No place captures the romantic imagination more greatly than Venice.
The early afternoon found us sailing into Venice. Residences with ample green space……
soon gave way to crowded buildings, crowded walkways, and water traffic in the Grand Canal.
Notice the crowds in St. Mark’s Square. All those people look like tiny dots from the Lido deck of the cruise ship.
More crowds walking to St. Mark’s Square.
We sailed by lovely churches and multiple canals.
The Brilliance of the Seas docked at the Port of Venice. Our ship is the one on the rear left.
It was quite a little hike from the ship to the port exit. Tourists who had purchased ship’s excursions were spared the walk as their motor coaches picked them up near the ship. We chose to “Do our own thing,” which took a little trial and error on our part – even with all my prior research and planning.
The cruise terminal is a good distance from the main tourist areas of Venice. Be prepared to do a lot of walking. Royal Caribbean offered a water bus shuttle direct to St. Marks for $25 per day. There is also the option to purchase the “Actv” pass which is like a city subway or bus route on water. Maps are posted and with a little study, they are not hard to read. 
However, we could not find the Actv stop at the port of Venice, so we purchased the Aliliguna pass at 30 Euro for 24 hours. It picked up right at the port near our ship where the Royal Caribbean water shuttle was and had stops we liked without having too complicated a route. See the much simpler Aliliguna map:
We spent day one in Venice at St. Mark’s Square among the crowds.
and marveled at the architecture.
Next, we set off among the narrow pedestrian streets getting pleasantly lost several times. Sometimes a passageway would dead-end at a church.
Other times, we would step out into a nice plaza.
We ate in a restaurant that did not have outdoor tables, but it did have air conditioning, free wifi and toilets. Public toilets are not easy to find, so it is important to plan for snacks or meals where a restroom accompanies the purchase!
We arranged for a Gondola ride at sunset.
Ours is the one with the red seats. The Gondolier maneuvers the boat standing on the back. We began our journey in the daylight through narrow canals and into the crowded Grand Canal as the sun was beginning to set. 
There are over 400 gondoliers now, all under government control, so the prices are fixed. Our gondolier started at age 19 and has been making his living this way for thirty years.
We finished our evening enjoying gelato while listening to music in St. Mark’s Square. Many of the restaurants in the square have live music outside, and one can stroll around and easily listen in.
We enjoyed the city lights at night from aboard the Aliliguna 
and back to our waiting ship – also lit up for the night.
Our ship stayed in port overnight in Venice. The Aliliguna water boat’s first departure was for 7:56 AM, so we left our ship by 7:30 to allow enough time to walk to the loading area. The shuttle made two stops before St. Marks, but we weren’t getting off there yet today. We noticed a water ambulance and a sail-in emergency room along the way.
After several more stops, and about one hour total, we arrived in the city of Murano – known for its glass-blowing. My mission: Find a vase certified from Murano that won’t break the bank when I purchase it.
There was a public water closet (toilet) for 1,5 Euro each with a broom blocking the entrance. Once I paid the attendant, she removed the broom!
In Murano, A gentleman at the entrance to the Aliliguna dock…
told us if we walked around the corner and across the bridge we could see a complimentary furnace and demonstration. We watched the glass blower and toured the gallery.
Since we showed interest, they welcomed us to the private showroom where a member of the family explained the technique of the mosaics in the glass. Precious pieces with precious prices. I Loved the gallery tour, and saw three pieces I considered. One was a mosaic vase about 8 inches tall with gold leaf inside for 280 E, Another was a thick, heavy vase with two colors swirled together – about the same price. The third was a large vase about 14 inches tall with vertical glass dripped and swirled along the outside in rich amber, gold and red. The owner said the artist was a young, “master” not so well-known yet, so this piece was “only” about 600 E shipping included. I thought I would enjoy having a nice piece of Murano glass, but this seemed like a lot of money. The salesman was very courteous, not pushy at all, and seemed to enjoy showing someone around who was appreciative of the art. We found an alley nearby that led into a residential area, and after winding around a few minutes we came upon a canal with several bridges and shops on both sides. 
It reminded me of Venice, but without the crowds. Then again, it was only 10 AM, so perhaps the throngs had not arrived. We walked through several galleries and furnaces including one that used to be a church.
and made a few little purchases including a small, two-color swirled glass vase similar to the one at the first gallery but MUCH less expensive. The older gentleman spoke little English. He showed us a certificate and pointed to the name and then to himself. Then we found a larger gallery – still off the main drag but closer to the docks. He took us to his fine showroom off the main showroom after I expressed interest in a larger piece. As it turned out, we purchased a vase, very similar to the one I liked at the first gallery, at less than half of the price, and they packed it carefully and shipped it to my home.
We rode the Alilaguna back to a stop near St. Marks, found an outdoor cafe for wood-fired pizza. I asked for Sprite which they didn’t have, but they offered lemon soda. It was lemon juice in club soda – quite tart.
At ten minutes before our 24-hour pass with Aliliguna was to expire, we boarded for the final time and returned to our ship which set sail after sunset for a beautiful scenic journey away from Venice.
Next port: Split, Croatia