A slow boat to Venice

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Today we are on a river cruise from Padua to Venice, where we will be staying for the next 4 days. I’ve learned that if I ever think about taking a Viking River Cruise someone should shoot me. Seen one tree, seen them all. The occasional citing of a palazzo isn’t enough to hold my interest. Plus, I feel lousy, but if I’m going to feel lousy, this is the day to feel lousy. The poor tour guides are compelled to talk incessantly to try to make the trip interesting. Since they have to say everything in Italian, French and English, they can never stop talking.

I made if off the boat to the first palazzo that was pretty amazing. The Pisano family wanted a summerhouse suitable for the family’s patron who was elected the 114th Doge and started construction in the 16th century. Unfortunately for the Doge, the construction wasn’t completed until 14 years after his death. The palazzo has 114 room of which we toured 30. At one point it was owned by Napoleon and part of the building was redone in the “French” style with wall hangings that don’t fare well in this climate and simple furniture. The ballroom was amazing. When you look at the picture it looks like there are columns and carvings on the wall, but it is all trompe d’oiel. The pool was a recent addition and the lovely building at the other end of the pool is a stable. Some horses have all the luck. This building was the site of the first meeting of Hitler and Mussolini and as the tour guided commented, “We all know where that went”. I didn’t get out for the second palazzo and Jack reported that it wasn’t as interesting except for one Murano glass chandelier and he took a picture for me. We just went through the second bridge that is opened and closed by hand (yawn).

The last palace we visited was the palace of the Malcontents. A 68 year old gentleman can home unexpectedly to find his 18 year old wife with a lover. He built this palace outside of Venice, gave it to his wife as a gift and then locked her up when he traveled to keep her in line. It is an interesting story, but the palace was not nearly as grand or interesting as the first. This palazzo is currently owned by Venetians who permit tours when they aren't there to help cover the cost of upkeep. They probably should charge more since the place is in desperate need of renovation. Actually, almost all of the exteriors of all the palazzo with the exception of the Pisano palazzo that is a state run museum, need exterior painting at a minimum. I'd never have my shutters be covered with badly peeling paint.

As we pulled into the Venice lagoon, the skies opened up. Fortunately by the time when we docked, the rain had subsided to a drizzle. We boarded the vaporetto and when we got to our stop, we couldn't find the apartment. We got close and the young woman who manages the property found us and got us there. The apartment is OK and is another example of the you-get-what-you-pay-for law of goods and services. I kind of cheaped out on the apartment to spend more money on private guides. I can live with trade-offs and as long as the place is clean, I can deal.

Our boat tour had a large, French tour group who are traveling together to celebrate their 60th college reunion. For the first time in a while, Jack and I are in a situation where we bring down the average age of the passengers. I’m looking at my future and it isn’t pretty.

By now, I felt pretty crummy so we picked a restaurant that was close. It turned out to be the best meal we've had. The head waiter was in an elegant suit and the owner with a ponytail and Converse All Stars. In addition to being very hip, the owner really cared about the food and the customer experience and made a point of coming over to talk to the diners at each table. When the menus came, I was given a menu without prices. When the head waiter came over to show us the fish specials of the evening, he made apologized for having to talk about prices in front of me. I explained that I managed the money in our household, so when it was time for the check he gave it to me. Also, he didn't apologize to the younger women in the restaurant when he talked about prices in front of them. At least he understands that things are changing.

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