For our last full day in Milan we had one of Tim's bucket list items in store. A visit to Michaelangelo's The Last Supper was in store, and we were all very excited. It was the one thing he wanted to do during our 2009 trip, and we were not able to, thanks to Dan Brown and his amazingly popular books that created such a hype about this particular painting. In fact, because the painting is so fragile, they only allow 25 people in every 15 minutes, and the tickets are booked 2-3 months in advance. So we made sure to reserve them before we left the states, and for a time we thought was reasonable (9:30 am).
In hindsight, we left the hotel room a little early (7:30 am) to make the trek over to the church. It wasn't that far away, we just wanted to make sure that there would be no reason for us to show up late and miss our entrance window. We ended up getting there a whole hour early, which left us with a little time to kill outside of the church.
We were supposed to get our tickets about 20 min before our tour, and once we had the tickets we could wait in the entrance hall for our guide. As a group we were taken through two entrance rooms which were supposed to decontaminate us (Michelle had visions of a Jetsons type moment with some kind of laser coming down and killing all microbes on her) but it seemed like we just walked through one room, had the doors close behind us, then into another room, with the doors again closing behind us, then we were in the room with the painting. The interesting thing with this painting, and why it is so fragile, is because Michaelangelo painted this painting directly on top of the dried plaster, as opposed to on wet plaster so that the colors could dry with the plasters, thus sealing them in. Because it was done on top of dry plaster, it almost immediately started deteriorating. And because it was done on dry plaster, they also cannot move it from the wall it was painted on. If it was painted in the wet plaster they could remove it from the wall and preserve it in temperature controlled conditions. So to say it is a fragile work of art is an understatement.
And it was impressive to stand in front of. The sad thing is, this is not the only painting in the room. The Last Supper is on one wall, and directly opposite is another painting of Christ crucified painted by . . . some other guy. Both are beautiful works of art, but who is going to pay attention to the other painting when it is in the same room as The Last Supper. Poor other guy.
Once we finished with our tour of The Last Supper we tried to find some shopping centers that were mentioned in some of our guidebooks. We found the area of town they were in, but they must have all closed or moved in the last few years, because none of the places we were looking for were where they were supposed to be. And since it was getting close to noon, we headed over the the La Scalla theater to take a quick tour. We were considering going to an evening show, but there was no opera or ballet playing that evening, and we were self conscious about our clothes. La Scalla is a pretty ritzy local, and we were not sure they would appreciate the zip off cargo pants and rain jackets we were sporting. Plus, with performances beginning at 8 pm, we wanted to be packing for the flight around that time versus attending a theater performance. So a tour of the theater and attached museum was a better option.
The theater itself is huge, 6 rows of seats straight up plus seating on the lower floor. Every surface is covered in red velvet, and there is a massive chandelier in the middle of the room. Apparently the theater was more of a whos who see and be seen kind of event, so though the acoustics are amazing, the purpose of going was not for the performances. Which is one of the reasons why the boxes face each other, so you can see who is there and what they are wearing. There are some seats where you can't see the stage at all. Again, additional reasons why it was probably a good idea that we did not go to an actual performance.
After La Scalla we had a good lunch of pasta at a little cafe and then headed back to the room. Ed decided to take a nap and Tim, Michelle and Diana went out in search of more shopping. There was a street that was recommended, Corso Buenas Ares, which was supposed to have a lot of good shopping. And there were stores lining the streets, but everything was so expensive ($350 euros for a pair of shoes anyone?) so we did not buy anything. We were all ready to splurge a little bit, especially since it was our last night there, but there are some things that are just too silly to even splurge on. Why spend that much on a pair of shoes when I can splurge at home and buy 5 pairs for the same price? So all in all, where the shopping was concerned, we were a little disappointed.
On our way walking home we bumped into a little restaurant with affordable prices and decided to come back with Ed for dinner. We feasted like kings here, especially because the prices were reasonable and the portion sizes were large. If we ever come back to Milan, we will come back here. After dinner it was back to the rooms to pack. We have a 9:30 flight out in the morning, which means leaving the hotel at 5:30 to get to the train station to catch the 6:25 train to the airport. It takes 45 minutes by train to get to the airport, which leaves us with 2 hours to get checked in and make our way through security. And once we get on the plane (with all of our passports this time! :) we can all breathe a sigh of relief. Almost home!
Friday, April 13, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Lake Como here we come!
