Colorado Cruiser: Italy Day 8 Home

Our last day in Italy. We didn't fly out until late afternoon, so we had a good chunk of the day to tour.

We started by catching the water bus. We rode the bus all the way to the end of the line, then back again and out to Murano island. Murano is just a few miles away from Venice. It's famous for its glass. Unfortunately it's Sunday, so nearly everything is closed. We walked along the canals peering into windows. Lots of pretty glass jewelry, dishware, art, lamps, etc.

We did go into a couple of shops and Mike bought something for his mother. I didn't think I could even get a piece home safely, so I didn't bother looking for anything.

We saw a very large glass sculpture in the center of town. It was interesting, but not really my style.

The last shop we went to was huge. They had glass everything, I think they even had glass couches. I was scared to death to touch anything because the prices were all in the multi thousand Euro range. One salesman must have thought we were important VIPs because he kept wanting to show us expensive lamps and chandeliers.

Eventually we stopped wandering Murano and caught the water bus back to Venice.

All last night I kept thinking about the painter we had seen near the Rialto bridge. We headed back there, and sure enough, he was there again. I decided to buy a couple of paintings for Koren and Kyle. We took pictures of a few paintings and sent them via text message. They both picked out paintings that I bought from the guy and rolled up in a tube.

We ate lunch then went back to our hotel to puck up our luggage. As we waited for the boat that would take us to the airport, we shopped through some of the stalls that sold Mardi Gras masks. I bought a couple to bring back to my grand kids.

The boat ride to the airport was fun. The driver went slow out of the canal, then kicked the speed up across the channel. He kept pointing out interesting sights along the way, including a tiny private island that was barely big enough for a small house, but someone lived there.

The airport was small, but quick to navigate. Our first leg was to Paris where we had to leave security and re-enter. One of the great things about traveling with Mike is that he's a member of he Delta mucky mucks club, so we get to hang out in nice lounges at the airports. We went to the lounge in Paris and relaxed in comfy recliners, drank soda, and ate munchies while waiting for our flight. The flight home was long, but I slept nearly the whole way.

What a great trip.

Mike waiting at the water bus dock