1000places > Our plan had been to leave Fort Myers and drive northward along the coastline, checking out Florida's Gulf islands and small towns. But somehow Florida's fickle weather seemed to have it in for us.  At our first stop in Venice, we wandered out to the beach and fishing pier only to find it shrouded in an inpenetrable fog bank - at noon!   And once again we were confronted by local forecasts of impending rain.  With a bitter cold snap and the dreaded "wintry mix" possible for the eastern seaboard over the coming weekend, we cut our exploration short around Tarpon Springs and headed home.
1000places > VENICE - The next morning our bags were loaded onto a vaporetta - something that you may not want to watch if you care about your luggage - and it was back to the bus for an hour-and-a-half road trip to the town of Verona.
1000places > VENICE - After the sun had set, we found a wine bar beside the Grand Canal and sat for some time watching the lights and the evening traffic in one of the most amazing locales in the world.
1000places > VENICE - After the formal tour was over, we spent some time exploring Venice, finally arriving at the famous Rialto bridge around dusk.  This is the oldest bridge across Venice's Grand, probably the city's most famous, and certainly its most picturesque.  There has been a bridge across this part of the canal since 1181 (although the first was a pontoon bridge; a wooden bridge was built in 1250 AD).
1000places > VENICE - From the top of the Rialto Bridge, we saw one of the most memorable images of our trip - the gondolas returning down the Grand Canal at sunset.
1000places > VENICE - There seemed to be no "one-way" canals in Venice -- and most canals seemed built to accommodate - barely - two gondolas passing each other.  Or perhaps it is more likely that gondolas have a width limit.  Whichever, it can get fairly crowded at times on Venice's canals.
1000places > VENICE - New gondolas can cost up to 35,000 eruos apiece (more than $45,000).  No wonder a typical 45-minute ride runs upwards of $100 or more.  But there seemed to be no shortage of visitors who wanted the "full Venetian experience."
1000places > VENICE - Nonetheless, the familiar gondolier hat was a frequent site passing beneath us as we walked over the city bridges.
1000places > VENICE - The gondoliers were hard at work during our visit to Venice -- although the unusually cool weather forced them - and their passengers - to don heavy coats which detracted somewhat from the romance of the imagery.
Our plan had been to leave Fort Myers and drive northward along the coastline, checking out Florida's Gulf islands and small towns. But somehow Florida's fickle weather seemed to have it in for us. At our first stop in Venice, we wandered out to the beach and fishing pier only to find it shrouded in an inpenetrable fog bank - at noon! And once again we were confronted by local forecasts of impending rain. With a bitter cold snap and the dreaded "wintry mix" possible for the eastern seaboard over the coming weekend, we cut our exploration short around Tarpon Springs and headed home.

1000places > Our plan had been to leave Fort Myers and drive northward along the coastline, checking out Florida's Gulf islands and small towns. But somehow Florida's fickle weather seemed to have it in for us.  At our first stop in Venice, we wandered out to the beach and fishing pier only to find it shrouded in an inpenetrable fog bank - at noon!   And once again we were confronted by local forecasts of impending rain.  With a bitter cold snap and the dreaded "wintry mix" possible for the eastern seaboard over the coming weekend, we cut our exploration short around Tarpon Springs and headed home.
Our plan had been to leave Fort Myers and drive northward along the coastline, checking out Florida's Gulf islands and small towns. But somehow Florida's fickle weather seemed to have it in for us. At our first stop in Venice, we wandered out to the beach and fishing pier only to find it shrouded in an inpenetrable fog bank - at noon! And once again we were confronted by local forecasts of impending rain. With a bitter cold snap and the dreaded "wintry mix" possible for the eastern seaboard over the coming weekend, we cut our exploration short around Tarpon Springs and headed home.

See photo in gallery

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