Day 2 in Milan saw us leaving Milan. :) We figured that since we had so much time in this last city, and we had seen most of the major sights on our first evening, that we could afford to take a day trip. So after a late start and breakfast at a local cafe, we hopped on a regional train for the hour long ride to Lake Como.
Once there, we hopped a bus to get down to the lake, then on a fast boat to go the distance to the small city of Bellagio. Funny thing was, since we were taking this trip in the low season, we were a little concerned that the boats were not running yet. We were surprised to see that they were, and in fact had just started running the day before! Talk about good timing! The view of the shore from the boats is a treat in and of itself. So many of the homes are built right on the water, and either have only walking access from the road high above or are accessible only by boat. They have garages for their boats just like a house would for its car, you open a garage door and motor your boat right into the water entrance under your house. It is such a different way to live, I don't know if we have anything like it in the states. Such is the sacrifice if you want to build your house on a steep hilside next to a lake!
Once in Bellagio Ed found a place to sit near the water so he could watch the lake and Tim, Michelle and Ed began walking around to do some shopping. Shopping in Bellagio is part browsing and part Alpine hiking. The streets are not really streets if they are going up the hill, they are more like wide staircases with shops on either side. And these staircases are very steep. You don't really need a stairmaster if you spend much time there.
All three found some fun unique gifts for themselves and family members, and Tim and Michelle had a fun encounter with the owners of a wine shop. They were so excited to see a sign for wine tasting, as they wanted to bring back a few bottles, but were not sure which ones were good. Wine taskings would allow them to taste before they bought, so they would avoid bringing back a bad bottle. There is nothing worse than lugging a bottle of wine in your backpack all the way home, carrying the weight and risking it breaking all over your clothes only to have it taste horrible! After they walked in the store, the owners quickly told them that they just opened that day, and that they were still stocking the store, so the wine tasting was not ready yet. Tim and Michelle were dissapointed, and so the owners asked which bottle they were interested in trying. That bottle was found, and the owner pulled out two glasses and poured liberal tastings for them, no charge. Well, of course they had to buy something now. Luckily the wine was good, and they walked out with two bottles.
Once the shopping was done, we opted to take the bus back to town so that we could get a better look at all of the hilside homes. And we were not disappointed. Some of these homes really are built on such steep cliffs that you cannot access them by car. You have to walk up or down the long flights of stairs. There is something so . . . fantastic about this as a way of life. Anything you bring into that house has to be carried in. Which, theoretically, would make for a less materialistic disposable frame of mind. You don't get a new couch on a whim because you are tired of the old one, because it is too darned hard to get the thing into your house and to get the old one out. You would have to really think about how badly you wanted everything you were thinking of buying.
The bus took us back to the train station, then we jumped onto a train back home. We arrived around 10:30 pm, and searched for a place to eat dinner. The man at the front desk of our hotel called around, and found a place willing to have us come in that late. Unfortunately, this was also a very nice restaurant, but unlike the one we went to the night before, the wait staff here were not nearly as gracious. We were put at a table in the back corner, told how we would eat our meal (apparently we could absolutely not have our vegetable sides with our main meal, they had to be served after) and by the time the first course came, none of us wanted to be there any longer than we had to. Once freed from the pretentious restaurant we went back to our rooms and fell into bed.
A long day, but a good one overall. Our final full day is to come, then off to home!
Once there, we hopped a bus to get down to the lake, then on a fast boat to go the distance to the small city of Bellagio. Funny thing was, since we were taking this trip in the low season, we were a little concerned that the boats were not running yet. We were surprised to see that they were, and in fact had just started running the day before! Talk about good timing! The view of the shore from the boats is a treat in and of itself. So many of the homes are built right on the water, and either have only walking access from the road high above or are accessible only by boat. They have garages for their boats just like a house would for its car, you open a garage door and motor your boat right into the water entrance under your house. It is such a different way to live, I don't know if we have anything like it in the states. Such is the sacrifice if you want to build your house on a steep hilside next to a lake!
Once in Bellagio Ed found a place to sit near the water so he could watch the lake and Tim, Michelle and Ed began walking around to do some shopping. Shopping in Bellagio is part browsing and part Alpine hiking. The streets are not really streets if they are going up the hill, they are more like wide staircases with shops on either side. And these staircases are very steep. You don't really need a stairmaster if you spend much time there.
