Day 5
Sunday, December 10th, 2023
This morning was all about the island of Murano.
The light haze was supposed to last through the morning. But, no expected rain.
The easiest way out to Murano is via the water bus. I bought my round trip ticket from the kiosk and didn't have very long to wait. The water bus stations are simply boats tied to the dock. The buses tie up to those.
As the bus rounded the north-eastern part of the island, this sculpture was hard to miss...
The sculpture is the work of Lorenzo Quinn. The sculpture rises over the entrance to a harbor that one was the center of the Venice's shipbuilding industry. You can read more about it here: If I had one more day, I definitely would have come to check it out.
A few stops later and I was on Murano...
Venetian glass was considered some of the best in the world. Especially skilled craftsmen were highly respected. The problem was, their furnaces caused fires. Add in wood buildings and crowded conditions, and you've got a recipe for disaster. Thus, the glassmakers were moved to Murano. As you walk along the canal, one window after another show their wares.
There are also quite a few artists giving demonstrations of their technique. Sure, I've seen it before. But, it's still fascinating to see them take one glob of molten glass and create something out of it. This one took is from a place called The Glass Cathedral,
When the glassmakers were forced to move to Murano in 1291, Augustinian Monks were already living in the Church of Santa Chiara. During Napoleon's occupation of Venice, the church was repurposed for industrial usage. After Napoleon left, the building was bought by a glass manufacturer and turned into factory to make wine bottles and windows.
The Belluardo Family bought the long abandoned property in 2012 with the plan of refurbishing the building and once again turn it into a glassmaking facility. You can read all about the restoration project here:
With nowhere to be, I just took a leisurely stroll through town.
The walkway would eventually end in the courtyard for the Church of Santa Maria Degli Angeli. Originally a monastery, it was torn down and rebuilt into a church in 1529.
The next stop was the Church of Santa Marie e San Donato. It's the oldest church in Murano. Church buildings on the site go back as far as the seventh century, with numerous rebuilds along the way.
One last church to visit, Chiesa Arcipretale di San Pietro Martire. Originally build in 1348, it was rebuilt twice, lastly being in 1511.
Over the years, I've seen all kinds of street musicians. And you know I'm drawn to music. What I found was this guy, playing "Yesterday" on the rims of wine glasses. I've seen it done on TV, just never in person. Call me impressed.
There was one last stop to make on Murano, conveniently located alongside a bus stop. The Murano Light was built here in 1912 and is still in use.
I grabbed the next bus back. In between Murano and Venice, there's one stop, the San Michelle Cemetery. Venetians have very few positives of Napoleonic Occupation. This is one of them. Burials within Venice ended and were moved to the island. Sure it was a hassle, but the limited space within the city caused even more problems.
The boat could have taken me all the way back to the stop by the hotel. But, I was having far too much fun just walking around and exploring. Instead, I got off on the first stop.
Going by the old roadtrip rule, I did stop into a random restaurant for lunch. La Colonna is a pretty small place, well out of the tourist areas.
I ordered the lunch special. The first course was their lasagna and simply delicious. The second course was a flattened chicken breast covered in their home made sauce. Oh so good!
One more reason I really liked the hotel. Over the course of these three days, I saw numerous people dragging roller bags down busy streets and tight alleys while trying to find their rooms.
I made it back around 6P, still way too early to call it a day. So, after a brief stop at the room, I walked south-east along the canal, just like two nights ago. A fog was slowly rolling in, which made for some interesting photography.
This is the last bridge over the final canal. Everything beyond is fenced off.
My first thought when I saw this woman in the distance was that she's dancing. She was certainly moving like one.
But, if you zoom in, she's holding her phone.
Just for fun, I took a walk down the same side street as two nights ago. I swear, this tree wasn't here that night.
Day 6
Monday, December 10, 2023
Today was always going to be a travel day. My flight out was scheduled for 2:40P. The guy at the shuttle service said, "okay, well pick you up at 10:40 then." Fine by me. I'd rather get to the airport early anyway.
Leaving he hotel for the last time...
The shuttle driver picked me up here, followed by six more people, then off to the airport.
Once again, there was no Customs check and still no Italian stamp on my passport. Security was a breeze. My flight however, delayed. This time for three hours. The airport did however give each delayed passenger a voucher for food in the concourse. So, not too bad.
For some reason, my two choices for the day's flight were either Air France or Easyjet. Once you add the fees for checked baggage and getting to choose your seat, it wasn't such a great deal. I doubt I'll be choosing them in the future unless I had to.
The fog lifted as we were taking off, just in time for sunset through the windows across the aisle...
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