May 8 May 9 May 10 May 11 May 12 May 13 May 14 May 15 May 16 May 17 May 18 May 19 May 20 May 21 May 22 May 23 May 24 May 25 May 26 May 27 May 28 May 29 May 30	Monday 5/28/07 We got up about 7:30. There's a wonderful, large skylight in this room. We opened the blinds over it and it provided enough light for us. And this room has enough room for yoga! We each took our turn and felt much better as a result. We ate breakfast, then went back to the room to pack up again. The hotel personnel will move our bags to the next room while we're out for the day... Too bad we can't stay in this one. The trek down the stairs to the bathroom isn't bad. We walked to the Rialto Bridge and spent some time there, then continued on to the Rialto market. Since it was drizzling again (Carl even stopped to pick up a second umbrella), the market wasn't as lively as usual. And I had misremembered the schedule. The fish market, which is the most interesting part of the Rialto Market, isn't open on Mondays... The two photos on the left above are views of the Grand Canal from the center of the Rialto Bridge. I have no idea what the pink/purple alligator was for, but he was spotted crawling across the front of more than one hotel. The photo on the right above is the Rialto Bridge from the piazza near the Rialto Market. This piazza is frequently used by vendors to dock their barges for loading and unloading. We enjoyed browsing the other booths, anyway, and just ambled around for a while, vaguely following the signs for Piazzalli Roma, just to have a destination. Piazzalli Roma is the only point on the island which allows motor vehicles. It's holds the bus station and a large parking lot and is a major vaporetto stop. The photo on the left above shows some raspberries and blackberries available at the Rialto Market. The photo on the right above is a display of Murano glass hearts in a store window. We passed many mask shops in our wanderings today. The photos above show just some of the many masks available. And, yes, that is Harry Potter in the photo on the left... We bought a Harry Potter mask for our daughter for her birthday. The three photos above were taken during our wanderings today. The photo on the left shows the oriental influence prevalent in Venice. Interestingly, palm trees can grow here! The center photo shows one of the many small piazzas in Venice with an outdoor restaurant preparing for lunch. The photo on the right is one of the many bridges over a canal. The boatman seems to be deciding whether or not to duck... We had lunch at a restaurant near the Piazzalli Roma (Carl had vegetable soup and a beer - I had ravioli with 4 cheese sauce and a glass of wine). The sun was actually shining during our lunch and for a while before and after. In fact, I couldn't see any clouds at all for a while. That didn't last long... The photo on the left above shows a place where about four canals and five or six bridges all come together. The photo in the center above shows one of the vaporettos coming into the stop near the Piazzalli Roma. The photo on the right shows some gondola details. This particular gondola was parked right next to the restaurant we ate lunch at. I took this picture while waiting for lunch to be delivered. We walked back to Piazzalli Roma to get new vaporetto tickets - the previous ones expired last night - and boarded the #1 vaporetto (which chugs up and down the Grand Canal and over to Lido) for a mini-cruise. We managed to get seats in the back of the vaporetto, which is open air, and enjoyed the ride and the people. The three photos above were taken on our mini-cruise on the Grand Canal. The photo on the left shows a typical building on the Grand Canal. That's the flag of Venice flying. The center photo details a window and windowbox. The photo on the right shows two gondolas tied up in front of a building. The photos above are more mini-cruise photos. The photo on the left is the Rialto Bridge from the back of the vaporetto. The center photo shows a gondola getting out of the way of a vaporetto. The photo on the right has a row of parked gondolas in front of the Rialto Bridge. The photos above are more mini-cruise photos. The photo on the left shows some of the congestion on the Grand Canal. The center photo is of a metallic skull in front of one of the modern art museums. The photo on the right has a long line of parked gondolas in front of San Marco Square. However, the clouds increased and, by the time we started back from Lido, the rain had started up again. The two photos on the left above show Lido and the gathering storm. The photo on the right has gondolas tied up to ride out the storm. Notice the wind whipping the Venetian flags. We stayed in the back of the vaporetto for about half the length of the Grand Canal, until the rain got harder and colder and started pelting the open area in the back of the water bus. We moved inside where there were shoulder to shoulder people... I managed to push my way off at the stop closest to our hotel, but Carl got stuck and had to continue on for the next couple of stops. He got off near the train station, where he actually knew the way back to the hotel. We each made our way back to the hotel - thanks, Carl, for shoving one of the umbrellas into my hand before I left the vaporetto... We later referred to this as the day Carl got eaten by the velociraptor... And he thinks he taught some Italians some new colorful American expressions... I got to the hotel first and just asked which room we were in tonight (with a smile). The clerk grinned. He didn't even have to ask who I was - he remembers well.... The bellman took me to the new room to verify that the bags were there (he had both room keys, just in case). It turns out we're in the room just below where we were last night - same hall entry key, just on the main level. Smaller bedroom area than the original room, but a more spacious feeling bathroom. We'll do okay here for our last two nights. After dropping my wet stuff, I grabbed my book and the key and went back to the bar to wait for Carl and to have some tea to warm up!!! He arrived shortly thereafter, grabbed the key and went to the room to change into dry clothes. We had a couple of drinks, then went back to the room for hot showers and to download the day's photos. We left for dinner about 8, heading for one of the two nearby trattorias. It was still raining and much colder. Both of the nearest trattorias were closed for the night! So, we went back to the hotel to change clothes - a summer dress and sandals just didn't hack it... Back into the pants and boots and raincoats... We ambled down the main street looking for something interesting (and open). We found one restaurant that looked like it had been in the same location for decades - lots of atmosphere, but the service was very slow. Perhaps the party of 20-24 in the main room had something to do with it, but... The wine and bread sticks were very good, but the food was mediocre. We split a plate of ravioli and a plate of mixed grilled fish. Both were disappointing. We didn't stay for dessert... We walked back to the hotel in the drizzle, arriving about 10:25 and promptly crashed for the night. Next...