We spent most of our second day in Venice taking a boat ride in the Venetian lagoon. It was a small ferry boat and the ride took about 40 minutes each way. It stopped at the islands of Murano (famous for its glass) and Burano (famous for its lace and colorful houses), and from Burano we took another boat to the island of Torcello, whose wonderful old cathedral was our main reason for the trip.
Interior of Torcello Cathedral with a seriously amazing mosaic - probably the largest one I've ever seen! It mostly depicts the Last Judgment, with the Harrowing of Hell at the top (Jesus rescuing souls from Limbo before his Resurrection).
Hellfire and damnation
A lovely golden mosaic of the Virgin and Child at the other end of the cathedral
After Torcello we took a brief walk around the island of Burano, which was interesting. It's a small island and fishing village, where everyone clearly knows everyone. It has an intimate, family-like atmosphere except for the tourists tromping through it - poor locals! But the houses are definitely as colorful as advertised and the villagers hang their laundry out of their windows, so it's all quite picturesque. Unfortunately the colors were muted by overcast weather during our visit, but they were still unique and fun.
