Katys Post - Goodbye Venice, Hello Florence

Colorful Houses in Burano

Buena Sera!

 It was a great last morning in Venice. I woke up early and made my way to the vapretto (water bus) station. I took the water bus out to the islands of Burano and Torcello. Burano is known for the colorful houses the fisherman live in, and for making beautiful lace.  You all know I love colorful things, so these houses I had to see! The colors certainly did not disappoint!  There were pink house, yellow houses, green houses, blue houses, orange houses...so many colors! Also, in Venice and on this island, a lot of people hang their clothes out to dry on a clothesline instead of having dryer or using a dryer which uses a lot of electricity.  I loved seeing all the clothes lines hanging around the town. 

When I went to the island of Torcello, there are not many people living on the island any more.  I saw lots of stone ruins and a lovely anicent church with stone statues.  Also, there were cats all over this island!  Well...maybe not all over, but I saw about 10 of them during my walk from the vapretto to the church. I think they must be wild cats, so I didnt pet them because I wasnt sure if they were friendly. But...they were cute and they made me miss Stella!! : )

Pegasus Statue

This afternoon, I left Venice and took the train to Florence!  I arrived and found my hotel quite easily (compared to the maze that is Venice). Then, I look off for some exploring.  I walked to the downtown area and went over the Ponte Vecchio which is the oldest bridge in Florence!  The sun was just starting to go down, so it was very beautiful! Then, I walked over to the Duomo. WoW!! This was an amazing site. It is a huge church, made entirely out of green, pink and white marble.  It is georgeous and so much prettier in person that I have seen in pictures.  Loved it!

 I also went to an outdoor museum, that houses many marble and bronze statues.  Many of the statues are from the 1500s or earlier.  The artistic abilities of the men (and maybe women) who carved these are truly amazing. Tomorrow, I will be seeing a lot more artwork as I am visiting two museums in Florence, the Accademia and the Uffizi.

Ponte Vechio Oldest Bridge in Florence

Part of the Duomo

 I am more than half way through my trip. I cant believe it!! Looking forward to all I have left!