European Escapade Page 7 of 12

	Since we were in Vienna on a Sunday when most of the stores and shops were closed, we simply walked around the downtown area and enjoyed looking at the many classical and colorful buildings. This fountain was but one of many attractions we saw as we walked along the streets.		We met up with our other tour members at the MOZART Cafe...which was an easy name to remember!
	For dinner, we were taken on a scenic tour which offered spectacular views of the impressive private homes along the Danube River to this very nice restaurant outside Vienna.		While we were both impressed with the entire meal, Lena was also especially pleased with the live entertainment which featured Austrian music.
	Steve, on the other hand, was quite impressed with the interior decor of the restaurant...including this stuffed BOAR'S HEAD which had been fashioned into a hanging lamp!		We were also fortunate to be able to enjoy a live performance by local classical musicians...
	...and live opera singers.		From Vienna, we then traveled most of a day's journey across the Alps to VENICE [SEE MAP], France. Our first sight-seeing adventure was a ride in a gondola through the canals of Venice to St. Mark's Square.
	In this photo, John, our Trafalgar Tour Director, patiently awaits the arrival of our gondolas.		Our trip through the canals was really quite nice and tho only downside was it was late afternoon and the light for photography was rapidly deteriorating.
	In this scene we exit from the narrow side canal onto the much wider (and more impressive) Grand Canal.		The late-afternoon sun provided a pleasant, soft light for this scene as our gondolas approached another central gondola which had a man serenading our tour group.
	And, here, on the Grand Canal with all the beautiful buildings in the background, we were more or less "grouped" for our collective serenade!		This was a photographer's paradise as far as subject material; only the late-day setting sun handicapped the occasion.
	At the center of the photo is the famous RIALTO BRIDGE across the Grand Canal. The Rialto Bridge was originally the only permanent connection between the two banks of the Grand Canal. The final stone version of this bridge, as we know it today, was built in the late 1500's.		We disembarked from our gondola and shot this photo of the Grand Canal from the Rialto Bridge and then walked to...
	...ST. MARK'S SQUARE. Behind Lena is DOGES' PALACE which is the biggest civic building in Venice built between the fourteen and sixteen century. At the left, rear of the photo is ST. MARKS' BASILICA which was built around 1050 AD.		This is a photo of the area of St. Mark's Square which is directly opposite St. Mark's Basilica (and where the CLOCK TOWER is located).
	We visited St. Mark's Square twice: Once in the early evening after our tour of the Grand Canal and then again early the following morning to actually tour St. Mark's Basilica.		The diverse Gothic architectures were designed and constructed over a period of many years.
	This is a photo taken from the other end of St. Mark's Square showing St. Mark's Basilica in the background, the Clock Tower, and Lena watching people feed the pigeons in the open area.		And, these are the idiots who spend good money to buy pigeon food so as to have themselves surrounded by...and sometimes COVERED BY...PIGEONS!
	Venice is famous for its many various colored masks and Lena was immediately impressed with some of the artworks.		We watched a demonstration in glass blowing at one of the local factories near St. Mark's Square. This Venetian Glassware was incredibly beautiful (and also incredibly EXPENSIVE)!
	We did buy this souvenir TAPESTRY depicting the Rialto Bridge and the Grand Canal. While it was a real bargain (only about $15 US) in terms of European prices, it then cost us about $250 to get it FRAMED in San Diego! [See FRAMED TAPESTRY]		These costumed & masked people standing along the walkway near St. Mark's Square...for a significant sum of money...were willing to have their photo taken with passing tourists. For NO money, Steve elected to shoot this photo of them with OTHER tourists.
	Our BEST experience in Venice was an hour's boat ride to the neighboring island of BURANO (one of the small islands in the lagoon of Venice having only 7,000 inhabitants). It's colorful shops & homes are built along clean, well-maintained canals that are a photographer's dream come true.		While this was one of Steve's most impressive pictures of Lena in Burano...
	...it was almost possible to point the camera in ANY direction and still get a colorful and interesting scene.		A block-long section of the 'Main' street has the majority of souvenir shops and restaurants all conveniently located for easy access.