My plan was to get up early but I never expected to wake up at 4am to my bed shaking and the light fixture above my bed squeaking as it swayed back and forth. The shaking lasted for a minute and the aftershocks (& sheer worry) managed to keep me awake until 6. My "fight or flight" instincts kicked in and I wanted to pack up right then and make my way to Florence but the "fight" in me wasn't going to let an earthquake keep me from enjoying Venice.
After getting up around 6:30, I headed out for my usual croissant and cappuccino while looking over my map figuring out what I was going to do. My first order of business was to buy a transit pass and once I had that in hand, Venice was mine to explore - earthquake or not. I made my way to some museums including the Dali exhibit - which I wasn't too impressed with - and the Accademia Gallery - where the paintings were a little too biblical for my taste. Even still, I appreciated both for what they were.
As I'm realizing, no one does museums (or croissants) quite like the French. Having said that though, no one does pasta quite like the Italians!
After all the museum hopping was done, I decided Morano would be a nice place to spend the afternoon. While I was sitting near a gondola dock planning my route and figuring out which waterbus to take, the gondola operator chatted with me for a few minutes and gave me some directions to the nearest waterbus station. As I thanked him and walked away he said, "Ciao Butterfly". I gathered he saw my tattoo - hence the nickname - so I wasn't quite sure whether it was creepy (because he was looking at my chest) or sweet (because he called me by a nickname). Maybe a bit of both? Either way, I smiled and trekked on.
The vaporetto's are a great & fun way to get around the city. Once I was on the water, I had memories wash over me of days-gone-by when I spent time on my dad's boat. At that moment, I felt at home. I felt safe.
Murano was quiet and a nice getaway from the craziness of Venice. Lots of glass shops! Wow! I saw a demonstration at the factory and visited the glass museum. I have a new appreciation for glass which I didn't have before I got here.
It started raining so I came back to my room in Venice to grab an umbrella and a few minutes of downtime before I head back out again. A relaxing dinner and some people watching is in store for me tonight.
And hopefully, no more earthquakes. Let's hope that spin on the Turin bull will bring me some luck, in that aspect, for the rest of my journey.
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