The Birds of Venice

VENICE IS BEAUTIFUL! I can't stress that enough, hehe. Kristen and I got really lucky because despite freezing temperatures, the weather was quite nice. The highlight of the day certainly was feeding the pigeons in St. Mark's Square. It's THE most touristy thing to do in all of Italy (except maybe for the pictures trying to hold up the Leaning Tower) but we got over it and did it anyway. It's incredible the difference in Venice between summer and winter. There were so few people in the square, the bird feed cost only one Euro, and we were the only ones feeding the birds at that time. So...we had all the birds to ourselves! Ahhhhhh....I was screaming like a baby the whole time! One guy was walking by and said about Kristen, "That's by far the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life." Unless you've done it...you just can't understand. Here's an array of pictures to try to express the experience (believe me, this was being selective...you can click to see the fear in our faces in greater detail):

Kristen was not expecting to be quite so popular!

Me, freaking out.

Seeking refuge in Kristen's bosom!

It was a miracle we never got shat on.

This one was taken by the old weathered man selling birdseed who just laughed at us the whole time.

In my Rick Steves Italy book, there was a section that said if you go to this certain glass shop and present the book, they'll give you a free glass blowing demonstration and 20% off all purchases. Good deal, eh? So we got to go in the back of the shop and up this secret elevator and into their factory showroom to watch an old Italian man make a ball of redness into a beautiful blue cat. He did it in about 30 seconds! It was incredibly impressive.

Other than those two things, and visiting the Duomo, we spent the rest of our day getting lost. Don't worry, that was the goal! We wandered over bridges and through canals, popping in little glass shops and churches...not just for the sights, but for the warmth!

When we happened upon the Christmas market and were flooded with samples of olives, sausage, cheese, and wine!

Gondola Gridlock

The Canal, in all its Grandness.

It was an absolutely lovely day in Venice. I never tire of that city!
And lastly...a surprise...the video of me and the birds: