In deep water

While we toured St Mark's Basilica this morning, St Mark's square began disappearing under water. This is the phenomenon known as the Aqua Alta.

The water comes bubbling up from the lagoon through the drains and recedes the same way. 

We joined a very long queue for the basilica this morning and chatted to the American couple behind us and the Canadian couple in front. The line moved quickly and we were soon inside. We had downloaded a good guided tour on my phone which did wonders of making sense of an amazing but overwhelming place. We saw the basilica, the Treasury, the Palia D'Oro (an altar screen made of gold, enamel and thousands of pearls, rubies and emeralds) and the museum. 

Upstairs from the internal balcony we had a great view of the church and from the external balcony we saw the square slowly disappearing below us.

Above the distinguished gentleman on the left are replicas of the bronze horses looted from Constantinople when the Venetians led the the 4th Crusade on a diversion to capture the greatest city in Christendom. I'd care more about this cultural vandalism if the Romans hadn't previously nicked them from the Greeks. At one point Napoleon nicked them from the Venetians. If there is a pattern to this then the horses should disappear again some time soon on a cruise ship.

The square below still had people but the ubiquitous pigeons joined us on higher ground.

As we exited the basilica the water was flooding the marble entrances and we left on raised walkways. Forget Tuvalu, what will happen to this incredible place in the next 50 years as the oceans rise?