Venice, Italy: Dec 13-16

13-16 Dec

These photos are way overdue, but I have been lazy/ busy/ etc./ take your pick. BUT here they are! Enjoy, enjoy...pictures from my dream destination.

A nearly deserted campo...Just me, 3 pigeons, and an ever-running fountain...There are so many side roads to get lost in!

A church against the beautiful blue sky...There are so many beautiful churches here, each one full of history.


A look into the grey-green waters of a canal reveals soft, feathery seaweed fronds, while the sun reflects off the stark white stone.


Now...is the orange on the wall, or on the floor? Perspective, perspective...


I love shadows, and I think the lighting here is really nice. It looks like a compass point, telling me where to go.


A laughing fool...and several other masks on display from the myriads of mask shops in Venice.



Another pale church I came across on the 14th...you can see many of these with beautiful sculptures and stonework.


The sun peeking through a narrow waterway, illuminating the simple transport used by Venetians.

A little old lady out running her errands.

Rainbow flag of celebration against a cerulean sky, with a plane cloud trail high above.


Gondolas, gondolas, gondolas!

My hotel at night. This hotel, by the way, is great. Considering the quality of European hotels that is. Morning breakfast is a wonderful spread. Rooms are decently sized and comfortable, with TVs. If I could afford it I'd stay there again.


Piles and piles of colourful Italian-made sweets.


Rialto bridge and some colourful posts. If it weren't for that annoying rail in the bottom right corner, this shot would be great.

Two shadows and two pigeons. I don't know, somehow this appeals to me.


Those flying rats are everywhere. Some people say their poo brings good luck if it lands on you. Um, yeah...whatever you say. Some tourists really get kicks from letting the birds land on them. GERMFARMS, that's what I say.


They look like twin sisters out for a walk. Maybe that's me and my sis when we get old. Lovely picture, but I just wish it wasn't so dark so I could get a better shot.


Ah and it is the last day in Venice already! During the boat ride out, I couldn't resist snapping this shiny ballon-like sculpture. I am going to miss this place...I would love to come back again and explore or people watch!


Next up in my Italian journey: the grand city of Rome!

Venice, Italy: Dec 10-12

My first sight of Venice was a touristy one - little did I know that I would see so many more mask shops touting variations of the very same goods! In the end, I did not buy a commercially made one, nor even an expensive handmade one, but a few blank paper ones to bring home and paint.


A random view of a building and a colourful post, one of the quirks of Venice that I am particularly fond of.


"Bloody tourist."


This is one of my favourite pictures, because it's a step in my endeavours to become a decent street photographer. I didn't even need to speak; a wave of the camera, a raised eyebrow, a nod, and voila, a picture of what could be Santa's workshop.


An abstract shot of the supports used for the walkways that are set up when Venice floods. I love the steely colour scheme and shadows. Though, I think it would be nicer cropped a bit.

Damn pigeons. But a lovely lamp post all the same.


The winged lion, a symbol of St Mark, up on a pedestal in St Mark's Square.


The store window of a Mandarina Duck outlet. Venice is full of colourful shop windows that I just could not resist capturing. Even if you don't intend to buy anything, it's still worth a look-see.


More shop windows: Christmas-themed music boxes and a costume shop featuring the Beauty and the Beast costumes.


These costume stores sell so many beautiful and elaborate costumes and accessories. Masked balls and all that seem to be a big thing here, this shop is clearly not just for tourists.


A sign to Rialto Bridge.


St. Mark's Chapel in the Square.


Glass paint oozes out of smoothly carved wood in art pieces created by an Italian artist (whose name I forget but has a very distinct style).


Rusty chains around wood pillars on a floating platform, where we waited for the vaporetti, Venice's public transport system.


A vaporetti in front of a lighthouse in Murano, where the glass-blowing industry is located. We visited several glass-blowing workshops to watch the artists at work, creating simple glass horses that were perfectly balanced or even intricate chandeliers. In one place, it took an artist more than 20 minutes just to create a glass flower to adorn the chandelier he and a partner were working on.

A reflection of the lighthouse. It's amazing what takes your fancy when you're bored while waiting for the boat.

More boredom-inspired pictures:



A view from the vaporetti: These posts in the water mark out the routes, and they even have speed limit signs on them! A very interesting traffic culture from the norm that most people are used to.


Finally we arrived at Burano, another island off Venice which is well-known mainly for its lace and colourful houses. It's a quiet neighbourhood, full of amazing photo ops if you know where to look and avoid the tourist spots. However, it's a sparsely populated place and those few tourist spots are mainly near the vaporetti station.

A rainbow street, where the boats on a canal replace cars on a street. An old man is being taken for a walk in the nice peace and quiet.


Now this is the kind of shot that I came to Burano to take! I love the simplicity and unpretentiousness of the place, and on top of that, the pride that people take to paint their homes so that they stand out, unlike in Singapore where the houses are not typically colourful.

A little cat grooming himself in the shade. Strangely enough, there are many, many cats on Burano and few dogs. I wonder why...

More home decor. Very pretty, quaint styles.


A quiet park bench for contemplation...


Time to head back home after a long day of walking (yes, Venice is all about walking), under a lovely Venetian sunset.

The Murano lighthouse in the distance...we're almost back!


This is one of the last images I captured upon return to the main island. Somehow the orange and blue goes wonderfully with each other. I just love this one.

Hope you enjoyed them, and there will be more to come as I slowly archive and annotate them.