Venice - Day 1 - May 30, 2010

Arrival at Marco Polo Airport - After a smooth flight, we landed in Venice at about 9 a.m. Interesting to see the area from the air. There are a lot of waterways down there so it is understandable how Venice came to be built on a series of islands (to allow residents to more easily defend from marauders). The airport is clean and modern. We find our way easily to the information booth to buy 2 ATVO blue bus tickets to take us into Piazzale Roma at $3E each.

Cashing In - We decided to do what everyone suggests and play the airport ATM machine for euros. Unfortunately, no machine (we tried two) would accept either of our cards. We had called the credit card companies to tell them we were traveling in Italy. What is going on?? Thankfully, we had purchased euros stateside so we had some money but we were very worried about getting more. We tried to call one company collect and somehow that didn’t work.

ATVO to Venice - It’s time to hop on the bus and head to Venice. The bus is good, the ride is fine, and when we crossed the long waterway over to Venice, we knew we were almost there – anticipating what it would look like. The major bus transport area is adjacent to the train station. We had looked at area web cams at home and knew we would need to cross over a long arching bridge to the train station. Because we had both slept on the plane, we were quite fresh and ready to tackle purchasing our train tickets for the trip to Florence. No problem with that one and we were able to use a credit for the charge.


To the B&B - Off to find Al Campaniel B&B. Off down the narrow, twisting, winding stone streets. Up and over a couple of bridges over canals. The thing to keep in mind is that all the bridges are a series of stairs – totally incompatible with rolling suitcases. Thankfully, we had limited ourselves to one carry-on suitcase and a small backpack each. Mine was a roll-on and Bob’s was a backpack suitcase. We purposely planned it that way so that Bob could heave Kay’s suitcase as necessary. It was a good plan.

Although we could have taken a vaporetto to the San Toma stop near the B&B, it would have taken longer and the walk was both faster and closer. We had also looked at webcams for the location of the B&B, so we knew what the street would look like and the entrance to the B&B – across from a chocolate shop. We ring the bell on the nondescript door and voila! it opens to reveal a friendly face in small entry. We are able to get into our room immediately and heave our suitcases up the stairs. The room is very nice. Not huge but not teensy. It is clean, two windows, armoire, desk w/chair, 2 good sitting chairs clean bathroom with decent shower. We are one floor up from the street and overlook the chocolate shop.

Wired to Heaven - Blissfully, the B&B has wireless so Bob hops right onto Skype with the netbook to call the credit card companies and, long story (rather long) short, we are able to use one of the cards to get cash. Yaay! Huge relief. Moral of that story is to always try your cards stateside before taking any trip (Note: we’ve never had this problem before and it was unexpected.).

First Impressions - Wow! Venice is ever so charming. Through the narrow winding streets, bridge after bridge over tiny canals, past monstrous former palaces now occupied by tiny shops on the street level with living quarters above. Boats are parked much like cars on the tiny waterways. Water laps at the base of the large stone and brick buildings that rim the canals with zero clearance between them. The architecture definitely has a Byzantine, gothic, renaissance combo look with lots of the red tile roofs. Laundry hangs out to dry. Flower boxes drip with ivy, purple petunias, and red and pink geraniums. The scent of jasmine filters through the air. Birds sing their happy songs and pigeons coo. Since it is Sunday, people are out walking a wide assortment of dogs and children on their tiny bikes. We notice an absence of cats and later learn that wild cats don’t exist in Venice any more. The waterways, which are reputed to stink, don’t. A few drops of rain fall but not enough for an umbrella or even a coat as it is warm. Soon, the drops disappear and the sky is blue and beautiful with weather in the high 60s/low 70s.

Traghetto Trip - To reach San Marco square – the biggie for tourist attractions, we decide to hop a traghetto for $1E, which is a gondola that crosses the Grand Canal. The traghetto rowers are baudy and noisy as they grunt, bellow at each other, and row their passengers across – kind of an Italian style Laurel and Hardy show. It takes maybe 5 minutes and we are hoofing our way to hopefully run into San Marco Square.

Hunt for Lunch - We watch the corners of buildings for the painted arrows that point to San Marco. Lunch is a good idea but it seems daunting to order. Nevertheless, we stop at one of many sandwich places where Kay points to a couple of pre-mades which are thrown on a grill (Panini, I’m sure) to toast them up. Of course, we must have wine and, even though there is a menu, I feel the press of the crowds in line behind and order 2 pino grigio. I have no idea how much all this will be but I understand the amount and fork over $20E. Not exactly cheap but it’s ok. The shop owner asks if we want to sit at a table and shoos off a couple of gondoliers. Maybe we paid extra for this privilege – I’m not sure. Zero atmosphere but at least we were fortified for afternoon adventures. An Italian gentleman apologized for having his back to us. He was being friendly and he told us that he and his wife are from Genoa. All the months of taking Italian lessons and listening to tapes don’t seem to have implanted the language in my brain. I am basically speechless for the lack of words to express myself but we wear our friendly smiles.

Buying San Marco Pass - We make it to St. Mark’s Square and try to orient ourselves using the handy Rick Steves’ guidebook. We’re looking for the Correr Museum which is the recommended place - no line - for purchasing the “San Marco Pass.” This will give us admission to several museums including the ones on our hot list - the Correr, Doge Palace, Frari Church, and Ca’ Rezzonico. After orienteering ourselves, we discover that the Correr is actually right up the stairs where there is no line at all.

