2.06.2009

PhotoHunt #8 - Bridges (of Venice)

Rialto BridgePhotoHunt Venice is probably one of the cities if not the only city in the world that has a lot of bridges. Since it is composed of 126 islands and separated by about 200 canals, it has a lot of bridges and boy let me tell you, it is a lot! I read somewhere that it is connected by about 450 bridges. For this week's Photohunt, I'm posting a number of bridges I photographed in Venice last summer. I photographed a lot of bridges in all seven countries we visited but I have to keep this post short. I used up most of the system memory in my notebook from the more than a thousand photos I accumulated.
The most famous bridge in Venice is of course the Rialto Bridge shown above. The best way to see it in my opinion is from a gondola. The gondola ride costs an arm and a leg plus another arm but it was well worth it. I posted about our gondola ride here. We stayed in a hotel near the Accademia and to get to St. Mark's Square, we had to pass a lot of bridges. If you plan on staying for a couple of days, I recommend staying at a hotel not too close to St. Mark's Square. Doing this will let you discover the real Venice, far from the tourist area.
This next bridge is the Accademia bridge or Ponte dell'Accademia . It also crosses the Grand Canal just like the famous Rialto bridge. I took this photo while in a water taxi on our way to the hotel.


Accademia bridge
This next bridge is one of two that is next to our hotel. It just goes to the yellow house on the left. This is an example of the small bridges around Venice. You cannot go anywhere without crossing a bridge or two.

Venice Bridge
This bridge is the famous 'Bridge of Sighs'. It was made in the 16th century and connects the Palazzo Ducale aka Doge's palace with the prison cells. It is made of white limestone. It was named the Bridge of Sighs by Lord Byron in the 20th century. The prisoners after sentencing, crosses the bridge and had their last look out the window in the bridge before being imprisoned in the dungeon with no outside windows.
Bridge of Sighs
This is what the inside of the Bridge of Sighs look like. It is very narrow. You can see part of the window at the right side. The view is of the pedestrian bridge on the other side and the Grand Canal waters. You need to go into the Doge's palace to go to through the Bridge of Sighs.
Inside the Bridge of Sighs
This is one of our last memories of Venice. We just passed the large bridge in the background, one of the many that crosses the Grand Canal. This was taken from the water taxi on our way to the train station. I never thought that I would fall in love with Venice, but I did. I'm glad that we made it a part of our Europe trip last year. It is a magical and beautiful place. You should go and see it for yourself.
Venice Bridge

26 comments:

  1. I never knew that Venice has a lot of bridges until I read this post. It's so perfect for this week PH theme.
    Thanks for sharing this photo, now I can add Venice to my dream vacation list. ;)

    and thanks for stopping by my Bridge earlier.

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  2. @Bintang
    I'm sure you will take hundreds of photos when you go to Venice. It is one of those places where you can never take enough photos. I think I took hundreds of photos and wished I could've taken more. Plan to stay 2 nights minimum just to roam around Venice. You'll find beautiful places to take photos of every where you go.

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  3. Awwwwwwwwwwww.....I would love to go to Venice!! This is so very very lovely!! What a beautiful shot!!

    http://shinade.blogspot.com/2009/02/photohunt-bridges.html

    Happy weekend!:-)

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  4. Lovely photos of a wonderful place :) Looks like you enjoyed your trip :)

    Happy weekend!

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  5. @Shinade
    You should go! It is an unusual place but very beautiful. Thanks for dropping by. :o)

    @Julie
    Yes we did. :o)

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  6. Venice is certainly a beautiful place ..

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  7. Great shots...thanks for sharing. It may be the only way I ever see Venice.

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  8. What a beautiful bridge to go with an amazing city. I'd love to visit one day. Thanks so much for sharing and stopping by my place. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  9. Beautiful collection, thanks for sharing!

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  10. Wonderful post! I did Venice this week too but you did a much better job showing the many types of bridges there are. Isn't it the most amazing city? Happy weekend!

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  11. hi mama,

    That is beautiful. Is it really romantic place?

    Have a great weekend...

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  12. These are great shots bff! Wish to visit these places too.

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  13. Hi there! Thank you for commenting on my blog. I so appreciate you!

    I just wanted to say that bridges always make me feel good. ;) Venice must have been beautiful! Thank you for sharing the photo!!

    ~Mon

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  14. Great shots, thanks for sharing.

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  15. mareng barb, buti ka pa nakarating na sa venice.. ako kailan kaya? wink*

    nice photos.. thanks for sharing!

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  16. A beautiful place I would love to go visit sometime. Great photos. My post is up, come on by.

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  17. Oh i came back for a second look. I really would love to go someday. It's my dream. I would also love to visit Malaysia and some of the surrounding islands.

    Thanks for taking the time to drop by and visit!!:-)

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  18. Great shot and beautiful bridge! I wanna go there someday :)

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  19. Wow! all of your photos are gorgeous! I hope some day to travel to that part of the world and see the gondolas, but by the time I can afford it, it might cost a whole body! lol..My photo hunt is up, please come and visit

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  20. Venice is on my list of must-sees!

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  21. Hi Babette ganda ng mga shots mo. Nag enjoy talaga kayo sa bakasyon nyo ah.

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  22. Really beautiful. I would absolutely LOVE to go there some day if I can afford that gondola ride!!

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  23. wow amazing pix!!! so beautiful!

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  24. I'm always amazed looking at the photos of Venice and other places in Italy. My big brother had been there and he said its beautiful.

    I could imagine how you and your family enjoyed Venice through your wonderful pictures!

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  25. Thanks for all your comments. Venice is truly an amazing place to visit. I would love to go back someday.

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  26. hello!!!lovely!!!oi sama mo ako fairy godmama sa sunod mong punta lol

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Thank you for taking the time to comment. :o)