there was no one inside the church, but i felt a presence i could not

there was no one inside the church, but i felt a presence i could not describe...
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

i never thought myself as having a sixth sense. i have always wondered how psychics and ghost whisperers felt, but that place just had the aura of spirits all around you. the interior just exuded of another time. i felt i was caught in a time warp and was just waiting for medieval characters of the past to pop out of the maze of pillars within.

"si venera il corpo di s. luciano" it says on the door of this church...

"si venera il corpo di s. luciano" it says on the door of this church...
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

...which i bumped into while walking from the piazza san marco back to the train station. you cannot imagine the number of churches you will find in such a small area! this one just had those words on the door and would that mean this is st. luciano's church? i know the literal translation meant "here lies the body of st. luciano" - at least that is what i thought.

i actually went inside and took some photos (will post those later on). there was no one inside, saw some flowers with dedications for people (dead?). all in all the atmosphere was serene, almost haunting, like you can feel spirits or angels about to make an apparition! i felt a slight chill while shooting and darted back to the courtyard!

back to venice: just off the train and what do you see?

back to venice: just off the train and what do you see?
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

coming from milan and just alighting from the train you are greeted by this canal. docked are gondolas and speedboats and this the first bridge that you will see spanning the busy waterway. i remember getting quite giddy with excitement at what the day has in store, having visited venice only once ages before, hardly remembering how it looked then.

all in all the day was fruitful and fun, i just imbibed all of venice that i could in the short span of time we were there. i am so grateful i have these pictures to go back to again and again until the time i get to go back. and i hope, soon!

i remember the day was hot, but we had a blast!

i remember the day was hot, but we had a blast!
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

there are several of these mini docks for individual gondolas lined along the grand canal of venice. each one is different, perhaps as a way to attract the tourists. i love how this one added hanging flower pots to give it a rustic look.

where to take a taxi in venice

where to take a taxi in venice
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

along the grand canal are lined these gondolas. this is also where you go to take a taxi boat back to the train station. i would have wanted to just walk back, but we had to get back faster to catch our train to milan. unfortunately, despite that we missed the train! lol!

Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri)

Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri)
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

The view from the Bridge of Sighs was the last view of Venice that convicts saw before their imprisonment. The bridge name, given by Lord Byron in the 19th century, comes from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice out the window before being taken down to their cells. In reality, the days of inquisitions and summary executions were over by the time the bridge was built, and the cells under the palace roof were occupied mostly by small-time criminals.

A local legend says that lovers will be assured eternal love if they kiss on a gondola at sunset under the bridge. This legend played a key part in the 1979 film A Little Romance.

(from Wikipedia)

i don't know about you, but masks make me feel eerie...

i don't know about you, but masks make me feel eerie...
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

its like being afraid of clowns i guess. it's as if behind the bright colors and the smiles lies something nasty and ugly, like sin. as benjamin franklin said, "vice knows she's ugly, so she puts on her mask."

these are venetian canevale masks. i do love their craftsmanship though and i actually got a couple to bring home and wear on halloween!