Pouring wet and windy weather this morning made getting around difficult. Tourists cursed their fate, packed the vaporetti, and congregated under the colonnades at St. Marks, where the water was 10 inches deep in the square. Risers were set up all over town, and in many places, water was pumped from one side of a building as it seeped in at another. Concerned shop owners stood in their doorways, watching the water rise just to the lips of their doorsteps, as potential customers hurried by, not stopping even for a quick coffee. The mood was somewhat playful, mostly grim. It blew right past the amusing stage, way too much water; everything and everyone was soaked.

 By 2 p.m., despite continuing rain,  the tides must have changed because it was suddenly over. Shortly thereafter, the rain stopped, streets dried quickly, gondoliers bailed out their boats, got underway, while the emerging afternoon sun created beautiful shadows and reflections in the water left behind in puddles, and in the canals.