(cont'd...) It must be the smallest elevator I've seen, only three of us were able to fit in going up to his apartment. There we exchanged pleasantries with his family and I was told that it's his birthday that day. After lunch, we continued our conversation at the balcony located on the upper floor. The location afforded us again of the wonders of its city - bird's eye view! From there, you wouldn't see any crowd, but only a blanket of red tisa (clay tiled roofing) capping every house and building; birds either gliding freely or perched on rooftops showing their territorial instinct to whoever is attempting to get close by; the occasional few steeples sticking out and the forbearing romantic afternoon sun so eager to rest, completed the city's wonderful art canvas.
After my second cup of tea and regaining our energy, we were out again set to explore the city by foot, the second time. As a matter of fact, if the utilitarian water-bus (vaporetto) or the romantic lavender upholstered seat of water-taxi (gondola) are not your fancy, walking is the ONLY alternative. No car or even bicycle ever roamed streets of Venice this is why it is almost pollution-free. It was getting dark and so those mini-light lanterns hanged overhead on the streets were turned on to the delight of our eyes. We walked aimlessly with the crowd - going to and fro into every direction, as we had no way of choosing a better route (but of course, we were prepared to get lost this time in this twilight stroll). And that's generally the whole point of travel: having to diligently explore new places and enjoy every moment of it.

We occasionally stopped at some shops and bought souvenirs. Surprisingly, every shop offers items that Venice is famous for: hundreds selection of Murano glasses and different type of Venice festival facemasks. Shops' souvenirs are relatively cheaper than those from street vendors.Everytime we are in a new place, both me and my wife make sure that we visit any place of worship, Venice was no exception. We are convinced that it is our humble way of giving respect to such town or city. As a matter of fact, we went in to this little chapel and sat for awhile. The atmosphere was nothing different from any church, but again it's those unique and intricate interiors that made my eyes wonder all around.
We stole another extra time to sit, reflect, and pray.



Back strolling, I started feeling a stronger breeze gushing before us; we're few blocks away from the open plaza - Piazza de San Marco. I can say that this is the biggest area-of-interest on the main island. There was no obvious decline of activities here: tourists kept strolling and taking pictures while pigeons on the ground mingled contentedly with them. Though there's few construction and maintenance going on in the area at that time, that did not prevent us capturing the stunning beauty of the place. I initially took notice of this beautiful St. Mark Basilica. It's so apart from some that I've seen because of its golden horse sculptures on top showing off their gallantry gait to observers. A half concave dome-shaped structure with mosaic profile of Byzantine at the centre augments attraction to the facade. TO BE CONTINUED..