Murano and Burano [the islands of Venice]

Like I wrote about waaaaaay back here, the first day we were in Venice it was raining like crazy so we visited the surrounding islands so we could stay warm and dry during the boat rides.

Our first stop was Murano, well known for it's glass.  Apparently Venice was at the forefront of developing glass techniques several centuries ago, and in 1921 they decided to move all glass making to Murano to protect the city of Venice from the risk of fire.  The island felt very similar to Venice, with the same colors and architecture. The only advantage was there were fewer people (which is always a plus in my book.)

 After a quick walk around (getting completely soaked) we were heading back to the dock when I said, "This was fun to see.  It would have been nice to watch some actual glass being made, though."  We hadn't explored enough to find any factories.  Less than 30 seconds later, a guy appeared from a random alley and said, "Would you like to watch a glass demonstration for 2 euro?"  Little did he know, that's exactly what I wanted to do!

They showed us two techniques: the first is blowing glass (into a vase) and the second is pulling the glass into the shape of a horse, which was quite remarkable to watch.  I think this guy could do it in his sleep, though.  In about 7 or 8 strokes they pull out the head, ears, legs, etc.

From there, we waited for the boat ferry to Burano, another island farther from Venice that's known for it's lace.  

Lace isn't really my thing, but these colorful buildings sure were!  I don't think I've ever visited a happier looking place, and I'm so glad the rain forced us out to see the island.  Several years ago I remember visiting the Dr. Seuss part of Universal Studios and thinking that it would be fun to wake up every morning in such a whimsical place.  I thought the same thing when we were on Burano. 

Nothing but color everywhere, except (ironically) in the lace.  I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

Tiago had a blast splashing through the puddles. (See green blur below)

We bought a little painting in this art shop near the port.  We ended up having to wait about 30 minutes for the next boat, and in the mean time entertained ourselves with gelato.  I still miss the pistachio ice cream in Italy.

And as a bonus, here's what gondoliers look like in the rain.  Certainly no one was paying 100 euro for a ride that day.