I don't know where I am !

Nice easy morning ... nothing planned until 4:30pm when I will take a booze cruise around the islands
Went out looking for the Rialto bridge, which wasn't easy to find as all the canals and bridges look pretty much the same.  Google maps on the iPhone isn't much help in Venice as the buildings are tall and close together so the GPS goes a bit wonky.
After some time (and the help of a tourist map) I found my quarry !!  It's not as bit as big as the Ponte Vecchio in Florence but the idea is similar ... some stores facing inwards in the bridge and LOTS of tourists.  It takes a nice picture from the outside as it has a distictive shape and is white in colour.  Walking on about 5 minutes from the bridge you come to St. Mark's Basilica and square.  It is truly a lovely looking structure.  There are 4 bronze horses adorning the roof above the main entrance and there is much oppulence (as there is with most Basilicas).  I asked what the difference is between a Basilica and a Cathedral and the answer I was given was that a Basilica must have relics within it's area ... whether that is within the above ground structure or below it.  I don't know if the answer is right or not, but it sounded reasonable.  I decided to skip the line up for this Basilica and just go up the Bell tower (was about time I climbed something *LOL).  Joke was on me this time ... this one had an elevator !
The views were great and gave you a good idea of the size of venice and how concentrated the buildings were.  Without roads to space the buildings apart it really looked crowded.
I wondered my way back through the little streets and back alleys finding my way to the meeting point for my booze cruise.  I got lost in a residential area and ended up circling back on myself before I realized I'd take the wrong street about 5 minutes prior.  As I back tracked, I found myself enjoying the peace and quiet of the area ... no tourists (except me).  I reached the meeting point and the 6 passengers climbed aboard the boat for and hour and a half tour around the island.  We got through a bottle of Prosecco, a bottle of wine and some beer during the trip.  The 'captain', Alessandro, also made some Tapas (known in Italy as Cicchetti) which was very nice.
After the cruise, I started my wandering back to my Flat which took my through a popular area I hadn't been to yet.  I did a bit of shopping and found a place for some dinner. 
Tomorrrow I think I will head off to some of the smaller islands around Venice.