A Venetian New Year's Celebration - December, 2015

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A Venetian New Year’s Celebration



The final week of 2015 dawned bright, sunny and breath-taking cold in the Park Hotel on the shores of Lake Bled, Slovenia. Today marks the beginning of my 7-day sojourn in Venice, where I will bring in 2016 hopefully in style. Leaving this picturesque location high in the Julian Alps shortly after breakfast, the bus headed west to the Italian border. I had snagged the entire back row of seats so I had the opportunity to take pictures from both sides of the vehicle, as we wound our way thru towering peaks lightly dusted with Christmas snow.



Sunrise arrives late this deep into December and just before 8am the sun peaked over the closest mountain top and bathed the alpine valley with streams of liquid gold. Snow sparkled in this early morning light and the air was crystal clear. Small villages dotted the landscape and smoke from numerous chimney tops curled lazily into the sky. Talk about a picture-postcard scene! This is a very popular ski area and is close enough to Italy to entice both Italian and Slovenia skiers onto the slopes as soon as the first snows arrive.



We crossed the border a couple of hours later and made a quick stop at a large gas station/restaurant on the highway. It’s never too early for an expresso especially when sipping it and simultaneously drinking in the crisp mountain air with the mercury hovering just below zero – can life can any better than this? I think not.



Venice is approximately a 4-hour drive from Lake Bled, and by lunchtime we were arriving at the Marco Polo International Airport where we were to meet Arianna our tour guide for the next couple of days. Grabbing luggage from the bus, we started our hike across the vast parking lot to the nearest water taxi station, where we would be boarding a vaporetto for the quick ride across the lagoon to the island of Venice.



Humidity is high in this part of the world and a thick mist hung over the mainland and islands which make up Venice…..it was damp and cold….very different than the drive thru the Julian Alps early in the day. Once onboard the vaporetto water taxi, the driver took off like a bat out of hell and we were instantly roaring across the water towards the main island. Less than 10 minutes later we docked just a few meters from the main railway station and a short walk to our hotel. The Hotel Abbazia is located down a narrow alley from the main waterfront shopping area….if you didn’t have a guide, you would never find this place. It had a very narrow entry way which opens directly onto the alley – it was obvious this building had not originally been a hotel, but I certainly wasn’t ready for what it had been in the past – a monastery - and if that doesn’t fit me to a T, I don’t know what does….LOL The tiny reception area had a solid marble floor and steps which lead into a large room currently serving as the main lobby but was apparently the dining room for the monks in a former life. There was even a pulpit high up on one of the walls where sermons were delivered during meals…..that is supposed to assist with digestion? I highly doubt that. The walls are solid dark wood panels and the room is furnished with couches and deep arm chairs. Highly decorated for Christmas, it was rather attractive overall. It’s a 3-story building with no elevator….I was grateful my room was on the second floor – my bag was too heavy to drag up 3 flights unassisted.



Walking into my room at the end of a long corridor I had to laugh, it immediately reminded me of a French whore house (not that I would know what that looks like, I might add). Very dark wood paneled walls on two sides and a dark red material wallpaper on the others, matching the red silk bed cover. One single window overlooked a secluded garden area – this has to have been a monk’s cell at one time, now completely redone. The television had the smallest screen possible and the reception was terrible. Dropping everything in the room, I grabbed my camera and headed out to explore the immediate surroundings.



It had been a few hours since the 6am breakfast call and my stomach was growling. Less than 20’ from the hotel entrance I found a restaurant advertising a 2-course lunch (choice of meat or fish for the entrée) for the low price of 12 euros – a bargain in expensive Italy. Had a fantastic lasagna with soup and salad and that fortified me to continue sightseeing for the afternoon.



The major bus and rail stations were located less than a mile from the hotel and as I would be moving to the Hilton Garden Inn on the mainland in two days, I wanted to get an idea of how I would transport all my stuff there. Needless to say, the Island of Venice does not have vehicles of any kind except maybe for a few bicycles and the ever-present vaporettos both public and private. With the thousands of tourists coming here, the only sensible way to transport luggage is to hire porters for 5 euros who take you and your belongings from the hotel directly to either station – that works for me.



