Islands of Murano and Burano

One day we went on a vaporetto (water bus) adventure to the island of Murano where all the famous glassblowers live. There were amazing chandeliers for tens of thousands of dollars to gawk at and you can wander down alleys and sneak a peak at some of the glassblowers at work.

We went to the Glass Museum which was a little underwhelming for me only because I’ve seen some amazing modern work at the Glass Museum in Seattle. But in the lobby we had the best espresso imaginable out of a machine. The Italians sure know how to do their vending machines. We even saw one for cooked pasta but didn’t venture to try it.

We also visited another island nearby called Burano, after remembering a No Reservations episode where Anthony Bourdain tried the famous goh fish risotto at Da Ramano. We wandered quaint bridges over little canals lined with cheery multicolored houses and relaxed under a café umbrella, playing cards and sipping limoncella (a sweet lemony liquer) until early evening.

We rounded a corner off the square and were face to face with the restaurant. Only it was all shuttered up and most certainly not open for business. How heart breaking! As we got closer we saw displayed prominently on the door that they have a Michelin star. Well on the bright side, it would have severely damaged our budget. Here's an interior shot of where we would have been dining given good luck and unlimited funds.

We meandered around deflated and didn’t want to lower ourselves to second best risotto so we headed back to Venice and ate some more of that gorgonzola pizza. Don’t mess with what works.

Probably the most memorable destination in Venice was no further away then our hotel suite at Ca Valeri. We went all out, well it’s Venice! It was decked out with none-other-than murano glass chandeliers, fabric covered walls, and the obligatory feature of anything described as “big pimpin”…..a giant jacuzzi tub. How splendid was a hot bath (every morning and night) for 3 days, away from the crowds and insanity of the streets. Bliss. And the breakfast served to our room every morning, cappuccinos and croissant, wasn’t too shabby either. We definitely lived the high life….