muggy Venice

Venice, where everything is even smaller than it was in Florence. There are no roads, just lots of water, and the tiniest little walkways walled by the surrounding buildings, making you feel as though you are in a maze, or a prison, and you can't get out! It was so hot and muggy, we were all very uncomfortable. As you can see from the picture of Darryl sitting on the toilet, the bathroom was excruciating small.

There are some cool shots here that will give you the impression that Venice is a romantic place to go. Don't be fooled by well taken pictures. haha... there is nothing romantic here. The canals aren't all that clean, and at times there are some unpleasant odors.  The gondola rides are too expensive. All the restaurants serve the same boring, carb-laden, tasteless food at tourist prices. We aren't quite sure why so many people want to experience these cities in Italy.

Weird facts about Italy: 
People smoke, and smoking is permitted anywhere.
Wine and pasta are consumed daily, if not at every meal.
There are no cows, and a scarcity of chickens.
There are no traffic laws.
There are no screens on windows.
Public restrooms are typically for both men and women.
Public restrooms often times don't have toilet seats.
Showers have no shower curtains.
There is no free water served at restaurants.
Bread served with meals is generally done so at a cost, even if you don't request it.

sweating through the maze

Gelato by the canal

Brush teeth at the same time?

water taxi

water taxi

lots of walking

picking petals to throw in the canal

laundry hangs everywhere

friendly local lady in the window

Ryan was able to speak a fair amount of Italian, and also get us around as a personal tour guide.

St. Mark's Square

Gondolas

where do we go now?

New friend from Melbourne, Paul

This is a cool view we had of the Swiss Alps on our flight to Zurich for a stop-over.  We enjoyed some swiss Chocolate while we were there.

Heading back to the U.S., and glad for it!

cooling our feet