"If you're there, I'm game." She finished up her Gelato and took a few of the pamphlets from John's hand. After going through them she sighed. "So many things to do, so little time. At first I thought that two days and one night would be enough to see everything. Venice really looked smaller in the photographs that I've seen."
They leave headed toward St. Mark's Square. As they crossed over yet another bridge Jennifer suddenly realized something and turned to John. "John I figured out what is so very different about this place."
John slightly out of breath from the long walk they'd been on replied, "Would it be all of these arched foot bridges?"
"Well, that's one thing, but the thing I was actually thinking of was that I haven't seen one car or bicycle since we set out this morning."
"And you won't either. One of these pamphlets gives an overview and history of this city. It is not permitted to ride a bike or use a motorized vehicle through the streets, foot traffic only. And as far as these bridges go, the pamphlet said there were over four hundred bridges in Venice."
"I'd believe it. I feel as if we've walked over half of them already. So how far is this St. Mark's Square from where we are?"
"I'm not exactly sure, but I think we're only a few more bridges from there. What we're headed for is the Doges Palace tour. That was where the Doge lived and ruled Venice from, he was like a ruling governor I think I read the name Doge means Duke or something like that. In the cellars of his palace are the dungeons where the military used to keep prisoners in. The pamphlet made it sound like this tour was a must see."
"Dungeons huh, definitely wouldn't have wanted to get a speeding ticket back then." Jennifer laughed after saying it.
John was glad to see Jennifer having a good time, knowing that inside a part of her was still hurting. They arrived at the Doges Palace and went in. The first part of the tour was a guided tour through the upper floors, most were bedrooms, halls and offices where the Doge lived and ruled from. The second half was a self-guided tour of the military area where the dungeons were. They chatted all during the self-guided tour of the military quarters and dungeons. Afterward they ate a late lunch not far away.
They then walked around going in and out of shops, marveling at all the great looking items for sale. As they left the last shop, Jennifer looked to John as they walked along. "They have some really great items here. I'm finding it very hard not to buy some of these things to take home. If I did, Michael would only get upset with me." Suddenly her face lost its smile, and the sad face from earlier returned. "Well, he usually got angry with me if I bought trinkets. He calls them junk, I call them treasures but he never understood what I saw in them."