giant malicious pigeons in the floating lands

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!


Venice was spectacular.

We left the train and headed straight onto a riverboat, going to the furthest point we would that day, the San Marco square. famed in many films and adverts based in venice, this massive square is flanked by beautiful arches on 3 sides, and another impressively decorated church on the fourth. after taking some "jumping up" photos (yes yes, i AM in the middle of the photo above. see me?) with the pigeons, one flew straight in front of me, clipping my eye with it's wing as it went. i think the pigeons in italy are out to get me, having made a comment about them while waiting outside the cathedral in florence only to have one immediately alight its resting point on the shelf-like wall and swoop worryingly low over my head.


We "light lunched" in a cosy restaurant in one of the many narrow, winding back-streets, only we forgot what we were doing (on the "light lunch" side of things) and ended up ordering a large pizza each. followed by a long walk through the winding back streets back to our starting point, enjoying many bridges, the pursuit of a dead end (finally found) and admiring some of the pretty glass jewelery and glass religious icon shops and stalls along the way. we enjoyed a final gelato by the canal, watching boats and lovers passing by, and a glass of latte back at our point of origin.


Venice was truly a beautiful place to visit and i was pleasantly surprised to have managed to get this into a 66 hour trip considering the distance, much thanks has to go to nicks family and especially brother for providing much of the organisation and inspiration to "go with the flow". and i cannot express how great it was to see old friends again :) especially ones that design new ways to sleep on trains without being bothered by ticket conductors: