Travelsmartplanet

You’re never too young to go to Venice and enjoy the vistas on the bridges of the canals. Notice the lock attached to the ironwork. That’s the work of lovers who lock in their love on bridges.

Never thought about where you park your gondola when you are off work. Notice the other boats tucked along the buildings. Front doors are often on the canals.

Not all the canals in Venice are narrow. Some are broad highways. See if you can find the tip of a gondola in this one.

The Bridge of Sighs is named for the sighs of the prisoners who were interrogated and charged in the Doge’s Palace building and had to walk across the canal on this bridge to the New Prison. The white limestone decorated bridge is enclosed but has windows with stone bars; It passes over the Rio di Palazzo.

Inside Venice’s Saint Mark’s Basilica or more properly, the Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark. It’s free to go through to see the great example of Italo-Byzantine architecture and the ceiling mosaics, decorations, and intricate geometric marble patterns. Get here early as there is usually a big lineup but it moves quickly. No backpacks allowed, but there’s a free checking service around the corner and down an alley (just ask!).

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The Doge’s Palace, Palazzo Ducale, was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the former Venetian Republic. The Venetian Gothic construction started around 1340 and was modified many times over the centuries due to fires and governmental needs.

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In Venice, the Ponte dei Sospiri or the Bridge of Sighs is an arched limestone bridge that connects the Doge’s Palace to the Prigioni Nuove, or the New Prisons. It got its name from the sighs of the prisoners walking across it.

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On top, you have the victorious Vittorio Emanuele II (1849-1861) who was the first King of united Italy. On the 2 sides are statues of the winged Lion of Saint Mark with paws on books and a regal woman (and a silly woman).

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Approaching St. Mark’s Square, Venice, from the water.

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The Residence Square, where you can find this baroque fountain, is the heart of the old city center of Salzburg, Austria. In the film, “The Sound of Music”, Maria (played by Julie Andrews) walked across the square singing “I Have Confidence” while on her way to the Trapp family home for the first time.

Residence Fountain at 15 metres high is the largest baroque fountain outside of Italy. It was built between 1658 and 1661, and enjoyed its 15 minutes of fame when Maria stopped there to splash water at the horses while singing “I Have Confidence”. The song was not from the original Broadway show but added for the film version. I would remember this as I saw the Broadway show 13 times as my Dad worked there.