What a Ve-Nice Place to Visit!
May 25, 2008 – Venice, Italy
Tim: Lois, this is the way all visitors to Venice should first see this city, traveling down the Grand Canal, don't you agree?
Lois: Wow! Is this a dream or are we are really in Venice?
Yes, we were tired after so many hours on planes. But the sights that began to unfold on the vaporetti boat ride down the Grand Canal rejuvenated our energy.
We had made arrangements for an extra night's stay at our tour hotel so we could rest and acclimate a bit before the official tour began the next day. Rest we didn't, for the excitement of this place was now in our blood. Map in hand, we went out on our own for a mini excursion and first dinner in Venice.
Our official tour began promptly at the appointed hour the next day when we met our tour guide Rick Garman—the "other" Rick in the tour company—and the members of our tour: Tom and Barbara, Elizabeth and Scott, Ann and Jim, Carol and Larry, Linda and Barry, Becky, Grace, and Fay, Sherry, Naaman, Nate, and Allison, Laurel, Toni and Mo, and Wayne, Beth, and Molly. After some introductions, we each partnered with a "buddy" that we would keep tabs on ever so often so that no one would be left behind in crowds. Our guide provided essential information for the tour ... then off we went on a walking orientation of Venice.
Tim: Hey buddy Carol, I see you're here.
Lois: Barbara, hi buddy!
We anticipated our first dinner as a group to be a gastronomic delight, but at the same time a non-threatening way to learn about dining customs in Italy while enjoying the company of our new friends.
Tim: Lois, remember for one group dinner we had pasta with clams and an antipasto with all kinds of seafood. Hey, we were in Venice, what else but seafood? It was g-r-e-a-t!
Lois: That interior garden setting at the restaurant was delightful.
Venice is a wonderful place to explore, no streets as such, just walking lanes that cross the smaller canals ever so often. Every block has something of interest.
Tim: Piazza San Marco—that's St. Mark's Square, but I just love hearing place names in Italian. We read about it, saw umpteen pictures, but there is nothing like being there in person to take it all in.
Lois: Yeah, I loved hearing the bells in the Campanile.
Our tour guide arranged for a group twilight gondola ride, four gondolas plus a singer to serenade the evening ride.
Lois: Isn't it romantic?
Tim: Yes dear, romantic. (Um. Our gondola is dipping in the back. Looks like our gondolier has been eating plenty of pasta.)
One day our group had a local guide give us a personal tour of the Basilica San Marco and the neighboring Doge's Palace. Another day a provided local guide introduced us to the art of Venice as represented in the Accademia Gallery. She was wonderful and helped us understand the evolution of Renaissance art from the Venetian perspective.
Lois: Remember the time we took a shortcut across the canal using the traghetto? We stood up in the gondola just like the locals. What fun.
Tim brought along some digital copies of 19th century prints of Venice to see how things have changed over the last 130 years. Really, not much has changed. It was fun standing in the same spot as some travel photographer did so long ago and enjoying the view.
Our last evening in Venice. We had to stroll along the Canale di San Marco, past the Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica, and through St. Mark's Square to listen to the music once again.
Three plus days in Venice and we were now heading for Florence.
Arrivederci Venezia! We will be back.
