Getting to the palace was a lot of fun! Although I can’t imagine how one would ever get around Venice without Google Maps or something like it. The “streets” are generally simply alleys, and they twist and turn all over the place; there is no organizing principle in their layout that I could see. Everywhere there are canals, gondolas, and crowds.

And shops? Too many, of too many different kinds, to list.

This one, though, really caught my eye. I wonder if they ever thought of selling the privilege of lying under the cascade, eating yummy chocolate?

The palace is part of a complex that also includes Saint Mark’s Basilica. We didn’t want to wait in the (very) long lines to get into the Basilica. Maybe on our next visit!

The palace is built around a giant courtyard (it also incorporates a prison; more on that later). The structure has at least three floors above ground, maybe more.

As you would expect, the palace has a lot of rooms, of all sizes, all completely covered with artwork.

Some of the rooms featured clocks of a kind I’d read about but had never seen before. They lack a minute hand, because when they were built, the timekeeping mechanism wasn’t accurate enough to show minutes.

But the most spectacular room — which was where the major events took place — seemed to be as big as a football field! I’m amazed they were able to design something like that — for an earthquake zone — that has survived for centuries.

It also sported benches around the perimeter that you were able to sit on. Which gave us a welcome rest stop.

This being a palace of a ruler it had an armory. The field guns had barrels so narrow they looked like a modern rifle mounted on wheels. I guess they hadn’t yet figured out how to build larger cannons.

There was also a lot of armor (and swords). One thing we both got a laugh out of was a “helmet” to be worn by a horse in battle. We couldn’t imagine the horses liked wearing it!

The next stop on the tour was the prison. I suppose it was convenient to have dungeons in the same building as the courts that doled out justice, but I couldn’t help but think how they probably gave the entire complex a foul odor.

OTOH, since standards of cleanliness and hygiene back then were far short of what we expect today, perhaps no one noticed.

After leaving the palace we had a nice lunch in a cafe on the waterfront next door. Fortified by that, we did what every tourist must do when visiting Venice: take a gondola ride.

The ride was a lot of fun, although not particularly “unique” in that you’re one of a long line of gondolas following the same route.

If you ever ride a gondola, here’s a pro tip: if you want to take pictures, arrange to be the second couple boarding the boat. I didn’t get many shots because the nice couple in front of us were busy taking lots of pictures.

We decided we still had (barely) enough energy to hit one more museum, so we went to the nearby Museo Correr.

The museum was originally built for Napoleon’s stepson, Eugene de Beauharnais, to rule from as viceroy. It features a rather eclectic collection, including a room dedicated to Casanova.

There was also the requisite map room, once again including an upside-down map of the known world. Perhaps that orientation reflected the geographic focus of Venice’s maritime trade, which was mostly to the south and east.

But my favorite room was this one. A typical restored opulent meeting room…except for the quirky modern sculptures added to it.