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We slept in again... We finally got up about 8:30 and had breakfast. We went back to room for a while, then set off for the vaporetto.
We boarded # 41, which headed for Fundamenta Nova, then Murano, which wasn't our destination. It seems the vaporetto switched from #41 to #42 when it arrived at the Fundamenta Nova. Oh, well, we had a nice ride.
The two photos above were taken on the ride to Murano. The one on the left is of San Michele in Insola, the church on the cemetery island of San Michele. The one on the right has a fisherman fishing off of the dock in front of San Michele in Insola.
We sat outside Murano (on the vaporetto) for a while and watched a parade of rowed boats go by. I needed a longer lens to really do it justice... It was nice to watch, however. The three photos above were taken from the Murano harbor. The one on the left shows the parade of boats as they arrive in Murano after crossing the Lagune from Burano. The center photo shows some of the boats in Murano's harbor and the one at the right has a spectator motorboat in the foreground. The rowed boats were making a circle around the entire Venetian Lagune, including Burano, Murano, around the main island of Venice, and finishing by parading up and down the Grand Canal.
Then we headed back to the island of Venice, getting off at San Zaccharia. The photo on the left above was taken off the back of the vaporetto, showing the spray it was kicking up with the Arsenale in the background. The center photo shows some of the large ships tied to the docks in Venice. The photo on the right shows the big and the small that ply the waters of the Lagune. In the background is a large cruise ship being tugged through the Lagune. In the middle ground are some rowers, part of the parade of rowed boats we watched off and on all day.
We wandered around that area for a while and I showed Carl where I had stayed on my last trip to Venice. We had a short lunch (sandwiches and wine).
Then we caught sight of more rowers in the Grand Canal, so we went looking for a viewpoint. We finally found a vaporetto stop that wasn't in use for the day and sat and watched the rowers go up and down the Grand Canal. There were all kinds of rowed boats, everything from one person kayaks to four person crews and 15 person boats. Lots of fun and congestion. It was some sort of annual affair. We never did find out the name of it.
The three photos above were taken during the parade of rowed boats on the Grand Canal. The photo on the left shows a gondolier attempting to navigate across the Grand Canal. The center shows the sheer congestion that day (with a gondola stern in the foreground). The photo on the right is looking down the Grand Canal with the rowed boats, gondolas in the foreground, and a cruise ship in the background.
The three photos above show more activity from the parade of boats on the Grand Canal. The left photo shows that the event appeals to young and old. The center photo has a kayaker savoring her lunch while watching the other boats. The photo on the right shows how one boat was decorated.
The three photos above show some of the different ways some of the boats were decorated. In addition, the photo on the right shows just one of the many collisions that occurred. Most, like this one, just involved oars getting tangled.
Three more photos of details of the parade of rowed boats. The photo on the right above shows a kayak with a couple of rubber duckies along for a ride. The center photo features a young woman with a wreath of flowers on her head. The paddler on the right is wearing a rubber duckie flotation device!
The kayakers in the photo above looked like they had had enough paddling. The one in front is taking a rest in the shade of her umbrella while her copaddler eats lunch.
The parade finally wound down and we moved on. First, back to San Marco square. We wanted to see if the Regatta scheduled for that day had started yet. No. In fact, it started to sprinkle. So we took shelter in the Florian for coffee, tea, and ice cream. Delicious, but very pricy.
Once the shower let up, we went back to the Lagune to see that the VIP stands set up for the Regatta were starting to fill up. We found a prime spot to watch the festivities, until the police moved everyone out of that spot. We went across the bridge and found another possible vantage point. None of us knew what was going to happen, so most of the crowd was lined up on the edge of the Lagune, on the assumption that it was a water parade. Soon we could hear drums coming and realized that the parade was coming by land.
People wearing medieval costumes from Pisa, Verona, Amalfi, and Venice were marching down the way. There were some wonderful costumes, including cross bows, swords, bows, maidens in velvet dresses, chain mail, etc. Unfortunately, it was sprinkling, so I'm sure the costumes got pretty heavy by the end of the parade... I kept my camera under cover, keeping it dry and enjoyed being a spectator. We were so far back, however, that all we saw were the top part of the parade participants until they crossed an arched bridge. And we could only see their backs then. A feast for the eyes, but not photographable from our vantage point.
After the end of the parade, we found our way back to the hotel. Our map got soaked.... However, we went the last several yards unaided. It must be time to leave...
At the hotel, we found that the skylight had been left open whle it rained and leaked all over the bedside table and onto the floor... Then we couldn't get it to shut. So, we called the front desk. The bellman couldn't get it to shut either, so they moved us to another room - half of a suite, from the looks of it. The bathroom is down stairs from the bedroom... The hotel is completely full, and that's all they could provide. This bedroom is larger than what we had, so is the bathroom. Positively plush for a European hotel.
We showered, then went to the bar for a bite of dinner. Carl had taglitelli and I had tortellini. And Corona and Rossini and red wine... Then back to room for bed.