I swear, you can take pictures in Venice with your eyes closed and they still look great! A friend of mine and I took a quick day trip (mom get-away) to Venice. It was a calm relaxing day without much of a schedule- perfect. 
As you can see, it wasn't very crowded. But don't worry, they were still feeding the pigeons.
Nothing like a day of trying to communicate with the natives to show you how little you know.
I am enrolled in an Italian II class. In theory, I am doing well. I get the verbs. I get that you can have a "masculine" table and "feminine" chair. I get all the conjugations, no problem. The biggest problem I have is knowing which syllable to stress. Seems Italians really can't recognize a word if the accent is misplaced- even a short word. Furthermore, they are so intent on guessing what you are trying to say in your "caveman" Italian, that they aren't listening to what you are saying.
My french mom reminded me recently about an incident during our travels. We had stopped at an outdoor cafe/restaurant to get a bite to eat for the girls. (Unlike Italy, you can eat whenever you want : ) Our long-term plans included dinner at my french sister's home, but there was no way the kids could make it until 7 or 8 for dinner. We perused the menu and found something that was suitable for them as a snack. Nanny-o decided she would order a beer, I think I was getting something to drink as well. Nanny-o ordered a "Kronenburg."
Soon, the food arrived. The plates were settled onto the table and a large plate of rich chicken was placed in front of Nanny-o. Initially, we thought perhaps it was one of the kids' meals. Nope, theirs came a moment later.
Along strolls my french mom - she sees the heavy meal and wonders out loud why we were having dinner when we had previously made dinner plans. She was the one who figured out the mishap!
Nanny-o had said "Kronenburg" and our waiter heard "Cordon Bleu."
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Love, Mimi