Venice: Day 3

We started out our third day with a Secret Itinerary Tour of Doge's Palace. We were on the English tour, so we met some fellow Americans. We always pause when asked, "Where are you from?" while we debate whether we should start with Zurich or San Francisco. One person asked us if the kids went to a DOD school. We explained that we were pretty sure there wasn't a U.S. Military presence in Switzerland.

The Secret Itinerary Tour showed us the back rooms of the palace, including secret passages and torture chambers. We saw where Casanova was held as a prisoner and his escape route. We walked over the Bridge of Sighs. When our tour guide pointed it out the previous day, C.J. thought she said the "Bridge of Size" so he didn't quite understand how it got its name from condemned men taking their last look at Venice before being moved to the prison. Once he got that they sighed while admiring the view, he realized his mistake and it all became clear.

We could only take pictures of the Golden Stairway, which really is made out of 24K gold:


When our tour completed, we still had access to the public rooms. I had carried the Rick Steves' Venice tour guide with me, so it became Mom's tour of the Doge's Palace. It was actually very helpful to get some background of the rooms and the paintings. C.J. particularly enjoyed all the references to Greek mythology. We were all impressed with being in a building so old. The palace was originally built in the 800s but most of what we saw came after 1300. Even then, all the new rulers liked to remodel and add their touch!

We then headed out for some ham and cheese paninis and pizza for lunch.


Then it was time for another trip to the Rialto market. We made it without using the map and only had a couple of run-ins with dead ends. We picked up lunch meat and cheeses for Sunday's lunch as well as some artichokes. They are the kids' favorite vegetable, and I haven't been able to stomach paying $6-$8 each for sad little artichokes in Zurich. One positive to living in Zurich: Venice is supposedly a very expensive city, but we haven't felt any sticker shock at all! On the contrary, the restaurants all seem reasonable.



After a break for the kids at the apartment, we headed out to explore the city and get dinner. I've tasked the kids with photographing the alphabet in buildings, etc. around the city, so we took the time to find some more letters. Q seems to be the biggest challenge. We ate at a small restaurant recommended by our guide, Karen, and it lived up to her review. C.J. had prawns, which were served complete with their claws. They were delicious; it's nice to see him continuing to try and enjoy new foods. Of course, Brendan's and Abbie's spaghetti was just a bit less expensive!


This picture on the left of Abbie at the the door to our building shows the average width of a Venice street. And, the picture on the right shows a (not uncommon) narrower passageway.