Glass and gorgeousness

Had rained overnight so a bit overcast but decided on a trip to Murano. Vaporetto route a bit confusing, suggesting that the one stopping outside terminated round the corner rather than continuing to Murano but we decided to stay on it as the locals didn't get off, and sure enough it continued to Murano. Got off and randomly wandered about as its a pretty place, ended up in glass museum to see glass from the 1st century AD - almost 2000 years old, had no idea it was invented that long ago.
Some amazingly delicate pieces in the museum. On the island, cheap Chinese tat (of which some things were quite nice, bought a dish) and really expensive artwork type glass, some hideous, such as this version of "the scream" by Monch, or nicer "picasso alikes".
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but I was happy with the tat as can't afford real thing. 

David on bridge in Murano, weird blue sculpture on right

In the afternoon David went alone to San Michele which has been the cemetery island since 1797, it freaks me out (not good in graveyards, which is a handicap for a genealogist).

He said it was divided into different sections including an Evangelical section full of Brits, Russian Princesses and the odd German and Greek who had popped their clogs in Venice (quite a few over the last few hundred years), this looked like an English country churchyard. If Italian, there was a definite difference in how you were buried depending on how much money you have. All the tombs had pictures of the deceased (oddly often unflattering passport style pics) which looks weird at home but apparently looked OK when everyone did it. However due to lack of space your grave tenure is only about 10 years, then you are dug up again and bones dumped in a communal ossuary or presumably put in smaller space as below if rich enough.

ENTRANCE TO SAN MICHELE

HIGH RISE |TOMBS

After eating in, we walked from the house to St Marks square for sunset but just missed it by a few minutes (

the walk mostly along a rio terra and strada nova to rialto (not too many bridges or detours) until rialto then all goes pear shaped down tiny alleys. I established if you always went the way that was most crowded it was likely to be the best so we hardly got lost at all.

But best of all, after an ice cream outside the Doges Palace, we caught the No 1 Vaporetto up the Grand Canal to Ferrovia which is the nearest stop to us. And we got the best seats - right at the front with a fabulous view of the canal when the lights were coming on and it was getting dark and it was the most beautiful evening.

San Georgio Maggiore from St Marks

St Maria della Salute - chuch built to give thanks for deliverance of city from plague in 1630, baroque