VENICE
March 25, 26, 27
Ann came to Italy and Croatia about 8 years ago with her cousin, Jerry, and brother, Peter. Jerry had been to Italy countless times and knew the country from Trieste to Palermo. In planning the trip Jerry concluded that Ann and Peter “had” to see Venice so they went and loved it.
Fast forward. On this trip, I let Ann know that it wasn’t important for me to go to Venice. However, Ann felt that if we were in
Italy, I “must” see Venice. After much resistance over the course of seconds, I succumbed. Good succumbtion.
Of course, the train ride from Lucerne to Milan was again spectacular. When Ann was purchasing our Eurail tickets she was advised to go with the first class pass (she blinked and made the decision). This train, like everyone we had, was always comfortable, never crowded and truly enjoyable.
From Milan to Venice, we sat across from a man and his 18 year old son who were from Garden Grove. Dad was stationed in the Army in Vincenza during the mid to late 70s and was retracing his steps with his son.
Shortly
after arriving in Venice, we were on a vaporetto (water taxi) and headed down the Grand Canal. You either walk over bridges or take the water taxi. If you walk, you get lost. If you take the water taxi you only get lost after you arrive at your stop. There are small alleyways (streets) about 8 feet wide throughout this city They lead to other alleyways which lead to bridges, alleyways and ultimately lead to water taxi stations. It is a rite of passage to get lost in Venice, so Ann says, and we did our part in keeping this tradition alive.
After getting lost, we arrived at our
hotel on the Piazza Santa Maria Formosa…a really nice hotel with off season rates but pleasant seasonal weather. A canal runs adjacent to the square with gondolas passing by, gondoliers singing their songs
…muy romantico. Of course, there was a cathedral…during the day there was a make shift market, mostly vegetables and fruits…the locals used the square to play and congregate. Our room, with two balconies, overlooked the piazza. It was great.
We went to the Guggenheim Modern Art Gallery while we were there. It’s situated off the Grand Canal. It has a beautiful garden and a more beautiful interior. I was very moved here because it brought me back
to my theatre days. Anyway, Chagall, Magritte, Miro, Modigliani, Pollack, Calder, et. al. I don’t “get” much of it yet it “gets” us. Peggy Guggenheim amassed quite a collection and we were informed by the receiptionist that many of the artists whose paintings were represented here were also her lovers….she is buried in the garden there, along with the remains of her13 dogs.
A couple days, we just cruised on the taxis on the Grand Canal. We sat up front…enjoyed the classical buildings, side waterways and the great Italian people. On the trip, Ann has been rather nonchalant about shopping but she did receive an adrenalin rush in Venice as we wandered the streets and made some purchases
We had some great pastas here: bigoli with anchovies, tagliatelle with smoked tuna, tagliatelle with shrimp and zucchini…noodles rule.
Before we left, we asked the manager of the hotel if he would help us send a postcard in Italian to our friends in Piacenza who were so kind to us. We prepared the sentiments and he substituted the language. Now, earlier that day, I had a talk with the manager. His thoughts about politics were always introduced by saying “I’m not a communist but….” Fill in the blanks…workers rights…health care….distribution of wealth, et. al. As you know, I’m non controversial but when he said free legal, it was time to put the gloves on.
Anyway, he translated for us but I suspected foul play. I went over
the card with a bilingual Italian and one of our phrases was translated to: “your feet smell like rotten anchovies.” (Ann’s disclaimer: It’s not true and it’s not funny)
March 25, 26, 27
Ann came to Italy and Croatia about 8 years ago with her cousin, Jerry, and brother, Peter. Jerry had been to Italy countless times and knew the country from Trieste to Palermo. In planning the trip Jerry concluded that Ann and Peter “had” to see Venice so they went and loved it.
Fast forward. On this trip, I let Ann know that it wasn’t important for me to go to Venice. However, Ann felt that if we were in
Italy, I “must” see Venice. After much resistance over the course of seconds, I succumbed. Good succumbtion.Of course, the train ride from Lucerne to Milan was again spectacular. When Ann was purchasing our Eurail tickets she was advised to go with the first class pass (she blinked and made the decision). This train, like everyone we had, was always comfortable, never crowded and truly enjoyable.
From Milan to Venice, we sat across from a man and his 18 year old son who were from Garden Grove. Dad was stationed in the Army in Vincenza during the mid to late 70s and was retracing his steps with his son.
Shortly
after arriving in Venice, we were on a vaporetto (water taxi) and headed down the Grand Canal. You either walk over bridges or take the water taxi. If you walk, you get lost. If you take the water taxi you only get lost after you arrive at your stop. There are small alleyways (streets) about 8 feet wide throughout this city They lead to other alleyways which lead to bridges, alleyways and ultimately lead to water taxi stations. It is a rite of passage to get lost in Venice, so Ann says, and we did our part in keeping this tradition alive.After getting lost, we arrived at our
hotel on the Piazza Santa Maria Formosa…a really nice hotel with off season rates but pleasant seasonal weather. A canal runs adjacent to the square with gondolas passing by, gondoliers singing their songs
…muy romantico. Of course, there was a cathedral…during the day there was a make shift market, mostly vegetables and fruits…the locals used the square to play and congregate. Our room, with two balconies, overlooked the piazza. It was great.We went to the Guggenheim Modern Art Gallery while we were there. It’s situated off the Grand Canal. It has a beautiful garden and a more beautiful interior. I was very moved here because it brought me back
to my theatre days. Anyway, Chagall, Magritte, Miro, Modigliani, Pollack, Calder, et. al. I don’t “get” much of it yet it “gets” us. Peggy Guggenheim amassed quite a collection and we were informed by the receiptionist that many of the artists whose paintings were represented here were also her lovers….she is buried in the garden there, along with the remains of her13 dogs.
A couple days, we just cruised on the taxis on the Grand Canal. We sat up front…enjoyed the classical buildings, side waterways and the great Italian people. On the trip, Ann has been rather nonchalant about shopping but she did receive an adrenalin rush in Venice as we wandered the streets and made some purchases
We had some great pastas here: bigoli with anchovies, tagliatelle with smoked tuna, tagliatelle with shrimp and zucchini…noodles rule.
Before we left, we asked the manager of the hotel if he would help us send a postcard in Italian to our friends in Piacenza who were so kind to us. We prepared the sentiments and he substituted the language. Now, earlier that day, I had a talk with the manager. His thoughts about politics were always introduced by saying “I’m not a communist but….” Fill in the blanks…workers rights…health care….distribution of wealth, et. al. As you know, I’m non controversial but when he said free legal, it was time to put the gloves on.
Anyway, he translated for us but I suspected foul play. I went over
the card with a bilingual Italian and one of our phrases was translated to: “your feet smell like rotten anchovies.” (Ann’s disclaimer: It’s not true and it’s not funny)Gerard....a happy man in Venice!
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