First full day in Venice

Today was our first full day in Venice. We had a bit of a sleep in and breakfast at 8.30am. After breakfast we decided to take a walk to the main tourist attraction of Venice, St Marks square.

On our way to the Piazza San Marco we past the Ponte di Sospiri (the bridge of sighs). The name comes from the fact that prisoners used to breathe their last sigh after being imprisoned for life due to crimes. The bridge connects the law court with the prison and on the bridge used to be the prisoners last view of Venice through two small windows.

We then continued on to the Piazza di San Marco. The kids took lots of photos and had a chance to wander around for a half hour or so! The main attraction is St Mark's Basilica and the kids went in to have a good look. In the piazza there were thousands of tourists but also hundreds of pigeons which you can buy feed for if you wish! Our kids weren't too keen and were just happy taking photos.

After they did a tour of the basilica the kids were starving so we went to find the nearest restaurant! We stumbled upon a little trattoria with a 13€ deal. You could have a two course meal with a dessert or coffee! A couple of kids just had the one meal but most took advantage of the space in the bellies to fill them up. Some cousins of mine met up with us and we ate lunch together.

After lunch the kids went back to the hotel for a brief stop then they were off to see the Ponte di Rialto. The Ponte di Rialto is the oldest bridge in Venice and spans across the grand canal, the widest canal. They returned to the hotel to rest before dinner!

Tomorrow will be another sleep in as we begin to unwind our trip! In the afternoon we are going on a tour of the islands of Venice, Murano, Burano and Torcello. Murano is famous for its glass blowing, Burano for its lace and Torcello for its church. Friday will be our last day spent here. It will consist of gondola rides and last minute shopping.