come, and they moved on and left me in peace. As the rain continued to fall I ate my snacks and sipped my red wine and listened to a bit of music on my i-phone. I sighed as I took in the scenery one last time, it was nearly hometime!!!!
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