All three found some fun unique gifts for themselves and family members, and Tim and Michelle had a fun encounter with the owners of a wine shop. They were so excited to see a sign for wine tasting, as they wanted to bring back a few bottles, but were not sure which ones were good. Wine taskings would allow them to taste before they bought, so they would avoid bringing back a bad bottle. There is nothing worse than lugging a bottle of wine in your backpack all the way home, carrying the weight and risking it breaking all over your clothes only to have it taste horrible! After they walked in the store, the owners quickly told them that they just opened that day, and that they were still stocking the store, so the wine tasting was not ready yet. Tim and Michelle were dissapointed, and so the owners asked which bottle they were interested in trying. That bottle was found, and the owner pulled out two glasses and poured liberal tastings for them, no charge. Well, of course they had to buy something now. Luckily the wine was good, and they walked out with two bottles.
Once the shopping was done, we opted to take the bus back to town so that we could get a better look at all of the hilside homes. And we were not disappointed. Some of these homes really are built on such steep cliffs that you cannot access them by car. You have to walk up or down the long flights of stairs. There is something so . . . fantastic about this as a way of life. Anything you bring into that house has to be carried in. Which, theoretically, would make for a less materialistic disposable frame of mind. You don't get a new couch on a whim because you are tired of the old one, because it is too darned hard to get the thing into your house and to get the old one out. You would have to really think about how badly you wanted everything you were thinking of buying.
The bus took us back to the train station, then we jumped onto a train back home. We arrived around 10:30 pm, and searched for a place to eat dinner. The man at the front desk of our hotel called around, and found a place willing to have us come in that late. Unfortunately, this was also a very nice restaurant, but unlike the one we went to the night before, the wait staff here were not nearly as gracious. We were put at a table in the back corner, told how we would eat our meal (apparently we could absolutely not have our vegetable sides with our main meal, they had to be served after) and by the time the first course came, none of us wanted to be there any longer than we had to. Once freed from the pretentious restaurant we went back to our rooms and fell into bed.
A long day, but a good one overall. Our final full day is to come, then off to home!
Forgive our delay - Milan Part 1
So the posts on Milan are delayed a bit. We opted to enjoy the city and post later. Then, once home, we were caught up in life (and some serious cuddle time with Zander) and lost track of the week. Back to the adventure!
We packed up in the morning and were off on our last vaporatto ride back to the train station. The weather was a little soggy, so it was a great day to leave. One thing we have not mentioned yet is that every time we check the weather forcasts for the next few days, they always say rain, but when the next few days finally come, we see nothing but sun. It seems that we are one step ahead of the bad weather so far. And whereas the weather is usually in the 50's, low 60's this time of year, we have seen 70's almost every day. Which makes this the best time to travel. The weather is pleasant, and we are still in the "low season" so prices are still reasonable. The best of both worlds.
Arriving at the train station, we bought tickets to Milan and waited for the next train. It was a regional one, so no reserved seating and lower prices, but a longer train ride overall. Which was fine with us, we were all needing a little down time. We reserved a hotel for 4 nights in Milan, and Michelle is really hoping it is a good one. When you travel as the Hardleys usually do, never spending more than 2 nights in a city, you can deal with almost anything for a few days. When you spend 4 days in one location, you really hope it is good. And since Michelle and Tim's first short stay in Milan set the bar for the all time worst hotel E.V.E.R., they were hoping this place was decent. It was one metro stop away from the central train station, which was the one needed to get to the airport to fly home, so if nothing else, it was convenient.
Upon arrival, they were all pleasantly surprised to see a lovely hotel. It turns out that it used to be a 3 star hotel, and was recently upgraded to a 4 star. The funny thing was, there were a few amenities that you would expect to get for free from a 4 star hotel. Like the internet. Which we had to pay for. And shampoo. Which was no where to be found in the bathroom. And the headboards on the bed had the name of the hotel written on them and the number of stars right underneath. Except when they were upgraded from 3 to 4 stars, they didn't want to buy new headboards with the 4 stars on it. So someone litterally took a sharpie marker and drew in a 4th star. So a few little quirks, and a fairly small room, but it was clean, secure and a great way to end our European adventure.
After checking in and dropping our bags we headed out to walk towards the center of town. We wanted to show Ed and Diana the Duomo, the largest church in Milan, and the Galleria, a ritzy shopping area just outside of the church square. La Scalla theater is near there as well. We walked from the hotel over to the center of town to give them a flavor of what Milan was like. Much more of an industrial city (but still with European charm) than the other towns we had been to. The last time Michelle and Tim were in Milan they saw the outside of the Duomo, but not the inside. As we approached, we kept seeing people carrying olive branches in their hands. It soon dawned on us that it was Sunday, as in Palm Sunday, and the olive branches were the Italian version of the palm fronds that we usually carried on that Sunday. :) As we were going into the Duomo we also realized that we were in the middle of mass, so we grabbed a seat and listened to the end of the service.
