Friday in Venice

If you missed the first part of our adventures in Venice, you can catch up here and here.

Friday was our last full day in Venice before the cruise. Before we left, we made a list of places that we wanted to visit. The Museo Storico Navale was only open until 1pm, so we decided to make it our first stop. Afterward, we'd swing by the Biennale gardens, head to the Punta Della Dogana (another art museum), and then if time permitted, take the vaporetto (or water bus) to Murano to see the glass museum.

We were surprised to find out that the Museo Storico Navale (or Naval History Museum) only cost 2.40 euros/person, since Venice is known for its not-so-wallet-friendly prices. We were even more amazed at the low entrance fee after walking through the many rooms on the many floors, each filled with ship parts, models, and tidbits of naval history.

[I took the following picture for the other two members of The Gang of Three (a nickname our professor gave 3 of us during our study abroad experience in London in 2001.) We took a class on the history of astronomy, navigation, and computing, so maybe they'll recognize an sextant or octant below!]

Navigational Tools

 It took us well over an hour to make our way through all of the exhibits in the naval museum.

An Exhibit for All Ages

When we finally finished we were ready for lunch. We wondered past the Arsenal, pictured below, and through some small winding passages until we found a place to stop and eat.

Part of the Arsenal

I ordered mixed fried fish, and ended up with a plate of fried shrimp, squid, baby octopus, and sardines... not really what I was expecting since both the English and Italian on the menu had indicated fish and not seafood. It was okay, but I would have enjoyed it more had it been served with some type of dipping sauce, as it all began to taste the same after a while. Joel, on the other hand, had the sea bass, and he couldn't stop raving about it. 

As we sat at the restaurant, a pretty intense thunderstorm rolled into the city. The bright lightning was accompanied by booming thunder which seemed to shake the ground beneath our feet. Our waiter quickly moved us under a tent, out of the rain, and in a few minutes the brunt of the storm seemed to have passed. Still, there was a steady stream of rain, and we began to rethink our plans of stopping in the Biennale garden. Instead, we decided to head straight over to Punta Della Dogana.

The previous day, when we visited the Palazzo Grassi, they offered us a discounted ticket which included both the Grassi and the Punta Della Dogana. Not really one to make decisions on the spot, I was forced to make a quick choice. "Sure," I think I replied.  (As an aside, after I made this decision, I was so glad that Mr. Traveler enjoyed the Grassi museum. I would have felt bad dragging him to a second museum of the same type if he wasn't excited about going.) 

Once again, like the Grassi, this museum offered many statement pieces offering commentary on modern culture. One of my favorite pieces was a room designed to look like an old saloon. The audience could peer in from windows on the sides to see the detailed set up. Inside, women and children were depicted in ways which offered disturbing reminders of the mistreatment of women. For example, on one torso, several names were etched, as if the men had taken ownership of her. It was certainly not a pleasant thing to see, but a good reminder of issues which sometimes we forget still exist even in our own societies.

Mr. Traveler's favorite piece was a chandelier-style basketball hoop, courtesy of David Hammond. I'm not sure of the exact statement behind this piece, but I also found it a little bit fascinating.

Untitled (2000) by David Hammond (photo from PalazzoGrassi.it)

After the museum, we walked outside to see that the rain had passed and the sky had returned to a bright blue. We decided we had time for our last stop, the glass museum in Murano. The guidebook we purchased (Lonely Planet Venice & The Veneto City Guide) had talked up Murano glass, pointing out both expensive shops and places to get a bargain. Since we weren't in the market for any glass to haul around with us on the cruise (bargain or not), we decided to visit the Museo del Vetro (glass museum) instead. I thought it would give us a good overview of the process of creating the glass and provide some good examples of the way the industry has changed over time.

Museo del Vetro

Even though the museum did address both the creation of glass and the history of the industry, I found it to be a bit of a let down. The displays seemed outdated and not particularly well-maintained. When there was information, it was printed in small type on a separate piece of paper. 

I don't think photos were allowed, but I snapped one of one of the more interesting pieces in the museum.

Glass Rooster

All in all, it just wasn't one of my favorite stops, and I felt a little bad for dragging Mr. Traveler to the museum since I could tell he wasn't thrilled about it from the beginning.

After the glass museum, we decided we'd had enough of museums and were ready to just relax. I made a last ditch effort to try to find some Dramamine with no success. (I had made a packing list for the cruise months in advance, but of course forgot to look at it before we left. The day before the cruise, I realized I had forgotten to bring something to take for motion sickness since I have a history of feeling not so great on airplanes, ships, cars, etc.) We didn't find an open pharmacy so late in the day, but luckily I had no problem with seasickness during our 7 night cruise.

We spent the rest of the evening wondering around and enjoying some Venetian specialties. I tried a Spritz and Mr. Traveler tried some sepie (cuddlefish) spaghetti, which left his tongue completely black.

Mr. Traveler and the Cuddlefish Culprit

After three days in Venice, we definitely were falling in love with the city. We still had lots of exploring left to do, though, so the following day we packed our suitcases and boarded the cruise ship, which I'll tell you about next.