June 26 - side trip to Venice Italy!!!!

Awoke to intense thunder, lightning and rain....lots of rain.....we had to be at the Rovinj ferry dock to check in by 6:45 for our ferry to Venice at 7:45! We had no coats with us....so luckily by the time we left for the 7 minute walk to the docks....it was no longer thunder and lightening...just regular rain....we walked carefully so as not to end up with soaked runners for a day of walking!

Checked in and luckily there was a nice hotel to grab a coffee while we waited.. they are always so nice and accommodating at the hotels.

And it was a big coffee....it took George time to get use to the small coffees.... and now he thinks we maybe need a nespresso machine.... that's what 3 weeks will do to ya!

So a three hour ferry from Rovinj to Venice! So glad it all worked out because it just seemed like the right thing to do seeing as we were only a short ferry ride away...7 minute walk on this end and essentially the same in Venice to land in the middle of it all!

VENICE BABY!!!! We made it!

Got our bearings on where our ferry was to the rest of Venice and headed out! George and his yachts!

The canals are so cool... there is no straight walkway anywhere...it's quite the maze to get around.

The boat traffic is crazy! Everything goes by boat...deliveries, garbage and even the ambulance!

And if you want to be a gondolier....we have a store for you!!

There were lots of stores and shops mingled throughout the restaurants, coffee shops, gellato and sweet shops!

Lots and lots of blown glass stores....hat stores galore, tacky souvenir shops and high end leather stores and jewellery stores...

And mask stores! Like lots and lots!

And specialty tie shops!

And for the person who has everything....how about "Eye Art"!!! Like when you get your eyes checked..but now you can hang a copy of that on your wall!

Time for lunch and one thing we did notice on the bill apart from the standard 12% tip, was a $2 euro per person seating fee...yup, some places were even more.....guess it pays for the bread...

Then some more walking and gawking!

First pay phone... and even takes a card!

It was starting to get really busy and we both came to the same conclusion of what we should do.....make our way back through the long maze of  cobblestone walkways and bridges..... to a less busy place...

Back on the boat for a 5:00 sailing time, home in Rovinj by 8:00...