The waterfront was crowded and the temperature was dropping well below freezing as sunset approached – time to retreat to the warm and comfort of the hotel lobby and edit my new Venice photos.



The next morning Arianna arrived promptly at 9am to take the group to the world famous Island of Murano where glass makers have plied their trade for hundreds of years and produce the most beautiful pieces imaginable. Another wild ride across the lagoon on a vaporetto and this time the mist was so thick, it was almost creepy. It hung just above the water’s surface, blotting out buildings and making visibility almost nil – how the hell those drivers can maintain such speed in such conditions, beats the hell out of me. As we approached Murano, the red-brick buildings emerged from the fog and the wooden dock pilings popped up out of the water, throwing sprays like diamonds up into the air.



We were met at the door by the managing director who walked us into the main warehouse factory where glowing white-hot furnaces jumped the interior temperature up by at least 20 degrees! It’s a very old building dating back to the mid 1500’s, but I have no doubt it has been refurbished numerous times over the centuries. We took our places on wooden benches facing these furnaces and were introduced to the master glass-blower who spent the next 30 minutes, demonstrating his incredible talent. I saw him take a glob of liquid glass and in less than 3 minutes create a horse statute raising up on hind legs – it was simply gorgeous. Apparently so valuable were these glass masters in Venice’s heyday, they were never allowed to leave the island ever, for fear of giving other countries the secret of their trade. They were honored by the entire city state, given the nobility’s daughters for wives but no freedom to ever leave this small island in the middle of the lagoon. What a life – not!



Following the demo in the factory, we were led into the fabulous show rooms where a myriad of brilliant glass pieces were highlighted with special lamps, throwing every color of the rainbow around the rooms. We were told photography was forbidden in these rooms, but hey, when have you ever known me to follow rules? I think not. See my photos for these incredible gems….they are simply mind blowing. When I read the price tags on various items my credit card was already in tears – definitely not for my price range, but I believe a couple in our group purchased a lovely table lamp costing close to $1,000 (that includes international shipping thank god, considering the piece weighed well over 30lbs).



We then had a free hour to walk around the local neighborhood and visit other small glass stores with prices much more in my range, but I didn’t find anything I just had to have….so be it.



Back in the vaporetto and we headed for the world famous St. Mark’s Square and the Basilica which I have no doubt is familiar to all who are reading this blog. For the next 3 hours we walked the entire length and breadth of the Doge’s Palace (all three floors), over the Bridge of Sighs and into the small but lovely Church of the Basilica. The art work displayed on the walls and ceilings of the Doge’s Palace were beyond description – talk about a feast for the eyes and senses…..this is Italian art at its finest. Each room had something of awe to consider. The heavy dark wood paneling highlighted by the vivid colors of Raphael, Titian, Bellini and Vivarini (the last two direct descendants of those marvelous Murano glassworkers) – these art masters and pioneers of the Venetian Republic during the Renaissance period.



Back onto the freezing early afternoon air, we had an hour before the grand finale event of the tour – a gondola ride thru the canals of Venice with an accordionist to serenade us on our journey – how cool is that? In my gondola sat the accordionist and another couple, and for the next 45 minutes we gently moved thru narrow water corridors, under decorated stone bridges including the Rialto and finally out into the Grand Canal. This place is truly amazing and I have done my best to capture its essence and beauty with my camera….check out the photos I am uploading with this blog.



My last evening on the island was spent slowly walking around the waterfront drinking in the sights and sounds of this magical historical location – it is everything I ever thought it would be. I stopped at a local waterfront café and in spite of the freezing early evening temps, I sat outside and watched the world pass by while sipping a macchiato and dining on a couple of Venetian pastries – to hell with the calories.



