One of the things I was most excited for in Venice was visiting Murano to see more about Venice glass. While I don't do a lot of glass work anymore, I still enjoy seeing the great things that good artists can do, and Murano has quite the reputation.
We intended to go to the glass museum, which goes through the history of glassmaking in Venice - but in researching tickets, learned that the museum is in the middle of renovations and we would only be able to see 5 rooms. We arrived in Murano after hopping on a water bus and took off down a street to explore. We never did find the museum, but stopped in probably at least 25 glass shops to see different pieces of art. Our walk through the shops really surprised me: I expected the high pressure sales people, but what really surprised me was that there were more original pieces of art right next to the bus stop than further in. I truly expected the "tourist trap" shops to be close to the wharf! After a few hours, we were glassed- and shopped-out, and hopped on the next bus to Burano.
I had no particular interest in or knowledge of Burano, but when we had asked for directions at our hotel the front desk had recommended that we visit, as he said it was the much nicer island. He was certainly correct: Burano was in general the best kept island that we saw, with buildings that were brightly colored and well maintained. We didn't spend much time here, but we enjoyed walking around to see the island and take in the cheerier and more energetic atmosphere.
Finally, we finished up our day trip with dinner at a beautiful restaurant overlooking a canal and some of the beautiful buildings just outside St. Mark's Square. After a long day of walking, we finally managed to relax and enjoy a European style dinner with multiple courses, lasting for hours!
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