Murano Adventures

We traveled to Murano by boat and enjoyed hearing more about the famous sights of Venice. One of our favorite stories was about the two columns that stand directly in front of Saint Mark’s Square. One is topped by a crocodile and one is topped with a winged lion. The interesting story is the one behind the lion. Venice decided that they no longer wanted Thaddeus to be their only patron saint. They set their sights high on Saint Mark, but needed his relics (bones) which lay in Alexandra, Egypt. They set off to bribe the guards and were successful. On their return trip, they covered the bones with pork as they went through customs. The Egyptian officers were Muslim, and therefore not permitted to handle pork, so the bones left the country undetected. They returned to Venice successfully, so Saint Mark became the second patron saint of Venice, and is symbolized by the winged lion atop one of the columns.

Once we arrived in Murano, we watched a glass-blowing demonstration, walked through the glass shops, and spent time exploring the island. Murano’s history is an interesting one. Many years ago, all of the master glass-blowers of Venice were moved to the island for “safety reasons.” We learned on our tour that the real reason was to keep the glass-blowing techniques a secret. While the master craftsmen were treated very well upon the island, they were threatened with death if they left. Fortunately, we were able to take some photographs during the glass-blowing demonstration, we hope you enjoy them. Below is a video of Murano, the glass-blowing, and our departure from Venice. We look forward to arriving in Greece tomorrow!
C:UserskgentryDesktopGarrett Grant TripMurano and at sea day 1Murano Video from Ms. Gentry on Vimeo.

Welcome to Venice!

We spent the first two days of our trip in Venice exploring the city and learning more about its history. First we traveled by foot (a theme of the day) to the "People Mover" (a monorail that costs 1 euro, and is very easy to navigate) to catch our water taxi called a vaporetto. This took us on a 45 minute tour of the Grand Canal, where we were able to listen to an audio tour that covered sights along the route.

 

It ended in St. Mark's Square, where we walked through the Basilica and Doge's Palace. Unfortunately, we were not permitted to photograph inside either of these venues, but click here for a video tour through Doge's Palace. In Doge's palace we enjoyed viewing the armory, which held rooms filled with older Italian weapons and crossing the Bridge of Sighs into the prison. 

 

We then spent time walking through the streets of Venice, admiring the sights and learning more about the city. We were fascinated to learn that the Square often floods, and when that happens, the tables outside of the cafes are lined up and used as bridges. Although it was crowded, traveling through the city was fairly easy as there are no cars or bicycles allowed. People travel by foot or boat to get to their locations. We look forward to sharing our adventures in Murano, an island known for its glass.

Venice

Today we arrived bright and early, checked into the boat, and headed out to tour Venice. We traveled to St. Mark's Square, toured the Basilica, and visited Doge's Palace (including the Bridge of Sighs and the prison). We are working through some Internet difficulties tonight, so we will post more pictures tomorrow after our tour!

Arrival in Venice!

Trip Adventures!

We are about to board the plane in Philadelphia. We arrived by taxi instead of by plane, as the weather caused flight complications. Luckily the ticket agents were able to arrange for ground transportation so we were not late! Our international flight will arrive at 9:00 am in Venice (3:00 am for you east coasters!), and we will head to the cruise terminal.

Packed and ready to go!

We leave tomorrow afternoon, and I could not be more excited! We will hop on a short flight to Philly, layover there for a few hours, and board our overnight flight to Venice. 

Trip Overview

Our trip will include stops in Venice, Athens, Olympia, Istanbul, Ephesus, Santorini, Argostoli, and Mitilini. We will continue to update you with pictures and information as we travel. Here is a map and a few quick notes of some of the sights we plan to see and share with you!

 In Athens we will visit the Acropolis, the Parthenon, the National Archeological Museum, and the Olympic Stadium. When we arrive in Istanbul, we will tour the spice market, visit St. Sophia Church, and the Rumeli Fortress.

Pre-Trip Update

Our first stop will be in Venice, Italy, on July 2nd. Stay tuned for updates as we travel!