But today wasn't just general wandering around either.
Before breakfast, I headed over to Rialto on the other side of the Grand Canal, to go to the local fish market that sets up in the morning. On the way over, the city was starting to come to life, with lots of deliveries going on - and it reminded me that everything has to be brought into and moved around the city by water-craft; similarly, everything going out has to go the same way, for example the rubbish system is water-borne - and the same goes for the police and ambulance: these are the things that you don't even think about, but make perfect sense.
It was pretty quiet when I arrived, as they were still in set-up mode, but it did get a bit busier while I was there, and you could tell that it would be pretty lively in no time, with lots of fresh fish laid out; and here's the thing, it was lovely to watch as the fish-mongers laid out each fish with detail and care, so that each fish had its place in the general order of things - nice to see to be honest.
Right next to the fish market there is a fresh fruit and veg section, and once again, the care of preparation and presentation was obvious (in fact, being there around 7am [things happen a bit later in Italy] I could witness it for myself).
Before heading in for breakfast, I decided to "get lost", so just kept heading north-ish, knowing that sooner or later I would reach the edge of the city. And what a sight when I did get there - there in the distance were the snow-topped Dolomites (not the Commonwealth Bank Dollar-mites, but the real Dolomites), part of the European Alps - a beautiful sight, and as it was quite unexpected, a lovely little surprise bonus.
The Doge was the elected head of state and supreme authority of Venice, a position that they held for life, but that wasn't generally very long, because they were elected from amongst the senior aristocrats of Venice; the etymology of Doge is from the Latin dux (leader), as is our "Duke". They were required to live in the Palace, which also served as the government administrative centre; they were only allowed to leave the Palace occasionally, and had to get special permission from the government if they wanted to leave Venice at all. It may not sound like they had much power, and they did have a very ceremonial position, but they also held quite a bit of power.
The Palace is quite stunning, with one room (the Chamber of the Great Council where the aristocrats met) is 53 metres long by 25 metres wide, making it one of (if not the) biggest rooms in Europe; it also has a single canvas right across one end wall (25 metres), making it the longest canvas in existence. The Palace sits on St Mark's Square, between the Basilica and St Mark's Lagoon (so a pretty good spot really), and pats of it date back to the 14th Century - pretty impressive! The Palace is made up of both the private apartments and the institutional chambers.
The Bridge of Sighs (which you cross when touring the Palace) joins from the Palace to the prison next door (over a canal) - so the bridge is named for the sighs that the prisoners would exhale as they crossed the bridge and had their last glimpse of freedom - not really all that nice when you think about it.
However, like we should all be used to in Italy by now - no photos allowed inside, so you'll just have to do with some shots from the courtyard area.
Then it was up the campanile (bell-tower) in the square (by elevator at 8 euros, as it's the only option) for good views over the city and to the mainland and the distant Dolomites again. You don't really get the perspective of the canals from up there, because they are hidden behind the maze of buildings; however, you do get a feel for that very maze, clearly driven by where the islands are underneath the buildings, and where they were able to build.
I am reliably informed (by Kim) that there used to be a phone at the top - so you could phone home from this unique position; however, given everyone has mobiles these days, it would seem that there is no longer a use for the public phone, as it is no longer there.
It turns out that the best views of the Rialto Bridge, which features in so many post-cards and views of Venice, are from the water - and the water-bus is a great way of seeing it.
Not exactly a great claim to fame.
As the accommodation is in the area, I went for a walk through the original Ghetto - as good a place as any to get lost (which I did, but found my way back again).
Tomorrow, it's off again; I'm sure I could have spent longer in Italy, as well as in Venice (so much to explore here), but time pushes on and so must I, so for now, it's arrivederci Italia!