Venice, day 2

The next  day, we catch the (incredibly crowded) bus back to Venice proper, and the first thing Neil and I do is head for the Gallerie Accademia to see lots of illuminated Medieval art, as well as Renaissance pieces, including a lot of Bellini and Giorgione's "The Tempest." The interior of the building of the Gallerie itself is beautiful, and a proper environment for the art.
  While we did this, we sent Kyle to get something to eat, as the museums don't really interest him. When we emerged, he was sitting on the steps, claiming that he couldn't find anything. "We passed a sandwich shop on our way here, " said Neil. We go down the street and Neil and I split a salami sandwich while Kyle gets some kind of wrap.
   Afterwards, we finally find the real Ca Rizzonico (apparently the building we found yesterday is the ticket office, located blocks away from the castle, as per the Italian way), which is right along the canal, and the "staircase" castle, Scala Contarini del Bovolo, located in a small courtyard.
   We proceed to perhaps the biggest tourist draw in Venice, the beautiful San Marco with the bell tower, clock tower, and Museo Correr lining the square filled with pigeons. People stand with their arms outstretched and pigeons land on them. Many children run screaming. Neil tried to lure the birds, but apparently they find him suspicious.
   Right by San Marco's is Doge's Palace, as well as the Bridge of Sighs, so named because it was the bridge across which prisoners would be transported, perhaps seeing their last glimpse of the outside.
    We cross the Rialto Bridge, packed with tourists and stalls trying to hock their wares. Venice's 2 biggest products seem to be Murano glass and Venetian masks, a reminder of their annual carnival masquerades that started in 1162. There are little shops selling both all over the city, and many of the masks are very beautiful and/or interesting (we pass the shop that provided Stanley Kubrick with masks).
   For lunch, we stop at a very small hole in the wall called Cantina du Mori. Neil and I have a glass of wine and an assortment of bites, including bruchetta, anchovies on little toasts, shrimp, and melon with prosciutto, which we eat standing at a wooden bar to the side.
   After eating, we visit the Ca d'oro, a lovely palace on the Grand Canal, and San Giacomo dell'Orio, a church founded in the 9th century.

   All day, we had been debating whether or not to do the ultimate touristy thing in Venice, a gondola ride. Already toying with the idea, when we saw one dock near a bridge and inquired about the price. Feeling like the opportunity to do this might be once in a lifetime, I agreed. The gondelier asked us how we were related. After finding out, he sat Neil and I on the heart-shaped seat in the back and Kyle to the side of his shiny black gondola decorated with golden dragons. As he poled us along the Grand Canal, and eventually the lesser canals, he pointed out the churches of Mary the Nazarene (Chiesa di Santa Maria di Nazareth) and Santa Lucia, as well as the residences of Wagner, Casanova, and Napolean ("You know Casanova? I feel like he is the greatest of all lovers. And not just because he is Venetian"). Every once in a while, he would softly sing, and, as we turned corners, he would shout, "Oooo...eee!" "I am not crazy," he said, "It is how we warn motorboats since we have the right of way."
   Our ride lasted about 1/2 an hour, and then we got gelato, and caught the bus back to Venice Mestre. Tired, we defaulted to the restaurant next to the hotel, which turned out to be run by a Chinese family. Neil and I got mushroom pasta, which had a watery "sauce" obviously made with condensed cream of mushroom soup. It wasn't exactly a great meal. But we did get to see the Chinese family sit down and consume mountains of delicious-looking Chinese food. Oh well. At least we got ice in our drinks, the only time we got any in Europe. I took a picture of it.