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In order to get to Venice, we had to be transported over by taxi boats. Here is a picture as we ride through the Grand Canal.

Here is a picture of the Rialto Bridge over The Grand Canal.

Here is picture of the canal with a water taxi coming at us from the other direction.

This was the view outside of our hotel room.

Here we are at the largest and most famous square in Venice, Piazza San Marco.

The piazza is very busy, and is visited by more than 12 million people a year.

Here is a picture of the clock tower that is under restoration. The funny thing is, when I took this picture I thought that I was looking at the actual clock tower through a transparent screen. It wasn't until later that I realized I took a picture of a picture of the clock tower. The restoration was supposed to be completed for the new millennium celebration... as you can see, they are running a little behind schedule. Sounds like they hired the same people Boston used for the Big Dig.

Here is another view of the piazza near the waterfront.

St. Mark's Square is famous for the pigeons. I've never seen so many in my life.

Here are some gondolas tied up on the waterfront near the square.

Here is Saint Mark's Basilica. It differs from other churches in Italy as it borrows from the Byzantine style of the mid-east.

Each arch contains amazing stone mosaics set on gold backgrounds.

This is the Bell Tower of St. Mark's Basilica. We were able to ride an elevator up to the top to check out the view.

From the bell tower, you can see the man made island that is home to the famous Venetian glass factories. The factories were moved here after an earlier accident destroyed a large part of the city.

Here is another view from the top of the tower.

This is Doge's Palace. The palace housed the Venetian government, courts and prisons.

Around the palace you can find these "Truth Boxes" where citizens would leave anonymous letters accusing their neighbors of anything from tax evasion to adultery.

Entering the palace, we found this statue of Atlas who, according to greek mythology, was supposed to hold the heavens on his shoulders.

This was the last point that we were allowed to take pictures in the palace. Note how the ceiling is guilded in gold leaf.

Here we are on the outskirts of Venius, taking a boat trip out to the glass factories.

These are the old city gates. Access to the city was restricted through this entrance.

Here we approach the glass factories.

Here we are as the boat docks in the harbor.

At the factory, they give us a demonstration. This artisan is making a vase.

He uses calipers to form the neck of the vase.

The base and neck are almost finished.

Flipping the vase around, he now works to form the opening.

Once finished, he will put the vase in a kiln to fire temper the glass.

Here is the blast furnace they use to melt the glass. Imagine working in front of this sucker on a hot day?

After the tour of the glass factory, my brother and I decide to walk around and take some scenic pictures of the canals.

I was very impressed with Venice. Walking around the city, each view you come across is more impressive than the one before. It was also nice to see a city in Italy that wasn't covered in grafitti.

After a short time of taking in the sites, Brett and I realize that we are pretty much lost.

Despite having a map, we had a hell of a time finding our way back. With all the twists and turns, the narrow canals and tight alley ways, it was very hard to find our bearings. The city is basically laid out like a giant maze.

The more we try to use the map, the more lost we seem to get.

Finally we come across the water front where we see the cemetery island. We saw the cemetery on the boat ride to the glass factory. Trouble is, it is on the opposite side of the city from where we started.

Finally, after an hour of roaming, we come across a sign for St. Mark's Square, and run into our parents on the way back to the hotel. They say the best way to see Venice is to get lost, and they weren't kidding.

After dinner, a group of us decide to take a stroll and check out some of the sites at night.

Venice takes on a different atmosphere after dark. St. Mark's Square really comes alive with live music and artists. Best of all, no pigeons.

This is the "Bridge of Sighs". Prisoners would be tried and sentenced in the Doge Palace to the left, and taken to the prison on the right. Once on the bridge, they would get their last look at freedom and were said to "sigh" as they were escorted to their cell.

Here we are back outside our hotel.