Tick Tock - We are helped by a fellow who has a major tick – as in flicking his head quickly and randomly. At first I thought he was just being silly and almost opened my mouth to say something stupid. He had his glasses hanging off one ear and every time he ticked (which was constantly), they would swing around in front of his face. You’d think the guy would know it looked pretty silly but then – maybe it was simply part of his cachet. Glad I kept my mouth shut and figured out the poor fellow couldn’t help himself.

Correr Museum - We wandered through a special art exhibit of a contemporary Romanian artist, Safet Zec. Wow. We loved everything he did. I sneaked a couple of photos when the guard left the room pumping up the ISO to 1600 so no flash was needed. That worked so well, I tried a photo in another room. The guard yelled at me so loud – NO PHOTO!  I swear I hit the 50’ tall ceiling I jumped so high. We visit the other rooms and exhibits and palace rooms which are filled with artworks by Titian, Caraveggio and many other Renaissance artists. After awhile, all that fabulous art becomes a blur.

The rooms are sumptuous with ceiling murals, often framed in heavy gold along with angels, demons, busts, other things of plaster adorning the ceiling. I try to imagine what it would be like to live in this place swishing around in elegant skirts, but it is hard to identify. Besides, I’d probably be a scullery maid. We pass through other magnificent rooms filled with the usual assortment of medieval weaponry and armor and statuary. After a good 70 minutes, we feel we have paid our respect to history and head off to perhaps see how long the line to St. Mark’s Basilica will be.

St. Mark’s Square - We wander through the huge square where children chase pigeons, tourists feed them and allow them to alight on their arms, all the while hoping to escape a poop bomb. I am prepared - if bombed - to resist wiping it out of my hair immediately. Steves said to let it dry and then it will flake out. Oh, gross! It is my biggest fear to end up with wet poop in my hair. Restaurants line the square with tables and chairs set out in anticipation of diners. After winding our way past souvenir stands and taking never ending photos, we decide to give the Basilica line a try. After all, it is the Steves’ recommended late afternoon timeframe and, indeed, the line seems to move rather quickly.

Into the Basilica - The Basilica is truly amazing. On our I-pods, we listen to the downloaded Rick Steves’ podcast descriptions of the place. They really add to the knowledge and enjoyment of everything. Mosaics are everywhere – glittering gold lining the ceilings and domes, shades of gray, marble, and terracotta patterns line the uneven, rolling floor. There is so much to absorb and look at. It is all inspiring, especially given the age of the place – circa 1300-1400 – depending also on renovations, fires, etc.

Up on the Loggia - We don’t pay extra to see the golden altarpiece or the treasury. I don’t know how much more overwhelmedness I can handle. We pay extra to hike upstairs to the loggia, San Marco museum and view the original bronze horses from the 4th century B.C. (they have been replaced by replicas on the exterior). Once again, I risk my life to take photos along the way of interior sights. Since I don’t use a flash, I’m not caught. We go outside to enjoy the loggia and view of St. Mark’s Square. We’re chilling out and listening to Steves’ podcast when it becomes apparent that the place is closing and we need to vamoose before they lock us inside. A couple of tourists to take photos of us while we return the favor. We wandered off onto the waterfront. As we wind through the back streets, we pop into a small church, Santa Maria Formosa, that was lovely and filled with art.

Rialto & Gelato – It’s after 5 p.m. so many tourist sites and museums are closed. We head for the freebies like Rialto Bridge. But first, it is high time for gelato, a long-anticipated treat at a Steves’ recommended place, La Boutique del Gelato. We limit ourselves each to a 2-scoop serving for $2E. The scoops are small and we’re not quite satisfied so we get another two scoops to share from a different place a few doors down that is just as good as La Boutique. Sigh – hazelnut, vanilla, coffee, strawberry, coconut, pistachio - can’t say a bad thing about any of them. The Rialto Bridge is perfect for watching the boat traffic on the Grand Canal. How can all these different boats exist and get anywhere? But they do. Gondolas thread their way dangerously through small motorboats, boat taxis, the ever-present vaporettos (which are like city buses only waterborne), construction boats filled with tools and boards, delivery boats with refrigerators and other appliances, and so on. All of them are out there jockeying for position on the swampy, gunk-filled waterways.

We head back to the room for a little R&R. Bob snoozes and Kay downloads pictures and fusses with the blog which she is dismayed to find has been shut down for some unknown violation. After more time trying to get things up and running, we wander out in search of dinner. While we could have looked for a recommended Steves’ place, we bag it and just wander since we’re tired of trying to find streets and locations. After much perusing, we end up at a Restaurant San Toma in a small square close to the B&B. The tables are outside with lighting around them, several people are there already, and we hope it is a good bet. Restaurants are not my favorite thing to deal with but the waiter speaks a little English and the menu is translated so that feels comfortable.

On the trail of Commissario Brunnetti - Before the trip, we had read several books by Donna Leon, all of which are set in Venice with the protagonist, Commissario Brunnetti. We are fans of the books and Brunnetti favors an evening grappa with his wife, Paola. We see his favorite flower shop, Biancat; and the police headquarters with boats. I tried a grappa and Bob orders a half bottle of house red along with lasagna al forno. I order a pizza with smoked cheese, sausage, and arugula, and we share everything. The bill comes to about $50E which seems like a lot of money for dinner. We never spend that kind of money back home. I guess that’s why we do it on our travels.

It’s about 10:00 and we’re tired. I decided to deal with the blog and internet another day.