Ted and Whitney: Venice Part I

This past weekend we visited Venice for the first of two weekends. Our friend Amanda is coming to visit us, so we decided to save the big things for when she is with us. We spent the weekend wondering the non-tourist areas, just exploring. We downloaded some audio tours from a company called PocketVox. Which I HIGHLY recommend to anyone traveling. They are awesome. You download them onto your iphone, ipod. They are walking tours, with great, interesting information. Start them when you want, pause them. I highly recommend them. They even have them for some of the big galleries. So instead of buying them at the gallery, and using, hard to hear devices, you use your iphone. And honestly I think the info from PocketVox is more interesting than what you hear on the other audio guides. We downloaded the ones for the Dorsoduro district. It’s the working mans Venice. There were virtually no tourists, it was quiet and there are some really awesome sights back there. The famous painter, Veronese, his home church, which is home to some of his masterpieces, is featured on the tour. It was incredible. Unfortunately, you can’t take pictures in most of the churches, so I have had to store these amazing displays of art and faith, and the masterful craftsman ship to memory. We did however get a picture of Santa Maria Miracoli which looks as though it is carved entirely out of a block of marble. Except for the ceiling, which is all wood, and painted. It was amazing. This was brought to out attention by our gondolier. I always thought, that taking a gondola in Venice was just one of the cheesy, romantic things that you do. And I was all for it, to make the most of my trip. But the gondola is not just a tourist trap. The gondolas have been around since at least the 14^th century. And have been the center of Venetian travel. The job of gondolier is a prestigious one. Up until five years ago the trade was past down from father to son. Only if you were from a gondolier family could you be one. The rates for taking a gondola ride are regulated by Venice, so no matter what gondolier you choose, they are the same. There is defiantly a sense pride, in the profession. All that being said, the gondola ride was wonderful. Our gondolier was so freaking nice! He had been a gondolier for over 30 years! We asked to go down the quiet back canals, and to stay away from the hustle and bustle of the Grand Canal. He did just that. Giving us informative little snippets along the way. It was a great way to see Venice! Next weekend we get to see even more!