Sunday, August 5, 2012

Venice: The Magnificent Sail-Away Views

It was our turn to sail out of Venice. We've been fortunate enough to be aboard ships for some magnificent "sail-aways" - Stockholm, Athens, and Vancouver come immediately to mind - but sailing up the Giudecca Canal and passing the entrance to the Grand Canal before sailing out of the lagoon into open water has to be one of the greatest sights to be seen.

It doesn't surprise us that some Venetians are demanding a different route. Even our medium-size ship towers over the low Venetian skyline. As long as it lasts, the views can't be surpassed.

First, of course, we had to back out of our berth.




We supervised the entire operation from our balcony...

Stay clear, Fido...

After all of that carefully maneuvering to back out of our parking place, we're now heading up the Giudecca Canal past the Hilton Molino Stucky on our way out of Venice...

The vaporettos look mighty small from our Deck 8 balcony...










We pass the entrance to the Grand Canal...

And then Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square). You'll notice a few tourists hanging around there, demonstrating why we only walked through it quickly during our four-night stay before hastening onward to less crowded spots.



So many less crowded places to walk in Venice, even in July...


We even see trees, a rare sight in "downtown" Venice...


Venice, like a pleasant memory, starts to recede into the distance...


The pilot boat comes alongside to pick up the pilot.


And now we're out to sea and even spotting off-shore drilling rigs in the distance.

That's enough sightseeing for one day. All that sea air gave us an appetite so it's time for dinner in our suite. We chose our meal tonight from Polo Grill starting off with "Escargot in Feuillete Crust with Garlic and Brandy Sauce," "Chesapeake Bay Lump Crabmeat Cake with Pommery Mustard Sauce," and "Beefsteak Tomato and Sweet Onion Salad."

Yum!



























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