Day 9: A free day in Venice

July 28, 2014 We got up for an early stroll around Venice hours before the cruise ships began disembarking their passengers. The whole group then started on a walking tour of the city, led by Venetian woman named Elisabetta. She took us to a mask shop where we watched the mask making process. The shop had carnival masks as well as classic character masks from the Italian Comedia del Arte. Our last stop was St. Mark's Basilica which is built in a Byzantine style decorated with beautiful mosaics. Later, on our own, we saw a wedding, fruit and fish vendors, a shop that makes gondolas, dogs obediently trotting beside their owners without a leash, and pigeons waddling into cafes. After dinner we took an evening boat cruise on the Grand Canal. Perfetto!