From the far side of the square, Jacqueline and I looked back and found ourselves staring at the standard poster perspective of St. Mark's Tower and Basilica. In the afternoon light, with the sun behind and shining brightly, and not a cloud in the sky, this was a perfect photo opportunity. I, for one, was definitely ecstatic that the blues skies and warm sun had returned. As nice as Tuscany was, I still wished we had gotten better weather. In Venice, it seemed, my wishes had been granted.

By now, it was 7:00 in the early evening. We decided to ascend the tower to see Venice from overhead, but contrary to what we expected, the bell tower was already closed! Apparently, rather than close at 9:00 PM, it closed at 19:00 hours. Oh well, I suppose we could return the next morning.

We spent the next hour wandering around the inner streets of Venice instead, browsing the multitude of stores and boutiques and even buying some books and other gifts for souvenirs. We maintained a general direction toward the Rialto Bridge but made frequent stops along the way to window shop, look at Venetian masks, admire candy confectionaries, drool at bakery displays, gawk at calligraphy sets, admire the Murano glassware, checking restaurant menus for potential dinner destinations, and generally feel very excited about Venice.

Eventually, we found ourselves at the Ponte Rialto, perhaps Venice's most famous bridge, and home to a variety of bridgeside vendors and stalls and stands that sold a variety of crafts, souvenirs, and even fruits and vegetables. By this time, however, most of the merchants were closing up. Despite the lightness of the day, it was nearly eight in the evening. Content to return tomorrow, we chose to gaze out over the Grand Canal in all its early evening splendor.

We browsed several restaurants as we walked along the bank of the canal, but there always seemed to be a problem with each. No pizza, which Jacqueline was craving. Mostly seafood, which was not so appealing to Jill. Waterfront seats were not available without reservation, which irked all of us. Too many dining and ordering rules, which irked our wallets (sure we wanted to splurge, but we weren't still that wealthy!). At last, on the other side of the canal, we found a nice eatery with a nice menu and a friendly waiter who immediately offered us an open waterfront table and seemed intent on making us feel like valued customers.

We spent a good two hours dining and lounging, enjoying the city as the sun slowly retreated behind the western horizon, turning the sky from a soft sky blue to a bright haze of white and orange to warmer canvas of red and violent to the late evening shade of dark crystal blue. Dinner was a fantastic value, and for me at least, very delicious. A spaghetti with meat sauce followed by a fried fisherman's platter followed by a delicious fruit cup for desert, with water included, was a great deal (by Venetian standards) for under twenty euro. And best of all, at the end of the night, they neglected to charge a table fee! Not that we complained.

Before we left, I took the opportunity to stroll around and snap up some night photos of the area. At this time of year, Venice didn't really become dark until well after 10:00 in the evening, and I had a feeling I wouldn't be staying so late tomorrow night. What follows are some more photos of Venice with the lights on. Beautiful? Undoubtedly. I kind of wish I could have spent more time wandering around the city at night, but that will be left to another day... another time.

The four of us walked the back alley streets on our return to Santa Lucia, where the girls would take the train back to their hostel and I would split off and take the bus back to my camp site. As we navigated the narrow corridors, we couldn't help but notice how tranquil everything was. And despite the deserted nature of some of the small squares and streets we encountered, we never felt in danger or threatened.  Somehow, even in the absence of other people, the city seemed inviting and splendid--something I could never say about Los Angeles. It was nice to have this relaxing change of pace. It wouldn't be too bad to get lost here...

We split off when we arrived at Ponte dei Scalzi. Tomorrow, we would meet again in the morning. With nothing else in particular to see or do (besides climb the bell tower), tomorrow would be a day of getting lost in Venice. In my opinion, that's one of the best ways to explore any classic European city.

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For more photos of Venice, check out my Facebook photo albums:
VENICE