Monday January 30, 2006

Some views taken from our hotel room. The first is the Campanile and the others are just roof tops.

Randy and I having breakfast in the dining room looking out to the gondolas. YUM !!! YUM !!! The breakfasts were good. Finally had a good cup of coffee in the morning.

A view from the other side of the canal looking back on our hotel.

A view walking down the Grand Canal.

The Rialto Bridge.

The is the Venice form of the UPS delivery service.

Another pic take from the top of the Rialto Bridge. It has small shops on both sides of the bridge.

A couple of views from the Rialto Bridge looking down both sides of the Grand Canal.

This picture was taken on the other side of the Grand Canal from our hotel. The shop lined streets are very narrow. The shops are very small. Didn’t see too many people in any of the shops. I wonder how anyone makes any money owning these shops.

This was a really nice gondola we happened to see parked off the Grand Canal.

Buildings along the Grand Canal.

Somewhere on the other side of the Grand Canal.

This was some type of government building we found on the Grand Canal. It was very beautiful and looked like it was freshly restored and painted. It also had trees and shrubs all around which is rather rare in Venice.

This home on the Grand Canal actually had a yard with several trees and shrubs as well as grass. I assumed this must belong to a very wealthy person.

More pictures take from various spots along the Grand Canal.

Another home along the Grand Canal with trees and shrubs.

Construction along the walkway of one of the canals.

This is a real rarity. I found these cacti growing outdoors in one of the window sills. Are we in the middle of the desert? WOW!!!

I found my good friend’s name on this door. Thought I would take a picture just for kicks to show her where her Italian residence was located on the Grand Canal. HA!! HA!!

Here you can see reconstruction of a canal that runs off of the Grand Canal. It looks like a lot of work is being done on this canal to bring it up to date.

A cathedral somewhere in Venice. No telling how old this building was.

A small yard that looks like it had just been planted.

A couple more shots taken along the Grand Canal. These were taken from the Guggenheim Museum. Peggy Guggenhiem collected the art of many abstract and surealist artists including works of Picasso and Jackson Pollack. Some of it looked more like an old drop clothe used to paint your house. Oh well !! As they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. SURE IT IS !!!

A minstrel somewhere on the way back to the hotel. Sing along with Mitch!!!!! OH YEA!!! Sign this guy up to a record contract!!!

We just happened to be walking along not nowing where we were when we ran smack dab into our hotel. We couldn’t have found that if we tried. Will miracles never cease !!!!!

To view pics in full screen click on slideshow after clicking here