Day 9: Islands in the Storm

Got up really, really early this morning to take Madison to the airport. We boarded the boat around 7:30, for what was supposed to be a near 90 minute boat ride to Marco Polo Airport. But because we were out so early, most of the stops were empty. So we just slowed down and cruised right by. In the end, we made it to the airport about 20 minutes ahead of schedule.

We used a different boat line to get there, and were surprised when we had to validate our boat tickets getting off as well. The others just want you to validate getting on. Or maybe that was just our trip. We’ve also found that the busier they get, the less they check tickets. But I’m told the fines are very steep if you try to cheat the system.

We did the check-in kiosk as soon as we get in, but then needed to find out where to check her bag. Which ended up being the same line as people who didn’t use the kiosk. What’s more, they (Air France), wouldn’t let her check her bag early. She was told to come back at 9:50, about 40 minutes later.

So, we popped into a nearby airport cafe for donuts. At 8:49, Madison was in line and got her suitcase checked and on its way. She still had plenty of time to get through security (which only took about five minutes) and get to her gate. It was time to say our goodbyes (the hardest part) and send her off to Paris. She and an old friend are spending two days together in Disneyland Paris before she flies back to LA on her own. Our little baby growing up.

On our boat ride back to the main island, Marsha and I got the idea to hop off at the island of Murano, which is famous for glass-making. We asked if we had to buy another ticket to leave, and the answer was yes. Marsha thought it should be hop on-hop off until you reach your destination. I told her that it’s more like the Subway: you can go one stop or 50, it doesn’t matter. Once you leave the station, your journey is over. Since we were there, we decided to do it.

We texted Michael to see if he could join us and then went exploring. We found an old church that we just loved. It looked like the one where Michael Corleone got married. It was built in the 1100s and restored in the 1500s. Couldn’t get enough of it.

Past the church, towards the tip of the island, were a few quaint little houses. An artist lived in one and had a strange glass box with images on each side mounted in the yard. Next door was an old lady who was raking the grass in her courtyard. After those was a collection of very old apartment buildings that had clearly seen their better day. Some residents had their laundry out to dry, which was something we could use.

The island is like a mini-Venice with one main (but much smaller) canal, and a couple of narrow canals that branch off. With just enough bridges to get back and forth.

We visited a glass-maker and watched as he expertly blew hot glass, then expertly pinched it with his tongs to make a horse in less than five minutes. It took me back to my childhood, where we used to marvel at the glassmakers in Jamestown, VA. Except they just made glasses, cups, and bowls. Marsha bought a couple of little pieces (and even got a discount by hesitating on the price): a goldfish in a plastic bag and a gondolier. These are sold much cheaper around the island, but we both agreed that our gondolier looks much better.

By that time Michael had joined us, so we had a great lunch at a little cafe, where I finally got shrimp again. About the time we’d finished, the skies turned dark and the wind started picking up. The waiters packed up everything that wasn’t nailed down. Clearly, it was time to get back to the main island before the bottom dropped out. The skies behind us were dark, but the skies ahead were still blue. The only problem was, Marsha and I didn’t have tickets to get back.

We checked several stops, but none of them had a ticket machine. So then we went in search of the main docks (where Michael had come in) to find a way off. By that point, the storm was catching up to us and everyone was scrambling like rats to get off the island. We suggested that Michael head on to the airport (he’s flying back to the UK tonight), but he wouldn’t hear of it.

When we finally managed to get tickets from a machine, it had started to rain and didn’t look like the best time to get on a boat. So we turned back and found a little pizzeria/gelateria to ride out the rain (if you’re going to get stuck, a gelateria is the place to be). We didn’t want to be stuck there for hours and hoped that it wouldn’t last too long.

Which was exactly what happened. The rain stopped, the sky cleared up, and it was all over in an instant. What’s more, when we went back to the dock, we found an express boat that took us straight back to St. Mark’s. Everything was working out even better than we’d planned!

Language Update: I’ve been ordering just about every meal in Italian now, and the repetition has been a big help. Certainly making me more confident. I’m learning from my mistakes, because when I realize I did something wrong, I’ve got another opportunity a few hours later. And the consequences (ordering the wrong gelato) are fairly minimal.

Once we’d finally made it safely back to the hotel, it was time to say goodbye to Michael. We hoped he wouldn’t have any problems getting home and wished him a safe journey (this is foreshadowing). We also got final confirmation that Madison had made it safely to Disneyland and was in the park enjoying the rides and much cooler temperatures.

