City of canals and maze like streets

The joy of Venice is meandering through the maze like streets that no map reflects accurately, crossing the quaint arched bridges, seeing that the buildings are still being lived-in with linen draped from window lines and cats perched on window sills.  Amazing that this place emerged from reclaimed land, boggy marshes became the home to Italians protecting themselves from being repeatedly ransacked in the 5th to 8th C.  Venice flourished over a thousand year period with a number of elected Doge (Dukes) ruling the important sea trading port.   Venice also was famous for its dramatic religious art and 12,000 registered prostitutes in the 16th C. The masquerade balls during Venice Carnevale of the time were infamous,  now you can buy masks at the many tourist shops.  Venice is also home to glass makers, the kids collected glass trinkets of bon bons and animals made in small shops dotted through out Venice.  We also bought classic Venician melted bead jewellery and paper weights most of it very reasonable as reminders of our time in the city of canals.  

Love the detail in the buildings - look at the crowned chimneys 

One of the many maze like streets in Venice

Pastel colour and reflections

A pizza bar!

Yummy delicacies 

Linen out to dry