Day 16: Saturday, July 25, 1998

This morning I woke up at 7:00 AM in order to see the church of San Marco and the Palazzo Ducale. No one else was interested in seeing either, which was surprising since both were such amazing buildings. Laziness must be the reason since the church was FREE (you didn't even have to wear long pants, though I chose to). I relished the morning vaporetto ride to San Marco. The weather was still bearable at this early point in the morning. I arrived to a tourist-free San Marco. After taking some pictures, I got in line (I was number 2). I was a little annoyed with the tourist groups that got to go in first, and which clogged the passageways inside.

The walls and ceilings were all gilded mosaic, with all the art in tile rather than paint. It was quite dark, yet the little light was reflected across the ceilings quite nicely. The floor was also made of mosaic patterns. I paid my 3,000 lire to see the primary work in the church, a golden, jewel-encrusted altar screen (originally brought from Constantinople, 1,000 years ago, during the Crusades). It was absolutely beautiful, rich, and ornate. It faced toward the back of the apse, so it couldn't be seen without paying. I was surprised more people weren't willing to pay the $1.50 to see such a priceless and ancient piece of art. Perhaps they just didn't know it was there. For the same price, I also went upstairs to the museum. Though the art shown up there was somewhat interesting, the chance to see and touch the gold mosaic tiles was fascinating. Plus, there was access to the loggia (balcony) which overlooked the lagoon and the square. I got a picture taken of myself up here, and hopefully it will come out nicely. It was great to walk along the loggia, especially since there were so few people up there. It is the kind of experience (like my entire stay in Venice) that makes our trip worthwhile. I can't even describe my awe at this city. It also makes me regret not trying to get into a study abroad group while in college. Spending a semester in Venice would have been amazing, especially since I don't think I'll ever have the chance to liver there.

The Palazzo Ducale was amazing. Though I didn't have enough time to enjoy it properly, I saw most of the rooms, and paintings, including: Tintoretto's "Paradiso" and a couple by Hieronymous Bosch (which I wasn't expecting). It was fun to see his paintings up close. I've always loved the way he depicts sin, temptation, heaven, and hell. It was also neat to pick out the little demons, and the way in which people are killed. The tapestries were pretty, such a smart way to decorate (though that wasn't their primary purpose), especially when they are made with gold thread. Actually, the amount of gilded paint used in the palace was crazy. The ceilings of major rooms were so ornate, with deeply projecting frames. What I mean is the ceilings were very sculptural. Some of the ceiling paintings were so well done, I couldn't tell if they were 2-D or 3-D. Part of the trick can probably be attributed to the sheer height of the grander rooms. I also got to see the jail cells which seemed to be what you would expect. There was even a section where prisoners carved into their cell walls.

I rushed back to the hotel, and we checked out around 12:15 PM. The people there screwed us, but I really didn't care about that. The fact was, everyone wanted to leave after three days and two nights, and I wasn't going to be able to prolong our stay. For this reason, I decided to take an optimistic view, and savor the time I had there, and of course vow to come back again. The reason people in our group started to get on my nerves was simple. We often found ourselves walking around for longs periods, due to indecisiveness. I don't know, I was madder the past two days than I am now. I guess being sick has made me that more on edge regarding certain things. But, hopefully we are getting into the travel groove. I'm going to miss Eric when he leaves in a week, due to a lack of money. I on the other hand, was $10 under budget per day by the end of Prague. However, I've spent a lot of money since I've been sick, and in Venice. Luckily, we're on our way to some Northern Italian lake retreat where expenses will be much cheaper. From there we'll probably go to Florence,Rome, and Greece. I'm really enjoying Italy, especially the architecture. I'm the only one so far who hasn't spoken to my parents. I tried in Prague, but realized they were on vacation in North Carolina. I also remembered that they are going to take a week in August to visit friends and family in New York. We reached Como after a mad dash at the train station in Milan. As it turns out, we didn't even have to leave the train we were on originally. Since we didn't know this, we got off the train at Milan, went to the Information/ticket booth, waited in line, and then found out. This resulted in us running around the train station with our packs bouncing back and forth. When we got to Como, it was a twenty minute walk to our hostel. Once there, I found out that I was the only one with a Hostel Card, thereby getting the cheaper rate (15,000 lire instead of 21,000 lire). This hostel was my first experience with the "hole" style of toilet. My aim was true, and I managed not to make a mess. I took a photograph to document the insanity of these toilets. The savings was a $2. The place was really nice. After walking around the town, and not finding much, we went back to the hostel. Actually, we walked around the lake (seeing no place to swim), and I admired the palazzos (palaces) that lined its shore. I think one of them even belonged to the late designer, Versace. Somehow, I managed to get really drunk that night. All I had was a small bottle of white wine I had bought in Venice, and two pints of Devil's Kiss beer. The beer tasted great and it was 7% alcohol. Also, this hostel had a nice backyard with grass, trees, tables, and benches. Most of our fellow travelers were European.

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