I got up and went to the Catholic mass so I could see St. Marc as it should be - an active house of worship. (No, Ben, I did not say the creed and commit heresy. Put the torches down.) It is amazing... the art on the walls runs from pure Orthodox icon, and the shrine to the Godbearer was a very old very traditional icon coming from pre 1000 according to the priest I spoke to, to very representative art from the Renaissance. The inside is covered in gold and art. In comparison, I found the horses nice but reminding me of the SMU stallions on campus. No photos allowed and, quite honestly, people taking pictures of our people's religion ceremony should have their hands smacked.

I then wandered around the waterfront, people watching...

The clock tower,



A quick not-on-my-diet but so cute snack.

After a light lunch, I took a water taxi from my hotel thru these side streets to the train station.

Above is the local farmer's market with dock, of course



Girls taking each others pictures in a gondola



The Opera House, I think...





Patio gardens

I found a tobacco shop - they sell postage here - and caught a late afternoon train to Milan. The country side was lovely with these villas and farmland between the cities. A quick cab ride got me to my hotel and a chance to unpack before dinner (nothing opens until 7 pm). Dinner was a delight - parma ham with fresh melon, gnocchi in tomato sauce with buffalo cheese, grilled veggies with a  veal steak Milanese style, chocolate cream puffs buried in chocolate sauce, and expresso.