Marsha and I went back to the room for a few minutes for a short break, and ended up taking a nap. We heard the storm roll in about the time we fell asleep (more foreshadowing).

When we woke up about 90 minutes later, it was really quiet outside. No sound of boats or crowds. We looked out the window and the sidewalks were mostly empty. Yep, it had most definitely rained.

It was when we went out for dinner that we realized just how bad. There were tree branches down and a giant banner on a nearby building had been torn almost completely off. We found out later that Michael’s flight had been delayed two hours. It was around 1:45 in the morning before he made it home. Which is not great, because he’s covering for me at work!

Marsha and I took the opportunity (and fantastic temperatures) to explore the other direction from our hotel. At first it looked pretty sparse until we found a wide street full of bars and people. We also found a few parks, including one with a crazy art installation. Plus more and more buildings and canals that look like something out of Disney World.

On our way back, we passed a couple of yachts parked not too far from our hotel. Including one owned by American multi-billionaire John W. Henry. Which was huge and very nice.

But that was nothing compared to the Norwegian cruise ship that we then saw being tugged out of the Canal. That thing was ginormous! Everyone on the walkway stopped to take pictures.

It was getting late, so we went back to St. Mark’s to grab a sandwich at one of the outdoor cafes. This time, we opted to try the one (Cafe Quadri) where they’d played the entire soundtrack to Grease. The sandwich was good, the tortilla chips from a bag not so much. But the best parts are the location (spectacular) and the music (fantastic).

There’s another cafe just down the plaza from this one, which also has a little band. We soon noticed that one band would play about three songs and then, when they were finished, the other band would do about three songs. The selections ranged from classical, to Broadway, to popular music. All instrumentals, of course. And when they began playing, people in the piazza would gather around to listen.

Let me tell you, our band really brought down the house when they did Bohemian Rhapsody! The whole song! The soprano sax did most of the Freddie Mercury parts, constantly going back and forth with the violin and the accordion. It was fantastic! We happened to glance back and noticed that the entire piazza full of people had stopped to watch and video them on their phones.

Perfect way to end our trip to Venice. We most definitely want to come back one day. I feel like we’ve only scratched the surface.

Ciao!

Day 8: Dungeons and Gondoliers

Yep, today was my special day, and pretty much the most amazing birthday ever. First of all, we’re in Venice. And we checked all the boxes.

Once again, getting up was a little tough. We had a tour of the Doge’s Palace scheduled at 11:35, and again I heard the question: “How much did we pay?” But it’s my birthday and that was the last English-speaking tour for the day, so we put it in high gear. We ran in right on the minute and managed to find our group (thank goodness they gave us stickers and we knew what to look for) just as the tour got underway.

This was the Secret Itineraries Tour, which takes you to areas the general public doesn’t get to see. In fact, someone tried to follow when our guide opened the iron gate, and she had to shoo himoff.

First she explained that the Palace of the Doge (head of power in 16th-Century Venice) was built around the prison. Which seems kind of odd. The Tower of London was built the same way, and we thought that was odd, too.

First stop was going down to the cells, which were tiny and cramped, built of stone, with no fresh air or sunlight, and no lavatory. Pretty disgusting place. What’s more, the cell doors are tiny so that prisoners would have to stoop way down to enter or exit. Each was labeled with a Roman numeral carved upside down in order to confuse anyone who tried to escape.

Then we went upstairs into the secret rooms that were only accessed by the Inquisitors and Judges under the Doge. We saw their wood-paneled offices, which could also be accessed via  secret doors from inside the Palace.

Of particular interest was the torture room (executions were held outside in public), where prisoners were strung up with their arms behind their backs until they confessed. This was done at night, with other prisoners moved to nearby waiting cells so that they could hear the screams. Like several rooms in the prison, it was specifically designed for intimidation. Windows were arranged so that the victim was illuminated in moonlight, but the three judges were obscured in shadow.

If the prisoner confessed early, he was treated with a massage, a good meal, and wine. And then back to torture again soon enough. A doctor examined them to see who was fit for torture and who wasn’t. The unfit got to listen.

The highlight of the tour were the upstairs cells (and nicer part of the prison) once occupied by the Palace’s most famous guest, Casanova, who was arrested for spying for the French. He spent a year in one cell digging through the wooden floor under his bed (prisoners had to supply their own furniture) in an attempt to escape. He’d just about dug his way through when he was moved to another cell for “good behavior.” He almost got in trouble when his guard discovered the hole,until Casanova pointed out the he’d done it for ayear without being noticed. Which didn’t reflect well on his lazy guard.

