Break on through to the other side!

After our first night of exploring Venice, that's exactly what we did. We kicked off the docks early in the next morning so that we could see the other islands on the lagoon that are much less travelled by tourists. Our first stop was in Murano, the center of the glassmaking industry in Italy, to see-- well, I think you can already guess.



We sat in and listened as our guide explained that the small glassmaker store we currently were in was pretty well known worldwide, exporting all over Europe, as well as Asia and the US when orders are placed. He showed us the live stove to hot grill cooling system, (behind him, right) and walked us through the process of molding the glass like the ones displayed as one of the blowers worked right beside the counter. It was really cool to see the process in action as it was explained, and provided us with another dimension to take in what we were hearing. Man-O-Man that guy was talented though! Here's a pic of him--mid mold--shaping what ended up being a standing horse scuplture.


He finished the entire thing in under 30 seconds and it literally blew my mind how detailed he had made it. I even got a video, but it's too big to post on here.

Shwing! (Wayne approves...party on!)

Anyway, after that we toured the glass "museum" stores. The things in the shops are so intricately crafted and detailed that you literally have to sit there for a minute and just marvel at the skill of the craftsmen. Plus, most of the things in there are so expensive that's all you really can do. Unfortunately, becoming as good as the sculptors at what they do only comes if you are born into it. They only keep business within the family in Murano, but they are doing very well as you can see. Here's my favorite. Its not the most detailed in all of the things I had seen, but its fun. For more views of the glass sculptures, check out the album.



After the Glassblowing exhibition and stores, we took another boatride to the next island, Burano. It's the most colorful of the islands we stopped at, and the prettiest too in my opinion. Here's a panorama of one of it's docks, as well as two pictures showing the town's bright, bright colors.








I remember being really scared for my camera when relying on my balance when I took that panorama. I climbed out over the docks and onto a wooden post jutting out by itself on the water. I'm glad I took the risk though, the picture turned out great!
It's a really beautiful, eccentric, and quiet island, save for the busy marketplace. I loved the short time we had spent there. It was a warm, comfortable day with a nice soft breeze and it seemed like everything in the world was right. The people were extremely friendly and welcoming, and there were very friendly dogs that just came up to you almost asking to be played with. If we had time to seek out a good bench and just sit, I would have. It was a lot to take in, and like no where else I've seen before, as I find myself reapeatedly saying on this trip. Burano is for sure among the favorites though.

After leaving, we headed to our third and final outlying island, Torcello, before the return to Venice. The highlight of this island, and the only thing we really explored, was the Byzantine cathedral, dating from 1008. However, artifacts within such as the marble pulpt comes from much earlier (7th century). I wasn't able to take pictures inside, as it wasn't allowed, but the Apse Mosaic in there was definitely a sight to see. The majority of the tiles surrounding biblical depictions were golden, and really accentuated the centerpieces well.



We then went back to Venice, and spent the rest of the night relaxing in St. Marc's Square listening to this band play classical music at an outdoor restaurant.


One of the tunes that sticks out in my head is the William Tell Overture. What made it entertaining beyond their sheer talent was their character though. The violinists up there were having so much fun playing that they really got the audience gripped into their show. They would twirl their instruments into position between songs; play each other's instruments at times; cue the audience in clapping with stamps of their feet; and even had their own riffs. The guy with the long hair in one of his breaks wiped off the sweat on the bald guy's forehead after a big solo as a funny gesture of praise, or they would high five mid song when it was appropriate. They really were having fun at their job. Something I hope to do someday when I break out into the real world.

The next day the students were pretty much free to explore, and I wandered off on my own again trying to get some more quality pics. The city is really enclosed, so getting good framing there was tough, but I liked how a few turned out. Heres a decent set of shots.






That afternoon we got back, relaxed some more, stayed the night, and departed for getting back to Riva the next morning.

As I had said before, Venice is not my favorite place, but its definitely worth seeing at least once. The outer islands are much more appealing in my opinion, and I strongly recommend visiting them too on your visit if possible.
That pretty much sums it up!

Till next time, P&L.

B Ezie