Friday, June 16, 2006
Journal of Italy - Venezia (Venice)
Venice - June 1, 2006
I have to be honest. I was underwhelmed by Florence and I was also tired. I was tired of large cities and couldn't 'get' the whole concept of Venice. I think the notion of it scared me, floods and boats and sinking cities. I couldn't even really imagine what you walked on if the streets were canals. Silly, but I didn't know.
I tried to get a flight home, but my ticket was nonrefundable, and the new ticket would have cost over 1,000 Euros, so I chose to go on to Venice. I missed Carol and didn't look forward to it.
When I got on the express train that morning, my reserved first class seat (you do have to love the Italian train system, it works very well) was a single seat on the right hand side of the car, facing another single seat with a little table between us. A gentleman sat down opposite me, smiling widely, friendly and chatty. He too was traveling alone and we figuratively fell on each in relief. A dinner partner for that evening in Venice! Neither of us had been to this city before. Ron is a professor of chemistry at a community college in Hawaii. He planned to spend two nights and a day in Venice before traveling north to Austria and several other countries. His hotel was right near the railway station, but mine, alas, was near San Marco, so we made a dinner date and I was off on my own on my first vaporetto, a water bus that goes down the Grand Canal just like the #5 in New York City goes down Broadway.
When we walked out of the train station, my heart snagged. I had been there two minutes and I loved Venice already.
When I debarked in San Marco, it was a mob of tourists. It didn't take me long to figure out that they don't use proper "addresses" to find places in Venice. The narrow little alleyways they call streets are a maze of zig zags and cheerful Venetians sort of pointed in the direction (north, east, south or west) of the hotel I was seeking. Since there are stairs up, and down every little side canal that empties into the Grand Canale, I was rolling my little suitcase behind me, bumping up and down stairs, thanking myself for mailing the other suitcase home in Cinque Terre. I turned corners and asked, turned and asked until at last I find "La Fenice et Des Artistes Hotel."
My little room on the top floor overlooked charming rooftops and had a patio as large as the room itself.
The hotel is next door to the famous Le Fenice Opera House, and has provided rooms for opera stars and its walls are covered with autographed photos of them and other dignitaries. In addition, an art collection of modern Venetian artists decorates the large main floor lounge.
Basilica di San Marco
There are more Venice pictures to come.
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I have to be honest. I was underwhelmed by Florence and I was also tired. I was tired of large cities and couldn't 'get' the whole concept of Venice. I think the notion of it scared me, floods and boats and sinking cities. I couldn't even really imagine what you walked on if the streets were canals. Silly, but I didn't know.
I tried to get a flight home, but my ticket was nonrefundable, and the new ticket would have cost over 1,000 Euros, so I chose to go on to Venice. I missed Carol and didn't look forward to it.
When I got on the express train that morning, my reserved first class seat (you do have to love the Italian train system, it works very well) was a single seat on the right hand side of the car, facing another single seat with a little table between us. A gentleman sat down opposite me, smiling widely, friendly and chatty. He too was traveling alone and we figuratively fell on each in relief. A dinner partner for that evening in Venice! Neither of us had been to this city before. Ron is a professor of chemistry at a community college in Hawaii. He planned to spend two nights and a day in Venice before traveling north to Austria and several other countries. His hotel was right near the railway station, but mine, alas, was near San Marco, so we made a dinner date and I was off on my own on my first vaporetto, a water bus that goes down the Grand Canal just like the #5 in New York City goes down Broadway.
When we walked out of the train station, my heart snagged. I had been there two minutes and I loved Venice already.
When I debarked in San Marco, it was a mob of tourists. It didn't take me long to figure out that they don't use proper "addresses" to find places in Venice. The narrow little alleyways they call streets are a maze of zig zags and cheerful Venetians sort of pointed in the direction (north, east, south or west) of the hotel I was seeking. Since there are stairs up, and down every little side canal that empties into the Grand Canale, I was rolling my little suitcase behind me, bumping up and down stairs, thanking myself for mailing the other suitcase home in Cinque Terre. I turned corners and asked, turned and asked until at last I find "La Fenice et Des Artistes Hotel."
My little room on the top floor overlooked charming rooftops and had a patio as large as the room itself.
The hotel is next door to the famous Le Fenice Opera House, and has provided rooms for opera stars and its walls are covered with autographed photos of them and other dignitaries. In addition, an art collection of modern Venetian artists decorates the large main floor lounge.
Basilica di San Marco
There are more Venice pictures to come.
##
