Blogs from Venice, Veneto, Italy, Europe - page 9

Great start to the day after wonderful sleep in kings size bed. Had another excellent buffet breaky. Left at 8 for a guided walking tour around Florence which was great. Did some shopping and C-A got a leather backpack. After that we left on the bus for Venice with a stop for lunch st Bologna. Arrived at 4.30. Had to catch a river taxi yo our Hilton hotel. 5 stars. Had a restaurant dinner with the group and after we had a stroll around and watched a beautiful sunset. ... read more

We have looked forward to today’s outing ever since we started planning our trip nearly two years ago. We get down to the breakfast room reasonably early to beat the two tour groups staying overnight. We need not have worried. They were early risers, much earlier than us. We leave for the bus stop equipped with pre-purchased tickets and a plan. Arriving at the bus stop we find our first miscalculation for the day. We missed one bus by 5 minutes, the next one is 20 minutes away. We entertain ourselves wondering what the men are doing in the yard of the bus depot. They are measuring, marking and making chalk lines everywhere. We decide they need an all weather pitch for their lunch time football games and are marking it out. The bus arrives and ... read more

What little rain that fell last night didn’t seem to lower the humidity levels and the day’s temperature looks like it will be another 30+ degrees. We start the day with a good breakfast and leave the hotel for the short walk to the bus stop. On the way we need to buy tickets from the tabacchi. Easy. No. The tabacchi man says buy them from the driver. We join other people waiting for the bus. It is a tight squeeze but we all gather under the shade of a nearby apricot tree. The bus arrives and we attempt to buy tickets. The driver does not have any. A fellow driver waiting for his bus has some so the deal is done. Two euros each, a bit more than we expected. No one speaks or understands ... read more

Venice....Wow... Boat transfer to our hotel which is right on the Grand Canal. Rooms weren't ready so we left our bags and walked around and got out first Gelato!!! And Spaghetti Bolognese. Mmm mmm good. Small surprise...The cover charge to sit and eat at some places. Oh well we are getting use to it. Back to hotel and rooms are ready at 2:00. We've now been up since 6:00am Louisville time (26 hours). Shower time and a power nap. My goal in Venice is to eat Gelato, get loss, and drink wine. 2 of 3 accomplished. We were too tired for wine. We walked and walked and walked. Absolutely breathtaking. The canals. The boats. The language. The Gelato ?. Someone asked 'Where are all the cars'? Dogs in Venice.... Quote of the day.... 'I just realized ... read more

I spent the day in Venice and it was nice to be back. I took the train to get there. That is why I chose the hotel in Padua: for its proximity to both the tram (for seeing Padua) and to the train (for seeing Venice). I felt a comfortable sense of the familiar on arrival in Venice because Maggie and I have been there before. I got a day pass for the vaporetto (the boat equivalent of a bus in this city with no streets and no cars). First of all I rode down the entire length of the Grand Canal, listening to Rick Steves's commentary as I went. The canal is lined with old palazzos and gondolas ply the water (see photo). When I got to Piazza San Marco, it was a pleasure to ... read more