Italy 9-10: Uh, how fast is this place sinking?

Staying with Aunt Suzy in Pordenone was a nice break from hotels. We were able to do our laundry there and she showed us around her town. It's very cute. It was only an hour train ride from Venice. Venice was so wonderful. I've heard people complain about a smell, but we really didn't notice anything. You don't need a map because the major places are all marked with signs and it's easy to just wander around. Sooner or later you see a sign for Ponte Rialto or St Mark's Square. Here's a couple pictures from wandering around.

This is what greets you from the main bridge by the train station. That's the Grand Canal.


Wandering around


While we were there, high tide came in. Here's a picture of Annette standing on the sidewalk that had gone underwater. St. Mark's square had a few inches too, but they put up raised walkways so you didn't have to stand in the water. It receded pretty quickly.


This is St. Mark's Square. The Basilica is at the back right, Doge's Palace is near right, and the Camponile is on the left. We went up the Camponile (in a very handy elevator!) and got some cool pictures of the city. From high up, it looks like any other city. It's not till you're walking around that you realize there aren't any 'roads' - just waterways and sidewalks.