Butler 4

First thing right off the bat... It's never been a strong desire of mine to visit Italy. It's always seemed to easy of a place to be amazed by. My train pulled into Venice literally as the sun was rising. It was astounding.

Below I've posted way too many photos. Here's the thing about Venice - You can't take a bad picture, but pictures don't do it justice.

The train pulls right into the city. Venice is located in the middle of a lagoon. I had only a few hours before I had to catch a train to Milan. My plan was to walk around. Since it was early morning all the shop keepers were opening their shops. All the school children were coming down from their apartments and heading off to class. The trash men were out collecting trash, and the FedEx deliverers were on their boats getting the packages to the right place. Seeing people living and working the city and not just the "Time Square" area made the city so much more. It also helped that it was January and early in the morning so there were few tourist. Venice must be packed during the summer with those yahoos.

Venice is ten times worse then a corn maze. I thought about turning back... but the city kept pulling me forward. Wondering where the next turn would take me I was soon lost. So I bought a map for 5 Euros. Got a croissant and continued on my way. I took pictures until my battery died. Then, even with the map, I barely made it back to the train station and got on board for Milan.
This picture is Venice to me. The door just slightly open, mystery pouring out from inside.I have one disappointing item to report. I could not find the church that Indiana Jones comes out of the sewer in front of. Had I, I would have been as giddy as a school boy. But the universe always balances itself out, above is the lagoon that James Bond ends up in his power boat at the end of From Russia With Love. Which is my favorite Bond movie. I came out even with movie sights

Okay I'm going to get out of the way and let you enjoy the pictures now.




































In Summary... Venice is an ancient city that people still live and work in. It's a must see.