I'm not sure where to go tonight. I wander towards rialto, but find a couple of restaurants that look quite nice but are not cheap. As it's my last night and I have done quite well so far, I'm prepared to spend a little more. The place I choose is in a square and has canopies above. It looks like a big canopy , but is in fact 4 next to each other.
Without getting in a rut, I think it will be interesting to try Baccala Mantecata again. It is a little different to last night in that it is served on top of griller or fried polenta, whereas last night the polenta was presented like semilina alondside the salt cod paste. I suspect that tonight is the more traditional. Last year I had Venitian liver and onions but found it very salty. Browsing the menu I am drawn to try it again. This time is much better than last year. It's very nice.
As I am enjoying my Liver and Onions the heavens open up. This is when I discover that there are 4 seperate canopies and whilst I appear to be well undercover, I am in fact under a join. Fortunately the people at the adjacent table have just paid their bill and help move my table away from the deluge. As the water bounces on the table and the soaked table cloth drips on my trousers it gets quite wet. Fortunately I whisk my glass of wine away before it is adulterated with rain water.

After coffee a glass of Sambucca arrives with the bill, I assume it's a little compensation for the damp. It's all quite fun anyway. I'm feeling very relaxed after the drinks so walk around Piazza San Marco, dodging the puddles, whilst my clothes dry off.

Today I have made an effort to leave the hotel in time to get to the Peggy Guggenheim museum before it closes. The museum is very pleasant: no queue and not to big. It was where Peggy Guggenheim lived from 1948 until her death in 1979. She collected modern art and had works by Picasso, Chagal, Man Ray, Jackson Pollark and some other people I've heard of, and some I haven't. A gentle stroll around takes about an hour. This seems a reasonable amount of culture. I generally prefer 20th Century art to the sort of things that Napoleon collected in the Accademia.

I don't wake up until 8.30. Its sunny and hot today. I think I'll do some shopping. I'm looking at masks as they make interesting props for photos; you can get relatively cheap ones in the street markets. The clothes shops are quite intereting too with (presumably) the latest Italian fashions. Walking around looking in shops and dodging crowds is quite tiring in the sun; I stop for a coffee and write up yesterday's journal. It's difficult to decide on masks as they are not so cheap as to buy lots.

I stop for a pannini for lunch and get into a rut by having a glass of red wine and a bottle of fizzy water to accompany it.
I have walked between the railway station and the Rialto bridge and back again. Having bought a mask I head back to the hotel by boat. The internet connection has not improved but is usable sporadically.

There's not much here except a Marina, church and belltower. Of these the Bell tower is the most impressive. It is a little shorter than San Marco but still has a lift.It costs less than half the price at only €3.

This is the queue for San Marco Church, not the bell tower, which was easy to get into. The queue for the bell tower was a bit longer later in the day when I passed by. There is a lift so the trip up to the top is not strenuous. The view from the top is (not surprisingly) panoramic. It looks like a map and the relative position of everything is much clearer. There is some cloud and I wonder whether the BBC weather forcast will prove more accurate today.

I catch a No 2 vaporetti to get to San Giorgio where there is another bell tower (seen in picture above). This boat takes a huge circular route up the grand canal, then through some industrial area near the car park. Here you can see goods being transferred from lorries to boats for deliveries in Venice. Its quite interesting, but not worth a special trip ( no stars on the michelin green guide). The No 2 then passes the cruise ship berths.

I pay the bill soon after 10; it seems quite early although I have had a long day. I take a stroll to San Marco passing by the bright designer windows on the way. There I enjoy an ice-cream (in a cone) for dessert. Just time to download a few more pics before bed.

Time for a quick stroll up to the Rialto bridge, before doing some e-mails and posting some pictures. I've bought a couple of beers so have an aperatif before going out to find a light dinner. Back in the campo where I had lunch I try one of the other establishments. Whilst it is not cheap it is quite reasonable by venitian standards and its very nice eating outdoors. I timed my arrival well as service is spot on for my meal. Later as I am relaxing with the rest of my carafe of vino rossi, the waiters became more stressed and some customers less satisfied.