Our last full day, but because we had to sail an extra 200 km/124 miles to Venice, we did not arrive until 13:00.
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| Tugboat, one of two that rotated the Viking Saturn 180 degrees to reposition at a different dock |
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| Fusina Hydro Power Station |
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| Our 16:30 included shore excursion was organized by TrumpyTours |
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| We took a 30-minute shuttle boat ride towards St Mark's Square; once on shore we abandoned our tour group |
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| The leaning campanile/belltower (1587-1603) of San Giorgio dei Greci/St George of the Greeks, which is a Greek Orthodox Church |
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| Monument to Victor Emmanuel II (1887, by Ettore Ferrari) |
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| Palazzo Ducale/Doge's Palace (10-15C) |
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| Lion of Venice Column (1172-1177); the lion is actually an altered chimera/ mythical creature statue from China |
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| St Theodore Column (1329) is actually a statue of St George and the Dragon dating to Roman Emperor Hadrian's time in 1C CE, but taken from the Greeks by the Venetians, who turned him into the patron saint of Venice (before they decided on St Mark as patron) |
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| Basilica San Marco/of St Mark (1063-1094, in Byzantine style) |
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| Caffè Florian (founded 1720) is considered to be the oldest coffee house in Venice and one of the oldest continually operated coffee houses in the world |
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| The interior was redecorated in 1858 by Lodovico Cadorin |
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| Caffè Florian room |
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| Caffè Florian room |
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| Another Caffè Florian room |
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| One more of the seven Caffè Florian rooms |
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| Then there are the al fresco/outdoor tables entertained by a quartet |
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| Piazza San Marco/St Mark's Square with campanile/bell tower (1912, after collapsing) was a watchtower and landmark to guide Venetian ships into harbor |
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| Basilica of St Mark with three flagpoles (c 1505, by Alessandro Leopardi) |
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| Basilica of St Mark main portal with a statue of St Mark the Evangelist at the top, the Quadriga/four chariot horses that were taken from the Hippodrome in Constantinople, and a mosaic of the Last Judgment |
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| Upper lunette mosaics of The Deposition from the Cross and The Harrowing of Hell |
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| Upper lunette mosaics of The Resurrection and The Ascension |
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| Torre dell'Orologio/Clock Tower (1486-1499, by Mauro Codussi in early Renaissance style) |
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| Large bee vase in a Murano glass shop |
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| Gondolas |
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| The gondolier must duck his head |
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| Puffo/Smurf ice cream |
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| A gull sits on the head of the statue (1883, by Antonio del Giotto) of Carlo Goldoni, a Venetian playwright |
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| A honey fountain pouring through gondolas and the Rialto Bridge |
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| Campo San Canzian |
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| Tamiko touching the "Hooks of Fortune" for good luck |
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| Kent tries his hand for good luck; (I wonder why these are not shiny - because they are not made of bronze) |
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| Dogs are allowed everywhere |
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| We went to this ice cream shop because it had a long line ... |
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| ...for a €3 scoop of ice cream |
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| Venice sold gondolier rubber ducks |
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| Some specialty rubber ducks |
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| More Murano glass |
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| The Bridge of Sighs (1600-1603) from the Doge's Palace to the prison |
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| A big change in the last 10 years: ramps for some of the many steps |
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| A shuttle boat brings us back to Viking Saturn |
Monday, May 5, 2025
Today we disembarked at 5:00 to head back to Philadelphia.
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| Pro golfer Justin Rose was on our flight from London |
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