He eventually escaped from his second cell with the help of a renegade priest who was in the next cell. They dug through the ceiling, climbed into the Palace from the roof, took a nap, and cleaned themselves up with some better clothes. When the guarda opened the gates the next morning, they claimed to be a couple of noblemen locked inside and strolled right out the front gate the next morning posing as noblemen who’d accidentally been locked in for the night.

Once we finished the tour, we were free to do the general admission part, which was self-guidedand led you through the rest of the Palace, another part of the prison, and across the Bridge of Sighs. We were planning to meet up with Michael afterwards, but he surprised us by joining us inside the palace. We saw one palatial room after another, their Supreme Court, displays of swords and armor (including two early machine guns), and more. All filled with beautiful paintings and incredible architecture.

Last stop was the Bridge of Sighs, which crosses over a canal and joins the Palace to the Prison.It was so named because its small window provided the convicted their last look at freedom on their way to incarceration.

On that happy note, we headed back to St. Mark’s Plaza for lunch at one of the tiny cafes. We’d heard this was ridiculously expensive (location, location, location), but it wasn’t that bad. The drinks were, but the sandwiches were reasonable. A dadgum seagull stole half my sandwich as thewaiter was handing it to me, then got into a fightwith some more gulls over who got to eat it. Michael had to go wash up, so our waiter provided a net-like cloche to keep it protected.

Afterwards, we headed off down the narrow streets in search of a gondola. I’d read that even though there’s an official price, the gondoliers tend to charge more in the busy season and that we might have to pay more. So we went searching forone well off the Grand Canal. I’m thinking now that that this may no longer be true (or we just got lucky) because our guy quoted the standard price.

Let me tell you, those things are not very stable and it was tricky to get in and out. Yes, it’s a very touristy thing to do, but you’re in Venice! How can you not? And yes, it was a fantastic experience! We marveled at how well our gondolier (who’d been doing it for ten years, from a line of gondoliers) controlled the boat, maneuvering through the canals, shouting to the other gondoliers when turning a corner, and passing under bridges with barely an inch to spare. Definitely a magicalexperience. We loved every second of it.

Back on land, it was time for some gelato. So we went right back to the same shop we went to last night. Got the same flavors, too. And yes, it was quite delicious!

We still had a few hours for dinner, so it was time for exploring. After researching Venice in preparation for our trip, I’d found a few interesting sights to see. The challenge was finding them. Venice is like a big, wonderful maze, full of canals, bridges, and dead ends. The GPS on our phones helped (we put Michael in charge), but sometimesthe streets are so narrow and close together youcan easily be on the wrong one.

After trekking for a good while (sometimes in thewrong direction), we found our way to stop #1, which was the Acqua Alta Libreria (High Water Bookshop). Many of their book displays are built from boats, bathtubs, and other floating vessels. They even have a gondola full of books in the middle of the store. In the back is s staircase madeof books, where people lined up to snap photos.

Next stop was a clothing store that caught our eyes as we passed. Not just because the clothes were cool (and made in Italy), but because everything was 15 euros or less. Every one of us came out with something.

Then we had to backtrack a bit to find the Ponte dei Conzafelzi bridge. It’s another favorite spot for photos because you have the perfect view of canals on either side of an old building. Looks just like a calendar photo. It’s really hard to take a bad picture here.

From there we went to the Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo Corteo, which is yet another favorite spot for photos due to the ornate circular staircase that runs up the outside of the building. They offer tours, but we’d gotten there ten minutes after closing. Some youngwomen in the courtyard we’re promoting a little concert there for tomorrow night. Not sure we’ll make it, but we took a brochure anyway.

Our last stop just before dinner (aside from the Venice Disney Store) was the Rialto Bridge. We’d seen it from the boat while coming in, of course, but was glad we finally made it over to see it up close. I hadn’t realized it had shops just like the Ponte Vecchio, but was a little smaller and more upscale.

We celebrated my birthday dinner at Da Mamo, which was down a narrow side street from the Disney Store. Had to wait for them to actually open, but they had our table reserved in the back. With my name on a table tent that also read “Happy Birthday.” I’d been dying for some shrimp, so I ordered some prawn meatballs as an appetizer, which were pretty good. Also had the Carbonar, which was good, but not as good as Luciano in Rome (no gold fork, either).

About halfway through the meal, they started playing “Happy Birthday,” but it was for someone else. Then a waiter checked my tabletent, so when they played it again, I knew it was for me.

We were worried about finding our way back since Michael’s phone battery was running low. Butthen I noticed some little yellow signs on every street that pointed the way to Saint Mark’s. We got back much quicker than it took to get there.

