We’re back onboard the Viking Sea with Venice in the rear-view mirror. We head next to Split on Croatia’s beautiful Dalmatian coast in the Adriatic Sea. But first, let’s talk Venice…
Its many canals, bridges, gondolas, churches, museums, and restaurants, along with its stunning architecture and interesting people, make Venice one of the world’s truly unique cities. But with its blessings comes its curse – the crush of tourists that choke this small city’s narrow streets and walkways, not to mention the multitude of schlocky souvenir shops, bars and gelato stands that would drive the merchant of Venice out of town. Just getting our obligatory selfie from the Rialto Bridge was a major undertaking. Those darn tourists!!!
All that sensory overload can easily obscure the real story of this place – that people seeking to protect themselves from invaders started building on swamp land well over a thousand years ago. Without mechanized construction equipment they drove hundreds of thousands of wood piles deep into the clay below and attached a city to them, creating canals as their streets. Who would even think of doing that? That tiny city, the home of Marco Polo, would then rise to become the financial superpower of the Mediterranean during Middle Ages. Who said money can’t buy happiness???