D10 Murano, Burano

12/22 Havily raining all day
Venice, Murano, Burano

We went the 2 islands of Venice today, but it was always raining so that we had to carry umbrella whole day and watch out for the pool on the roads. It was humid and easily get wet. The islands were called Murano, the glass island and Burano, the lace and colorful island; both of them are the must seen spots if you were in Venice for the first time.

Murano, the island of glass was full of glass factories and galleries. It is said that the glass factories were in the main island of Venice and the government considered the hazzard to fire so that they forced the factories moved to the island. Furthermore, the craftmen were skillful so that the government forbid the craftmen immagrate to other places.

Open glass factory

Made glass vast

Glass gallery

Until today, Murano is famous for its craft of glasses. But since there were so many tourists every year, some of the street vendors import China-made glasses in-island and sell them to tourists. Ironically, almost all the Chinese crafts were labelled “Made in Italy” or “Murano Glass”, but the real ones don’t.

Christmas star, made of glasses

Of course we took the boats to the islands, and the fog, the chilly cold wind and the green-blue sea made the scene like an desert world.

Lonely sea

But the world is worthy to wait, after we arrive Burano, the lace island, the rain stopped and the world became brighter! Because of the color!

Colorful houses and the canal

In the past, the fishermen had to fish almost everyday to make a living, but the island was foggy so that the women painted their houses in different, distinguishable colors made it’s easier to recognize their houses.

Bright colors!

Adorable ;)

And the women of the fisermen mad laces to make a living, and that became a legacy of articrafts. We spent one or two hours walking on the colorful world, just try not to ruin the joyness of the day. But it started to rain after the went back to the main island of Venice.

Took a boat

It was 9pm that we left Venice, the adventurous world. It’s so sad that we spent so little time in Venice and wish to come back for sure. From now on, the my journey partner will be Pony only, and I bet we’ll have a great time since our personality is similiar to each other.

Sleep in the night train

Looking forward to Vienna and Christmas.

D9 Labyrinthine above the water

12/21 cloudy to heavily rain
Venice, Murano & Burano island

Everyone said that Venice is a place of getting lost, almost every tourist even local could lost in an anonymous street, canal or bridge. The address system made the situation even worse, they separate district with different number and divided classification system with a long number, so even if you got the right address, doesn’t means that you’ll find the right way. A street maybe called “calle”, “ruga” or “salizzada”.

Still, we arrived the city in the midnight. But thanks to Flora’s kindly help, we marched through enormous canals, bridges and paths between buildings, then found our hotel is located at the middle of a 1-meter-wide street. Although it’s like an elbow training to carry our lugguges up and down the roads, fled in the streets was fun.

Accademia bridge

There were many boatmen yelling “Gondola” to tourists, they dressed like sailors in black and white stiped shirts and big rounded hat. We would like to give it a try, taking gondola in Venice is just like riding a motorbike in Rome and bicycling in Amsterdam is a must do. The boatmen provide us a special discount price, 60E for half hour, which means 20E per person. That’s way too expensive.

A city with no cars

As a pedestrain, it is carefree to walk on the streets of Venice, there are no cars or traffics you should be worried, so that walk or taking boats become 2 major ways to visit any spots. There are only 3 bridge cross the major canal, so that sometimes you’ve seen your destination but gotta find a bridge to go across the canal, which may cost you a de-tour or maybe 40 minutes more, including getting lose.

Leaning campanile

On the first morning in Venice, we went to the Fisherman market for seafoods! Since Venice is next to the sea side, the quality of seafoods are guaranteed. We bought half kilo of big shrimps, a middle sized calamary, 4 scallops, half kilo shell fish and some pieces of fish meat for 30E.

Freshly fished!

In the afternoon, we tried not to do anything, not to set any destinations but walking in the small alleys. To be honest, get lost was our goal. Streets after streets, sometimes go through a small path and the other plaza comes to you. It’s wonderful to get lost in Venice.

Masks for the carnival

Monogram of Venice, lion with wings

Weird door knob

Ice cream <3

Chess, cats vs dogs

In the evening, we went back to Flora’s and cooked the seafoods together. That was the most amazing dinner we ever had during the tour, and one of the cheapest one. Flora made us her world class Tiramisu, taste like heaven. We chitchatted about everything on the diner table, and girls always like to discuss about their future :/

Full of seafoods

Wonderful Tiramisu

That night was wonderful, even if the weather was cold outside with rain.