May 11 - Venice, Italy

Ponte di Rialto
This bridge kind of reminded me of a bridge in Florence because there are shops on it and lookout points in the center, albeit this bridge is much smaller than the one in Florence! Also, they are doing some restoration, so you can't fully enjoy the architecture.

Scala Contarini del Bovolo
While checking out this staircase on the back side of a building, a tourist group was entering the plaza to make a stop and adore the architecture. As a lady first saw it, she gasped in awe, so apparently it's pretty beautiful! The staircase is designed in the same style as the leaning tower of Pisa and was meant to be a servant's staircase. Who knew...

Basilica di San Marco
Saint Mark's Basilica is a beautiful basilica. At first sight, it kind of reminded me of the Taj Mahal, which I found precarious. The exterior is adorned with intricate and priceless mosaics. The inside also had mosaics and paintings on the ceilings. There is a great deal of gold paint in the design too. One thing I found interesting is it doesn't have pews, but removable instead chairs. Nevertheless, it's a unique church that's worth visiting!

Campanile di San Marco
This tower sends you almost 100 meters above the city and offers some pretty incredible views of the surrounding buildings, canals, and sea. The skyline of Venice is very picturesque. It's also a great place to go to cool down!

Piazza San Marco
Saint Mark's Plaza huge and is surrounded by a huge three story building with columns all around it. It's a nice hangout spot to enjoy the mosaics on the outside of the church and to people watch! If you're lucky, there may even be a college choir rehearsing in the plaza for their performance inside the basilica!

I've had several travelers tell me that one day is more than enough to spend in Venice and that I should be glad that's all I was there for. I actually found it quite relaxing though. The canals are gorgeous, and the sea is equally beautiful. If you're lucky, you'll even see a cruise ship bring taxied into the harbor! Granted is fairly touristy, but it's very clean and picturesque, which is more than I can say about some other cities I've visited! On top of that, it is beautiful in different ways at night versus during the day. I would definitely like to come back and spend more time here, though I think I'll wait until I have a special someone who I can take a gondola ride with!