So here we are at the foot of the Campanile in Piazza San Marco waiting in line to buy a ticket to ride the elevator to the top.

Bill's thinking that this might be the perfect opportunity to get rid of all those euro coins clanking around in his right pocket.  He had a bunch in a drawer at home before he started the trip and he hadn't had a chance to spend them yet, but now ... there's an eight-euro admission fee to the campanile and maybe, maybe, yep ... he counted through all the coins and with a 1-euro here and a 2-euro there and a few half-euros and a few euro nickels and dimes and pennies he really does have eight euros in coins.  And so he walks up to the ticket seller's window -- looks like a traditional old bank teller's window -- and proudly clanks his handful of coins into the little brass money tray ... and the ticket guy throws a fit!  All in Italian!  And then he proceeds to count the coins dramatically, making a little pile here and a little pile there, alla the time a rantin' full throttle in Italiano.  It was one of the funniest highlights of the trip and Bill got to ride the elevator to the top anyway.  (Edit after this narrative was written: Bill DID NOT give him 1 and 2 Euro coins.  He gave the poor man about 50 pennies and two-cent coins!)  (Edit after the edit:  Patty doesn't know what she's talking about.  Ah, the advantages of being the final editor.)

View from the top.

There are miles and miles of canals out there between all those buildings.  But from up here you can't see a single one.  Amazing, huh?

Basilica di San Marco from up above.

The Doge's Palace from up above.

Patty's having a good time.  Seriously, on a beautiful day like this the view from the top of the Campanile was just fascinating.

Patty and Bill think so, anyway.

So do Bill and Cindy.

The Campanile is a bell tower.  See? 
There are warning signs all around, too.  DON'T RING THE BELL!  Golly it was tempting, though.

That's a customs office. 

And that's the Campanile that confused Bill.

Looking down on the Piazza San Marco loggia.

Looking down on Piazza San Marco and that awful billboard.  I think it's hiding construction.  I think.  I hope.

Don't ring the bell.

More Venice.

Patty has found something she thinks Peg would like.