Our cruise ship came into the Venice canal just after sunrise. It was absolutely amazing to come into this narrow and shallow Canal with this huge ship. It towers over the city on the way to the port. Our stateroom was on the 12th deck so we had the perfect spot to view Venice.
Venice is one of the most unique cities we have seen. It spans 118 islands with 150 canals and 400 bridges.
As soon as we were at port we caught a water shuttle to take us to the heart of Venice which is St. Mark's Square. St. Mark's Basilica was built to accommodate St. Mark's tomb and then rebuilt during the 11th century. Built as a Greek Cross with several domes, the Basilica is so richly decorated that it is called the "golden church". Golden mosaic tiles cover the ceilings if this church.
When we arrived at the square we were surprised that most of the square was under water and was until about noon when the tide was out. They have elevated platforms that you walk on to get around the square. We proceeded to get in a line for the Basilica. We didn't realize we were in a line that took us into the church where we attended Sunday mass. It was wonderful to be there and to have this experience.
We then headed for the famous Rialto Bridge which spans the Grand Canal.
You can't describe this environment! We stopped for pizza at a sidewalk cafe close to the bridge.
We toured the Doge's Palace which is filled with artwork and quite awesome with a prison accessible through the Bridge of Sighs. Apparently this is where the prisoners would get their last glimpse of sunlight.
We headed back to the ship after a full day at the square.

We ended our last night of our trip with a very special surprise. The Venician Chamber Orchestra performed in the ships theater. It was wonderful to hear their performance and a great way to end a great trip!!