The Doge Lived a Nice Life

The golden staircase glimmers at the palace.

As if the golden staircase leading up to the Doge's apartment didn't give it away, the elaborate rooms with extremely ornate and detailed ceiling frescos, carvings and paintings would have. The Doge of Venice lived a nice life. The Doge's palace is our version of the White House. Some of the rooms for the Doge's personal use featured huge marble fireplaces -- some that were made in the 1500s. The Palazzo Ducale AKA the Doge's Palace was my favorite tour. It has multiple rooms for the Doge's use and also court rooms for administering law and order. One of the rooms for the nobles to gather was the largest room in Europe at the time and features the longest canvas painting in the world.

Prisoners saw this on the way to a cell.

The Doge's Palace is also connected to the prison via the famous Bridge of Sighs. Back in those days they would be convicted in one of the court rooms, then whisked away to the prison without ever leaving the building. Prisoners would cross the bridge to be taken to prison. The bridge is fully enclosed, but has some cracks where you can see through to the beautiful canal and the Venetian skyline. They say it was the last view of Venice for those sentenced to prison. And although the prison was chilly and the cells were small, the long and shadowy corridors made for a neat tour.

Prison halls were narrow.

The Basilica di San Marco was also very impressive. Nearly every inch of the ceiling was covered with large mosaics made mostly from tiny gold tiles and other colored pieces. The church is literally covered in gold. The story is that Venetians decorated it with the riches they acquired from their many trade routes. It really reminds you of a treasure chest.

A scene in the Correr Museum.

We opted to buy our ticket for the Doge's Palace at the Correr Museum across the square since you can get into both tours and you can skip the line at the Palazzo Ducale. The Correr Museum was a collection of artifacts, coins, old maps, paintings and various other really old things. It even had marble sculptures and lanterns that were posted on ships. We wondered what one marble wall sculpture meant.

What do you think is going on in this picture?

While we did not take a gondola ride, we were frequently serenaded by singing gondoliers weaving through the many smaller canals. Gondoliers waiting for a tourist to come by relaxed in their boats. This probably qualifies as la dolce vita for these guys.

Comments

Tea & Politics

The afternoon tea spread. Taking afternoon tea at home may be a little frumpy, but in London it's timelessly cool. In South Kensington, we relaxed the British way with afternoon tea. As dozens of red, double-decker buses passed by the drawing room windows of The Ampersand Hotel , we sipped gourmet tea and snacked on platters of sweet & savory treats. There were macarons, amazing scones and salmon-stuffed croissants. There was some kind of delicious chocolate-berry cream to spread on our biscuits and pastries I've never seen before. Our "high tea" even came with bubbly. Cheers! What a great way to start our little London & Paris adventure. Funny how sipping tea in a beautifully decorated drawing room makes you feel so downright dainty. We almost felt like sticking our pinkies in the air as we sipped. My Dear Lords ... Big Ben looking majestic at night. The same type of feeling you get sipping afternoon tea is the same type of feeling you get ...

Those Gargoyles are Creepy

"This church is just creepy." That's what Kirk said as we walked up to Notre Dame in Paris. Its imposing stone structure is decorated with scary gargoyles staring down at you from every possible angle. Some are evil-looking dogs and birds. There's even a gragoyle eating what appears to be a lamb. Freaky. I can't imagine how creepy this church would be at night. You can get a great view of the most photographed gargoyle in Paris if you climb Notre Dame's tower. This gargoyle has his head in his hands as if he's bored from scaring away evil spirits for hundreds of years. The view from the Notre Dame tower is not as expansive as the view from the Eiffel Tower, but I think it's much more beautiful. Inside the church, it's gothic beautiful. Stained glass and high arches make it huge and impressive. It better be impressive, though. It took two centuries to build. Just down the street on the island in the middle of the Seine River known as...

Discovering the Real Italy

April and Stephanie hit the streets of Sacile with me for the colorful bounty of market day in the city center. This is the Italy I had been waiting for. We discovered a casual version of Italy where everyday life looks beautiful--full of color, sweet smells and personality. Market Day It was market day in Sacile and the town's streets and squares were full of fresh produce, specialty foods and an amazing selection of discount shoes, clothes, purses and home goods. To the locals, it's just the day of the week for the shopping done all on foot in the center of town. But for three American girls, it was an adventure for the senses with a discovery around every corner. The sweet smell of cheeses filled the air near one stall while the fresh smell of flowers filled the air near another. Hearty salami hung casually on display next to a colorful array of fresh fruits and vegetables. Senior-aged men grouped together in small huddles in the center of the cobblestone street...

The Travelin' Redhead

Search This Blog