Venice the fourth

Another day of exploratory walking/boating. Post-Easter weekend it was a bit quieter, and you could actually believe that real people live and work here, and that it's not populated entirely by tourists and the workers that serve them ice cream.

The tradesmen's entrance of the leper church. It's right in my neighbourhood so I can't stop finding it.

As per Ang's request, some pretty bits.

I love that there's no way to get to this door except by boat. Sucks to be you, legs!

This is the big-name Venice bridge, Ponte di Rialto. I think it's kind of dumb. First of all, those inside bits there are shops, mostly all selling tourist crud. Second, it's always lined with people like that, just standing there being all "Woohahaha, I'm on a bridge!". Third, it's currently being defaced by the pope there. It'd be alright if he was a cute little old popey-pope like the last one, but this one looks suspicious, like he's scheming things that bode ill for the non-believers.

A gondolier doing some gondoliering. (He actually looks more like he's on a magic carpet. I was trying to take a picture of the light reflecting on the underside of the bridge then he sailed along and got all up in my frame.) I'm used to a gondola being something that takes you up a mountain in Rotorua so you can luge down, and I keep forgetting that these are called that too.

The view back to Venice from Giudecca, an island just across that whatsit.

I'm such a dork. The bells started ringing and I was all "Ooh, must take a photo!"

It never really occurred to me that all those boats use petrol - I thought they just ran on Venetian magic.

I could see this Stucky building from across the water the other evening and I assumed it was a flour mill (I always assume factories made from brick are flour mills - is that racist of me?) but it turns out it's a Hilton hotel. Heh.

This whole end of Giudecca is brick buildings, which is an interesting change. I assume it's all so neat and tidy because of its vicinity to the hotel - heaven knows the pristine image of the Hilton name needs to be upheld at all costs!

Back towards Venice from a canal in Giudecca.

Weed, bro!

Gah, my sunburn from queueing outside Versailles is now peeling a little. That place is still tormenting me, even from beyond the grave.