Aaahhh la laguna di Venezia!

So we arrived in Venice after 2 legs of uneventful flight on Air Canada, which had no wifi. I mean cmon Canadians, get with the program! Thankfully I had books and movies already loaded on my tablet to keep me occupied.
After taking the express bus, we arrived in the beautiful former maritime republic  of Venice. Remmy and Girl Wonder joined us shortly after they arrived at the train station. Nice airy room, minor trouble with the a/c but we had that rectified later, and a nice strong wifi. Woot woot!!
After a tasty lunch at Da Nino of roasted chicken, tortellini, and spaghetti carbonara, we set out about the city to see what there is to see.
We took a long ride down the Grand Canal staring in wonder at 16th century palazzos that still stand regally above the water, their doors waiting for visitors to pull up. Some have a beauty in their decrepit outer layers with painted peeling off faded wooden shutters, moss growing up from the lagoon steps and wrought iron gates. As if at any time they might sink into the water in front of you.
We pass by the famous Rialto Bridge,  full of shops and tourists, and head toward our first stop of the Basilica di Santa Maria di Salute. Its cupola looms above the skyline from its prominent place at the end of the canal. White marble stairs gleam in the fading light of day while we stared unabashedly at the many carved saints and angels on its facade. The sculpture of Our Lady sits atop the door while the statue of the Queen of Heaven perches on the dome itself. Since it was closed we checked the hours to come back tomorrow.
One more stop down has us at the Doge's Palace and the Piazza San Marco. A full moon helps illuminate the piazza's buildings as tourists take pictures of this remarkable church. Sleek black gondolas moored at the waterfront create a vision of Venice that many people only see in books or movies. Its easy to see why this city is so loved.
We decide to get off the vaporetto and navigate the mazelike walkways thru the city back to our hotel. Even though we stopped a couple times to orient ourselves, we did well following map in the dark!
Tomorrow we take on the 2 basilicas and maybe the Arsenale.