We stopped in the Piazza for a bit to enjoy the sights and listen to the music from the cafe bands. One of them did the entire soundtrack for Grease (instrumental, of course), which was a real crowd pleaser.

Had to call it a night earlier than usual because we have to get up early and take Madison to the airport. Sad to see her go, but she’s heading to Disneyland Paris to spend a couple of days with a friend before flying home to LA.

Ciao!

More photos to come...

Day 7: Ah, Venice!

We were a little behind getting up this morning (my fault), but still managed to make it to the train station in plenty of time. We were going to pop into a McDonalds for breakfast (I did check one out in Florence, but unlike France, the menu wasn’t all that different), but opted instead for a pattiseria (pastry shop). And despite being a little rushed, we still got to the platform before our train did. Though Marsha was so anxious, she almost boarded the wrong one.

Once again the seating arrangements were off kilter, with me a row off again. But at least this time Marsha and Madison were seated together. The only hiccup was trying to get into our seats by maneuvering around one particular family who must’ve had all of their worldly possessions in giant suitcases for which they couldn’t find any room (they eventually succeeded after our first stop in Bologna). Otherwise, the trip was smooth sailing. Lots of tunnels at first, then wide open countryside.

There are actually two stations for Venice (Venezia): one on the mainland (where a surprising number of people disembarked), and one at the top end of the islands. This was the last stop for the line.

We’d decided that as soon as we got there, we’d go ahead and book Madison’s train to the airport. But when we tried to book it on the kiosk, we couldn’t find the airport. So we stopped and asked someone at the transportation booth. She explained that there is no train to Marco Polo airport. Well, that explained that. So we bought “bus tickets” (found out later they meant water bus) instead, which still required some figuring out.

Ah, Venice! As soon as we stepped out of the train station, the views were amazing! Right on the Grand Canal, boats going everywhere. Took a minute to figure out which vaporetto (another water bus) but all it really took was checking a sign. In the movies (like Spider-Man: Far From Home, currently playing at a theatre near you), they always show people going by water taxis (speed boats, for which our hotel has a private dock), but that’s seriously expensive. So we took the vaporetto, which is much cheaper, but took forever because it pulls up to every single stop on the Canal. Gives you a good tour of the city, except for the hordes of people getting on an off and all the shuffling that comes with that.

Our hotel, Hotel Danieli, is amazing! Right on the Grand Canal and right behind our vaporetto stop. It was built in the 1400s (like Rome and Florence, everything here is quite old) and looks like a palace. Which it probably was. I tried to do the check-in speaking Italian, but explaining the extra bed situation (Madison is only staying two out of the three nights) was too much for me. Next time!

Our very nice check-in person led us up to the room and showed us all the amenities. We even had a welcome card, a bottle of wine, and a box of cookies waiting. The room is spectacular and overlooks the Canal. Couldn’t ask for anything better.

By this time, we were getting hungry, so we tried the Terrace restaurant at the hotel, which offers amazing views of the city. They explained that the kitchen was currently closed and all they had was the limited bar menu, so we just ordered some sandwiches. They were rather pricey for a bar menu, but did I mention the view? And the portions were surprisingly huge. Madison’s was the only one small enough to finish. Mine was a giant club sandwich with trianglular pieces arranged to make a well full of french fries. Very creative!

We were going to do a gondola ride afterwards, but Marsha and Madison were just too tired, so they opted to take a well-needed nap. I would’ve done the same, but our friend Michael from London flew in to visit. So we spent a couple hours wandering around and catching up.

Marsha and Madison joined us later, so then we spent several more hours exploring and catching up. Everywhere you turn, there’s another cool street, a little bridge, or intriguing piazza. We saw plenty of Gondoliers paddling their way down the canals, sometimes even singing. Ah, Venice! 

We found we all kept taking pictures of the same things. And every now and then, you reach a dead end that stops at the water. We tried to visit one of the few parks, but found it was under renovation. But as I said, there was plenty to keep our interest. And you just can’t take a bad picture anywhere.

By dinner time, because of our giant lunch, we still weren’t hungry (except for Michael), so we stopped for gelato while Michael grabbed some pizza. We ended up on a bridge crossing the Canal that actually looked fairly new. With the sun down, we marveled at a nearby building with a gondola parked outside and a tiny cafe at the bottom of the bridge. It looked like Disney World. Some passing teenagers saidit looked very “Pirates of the Caribbean,” which was exactly right. Except it was REAL.

Ciao!