After breakfast the next morning and saying goodbye to friends of the past week, it was time to grab a local porter with his wheeled cart and head for the bus station. It was a brisk and chilly half mile hike but at least I wasn’t manhandling my suitcase, and the #5 bus headed to the airport was boarding as I arrived. Only 1.5 euros and 15 minutes later, the bus dropped me right outside the Hilton Garden Inn located on mainland Venice, and my home away from home for the next three days.



Checking into my ground floor suite, I was thrilled to see I had been assigned a corner room with a private outdoor garden terrace. In complete opposite to the Island, mainland Venice was bathed in brilliant sunshine, clear blue skies and temps in the high 40’s – I can live easily with this. First things first and after unpacking and selecting all dirty laundry from the past few weeks, I was delighted to find the self serve laundry room right across the hall. I spent the rest of the day getting all my clothes washed and relaxing in the king size bed – thank all the gods on high for Hilton, I can always rely on their Heavenly Beds in any of their hotels I stay in. Without a doubt, the best night’s sleep of the entire trip was about to take place.



I literally passed out for the next 11 hours and awoke the next morning to another beautiful Italian morning in Venice. Feeling totally refreshed, I headed downstairs to the hotel’s buffet breakfast – 3 cups of “to die for” Italian coffee with thick fresh cream, was only the beginning of a delicious meal. This seemed the perfect day to do exactly nothing: no sightseeing, no set time to be somewhere to meet someone etc., just a day to do whatever seemed perfect. Once the sun was high in the sky, the private garden terrace was bathed in liquid gold and warm enough to sit outside and read my Kindle. I ordered a pot of coffee and some pastries and enjoyed both for hours. It was wonderful and just what I needed after the hustle and bustle of touring for the past three weeks. I definitely must include a full “chill out day” just for me on all future trips.



After another wonderful restful night and equally fabulous buffet breakfast the next morning, I purchased an all-day bus ticket for 20 euros which gave me access to all land and water buses, shuttles and taxis throughout mainland Venice and all her islands. I jumped on the same #5 bus right outside the hotel and returned back over the bridge to the Island. A short walk from the bus station, I boarded one of the public water shuttles which cruise the entire length of the Grand Canal from end to end, stopping at numerous piers – it’s the local bus service for island residents. It took two hours to see this legendary waterway and people watching on this shuttle was a hoot! School girls, businessmen, tourists and shoppers all boarding and exiting at the various piers; private vaporettos flying by on either side, tourists in their rented gondolas – I had a fabulous time. Why pay for a private tour when you can use the local public transportation?



At the far end of the Grand Canal is the entrance to the Lagoon and the Adriatic. I left the shuttle here and found another waterfront café where I lunched on lasagna, soup, salad and a glass of delicious red wine, while watching the Venetian lifestyle pass before my eyes. Returning to the shuttle I once again cruised the length of the Grand Canal before arriving back at the bus station pier. Being midwinter darkness falls shortly after 4pm along with the temperature, and it was time to return to the hotel and pack for my return home.



A 3am wake-up call brought me out of a sound sleep and by 4am I was off to Marco Polo airport in the hotel’s shuttle. Venice has a very small airport and I was checked in, cleared security and was comfortably ensconced in the airline lounge drinking coffee by 5am. My flight was called at 6:15am – I arrived in Paris for my connecting flight to the USA, two hours later.



As I readied myself to board the transatlantic flight to Cincinnati, I was thrilled to see I had once again been upgraded to Delta One Business Class for the 9-hour trip – god I love Delta! LOL Happily settled into seat 5A with a Mimosa in one hand and warm cashews in the other, I kicked off my shoes and cuddled down under the feather duvet…..bring on the 4-course dinner and the movies. We landed stateside 30 minutes early and within an hour I was on my third and final flight to Las Vegas – yes, I was again in first class. As much as I love traveling, it is always so good to get back home and sleep in my own bed.



Until my next adventure, stay tuned to my blog and enjoy…….cheers

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