Once the service was over we headed down to the Galleria. It is a large mall, with a high curved glass ceiling. Very beautiful, with wide open spaces and lots of restaurants and high end shops all along its sides. The last time Tim and Michelle were there they had shared a pizza and risotto at one of the restaurants, so we headed back to the same restaurant to see if the food was really as good as the memory. And we were plesantly surprised. The great thing about this place is that it is a high end restaurant, with higher prices than we are used to paying, but their is no air of pretension with the wait staff. We were dressed in our traveling clothes, complete with Jansport backpacks, coming into their nice restaurant. And our waiter was so gracious, so nice and attentive, you would have thought we were royalty. No one looked down their noses at our appearance, and our waiter fretted over Ed and Diana, making sure they had everything they needed. When one of our party needed to use the restroom, they found their chair being pulled out from behind them as they stood up by one waiter, while another was already at the lift calling it down from an upper floor so we could use it to get upstairs. The staff was that good. And the meal was excellent as well. It was a fine way to begin the Milan portion of the trip.
Once finished with dinner, we made the walk back to the room. The wind had picked up a bit, and by the time we got back to the hotel we were ready for the heater to kick in. We headed to bed to get our rest for the next day. Michelle was able to connect with Susanne and see Zander, which made her day. All in all, a good day!
We packed up in the morning and were off on our last vaporatto ride back to the train station. The weather was a little soggy, so it was a great day to leave. One thing we have not mentioned yet is that every time we check the weather forcasts for the next few days, they always say rain, but when the next few days finally come, we see nothing but sun. It seems that we are one step ahead of the bad weather so far. And whereas the weather is usually in the 50's, low 60's this time of year, we have seen 70's almost every day. Which makes this the best time to travel. The weather is pleasant, and we are still in the "low season" so prices are still reasonable. The best of both worlds.
Arriving at the train station, we bought tickets to Milan and waited for the next train. It was a regional one, so no reserved seating and lower prices, but a longer train ride overall. Which was fine with us, we were all needing a little down time. We reserved a hotel for 4 nights in Milan, and Michelle is really hoping it is a good one. When you travel as the Hardleys usually do, never spending more than 2 nights in a city, you can deal with almost anything for a few days. When you spend 4 days in one location, you really hope it is good. And since Michelle and Tim's first short stay in Milan set the bar for the all time worst hotel E.V.E.R., they were hoping this place was decent. It was one metro stop away from the central train station, which was the one needed to get to the airport to fly home, so if nothing else, it was convenient.
Upon arrival, they were all pleasantly surprised to see a lovely hotel. It turns out that it used to be a 3 star hotel, and was recently upgraded to a 4 star. The funny thing was, there were a few amenities that you would expect to get for free from a 4 star hotel. Like the internet. Which we had to pay for. And shampoo. Which was no where to be found in the bathroom. And the headboards on the bed had the name of the hotel written on them and the number of stars right underneath. Except when they were upgraded from 3 to 4 stars, they didn't want to buy new headboards with the 4 stars on it. So someone litterally took a sharpie marker and drew in a 4th star. So a few little quirks, and a fairly small room, but it was clean, secure and a great way to end our European adventure.
After checking in and dropping our bags we headed out to walk towards the center of town. We wanted to show Ed and Diana the Duomo, the largest church in Milan, and the Galleria, a ritzy shopping area just outside of the church square. La Scalla theater is near there as well. We walked from the hotel over to the center of town to give them a flavor of what Milan was like. Much more of an industrial city (but still with European charm) than the other towns we had been to. The last time Michelle and Tim were in Milan they saw the outside of the Duomo, but not the inside. As we approached, we kept seeing people carrying olive branches in their hands. It soon dawned on us that it was Sunday, as in Palm Sunday, and the olive branches were the Italian version of the palm fronds that we usually carried on that Sunday. :) As we were going into the Duomo we also realized that we were in the middle of mass, so we grabbed a seat and listened to the end of the service.
Once the service was over we headed down to the Galleria. It is a large mall, with a high curved glass ceiling. Very beautiful, with wide open spaces and lots of restaurants and high end shops all along its sides. The last time Tim and Michelle were there they had shared a pizza and risotto at one of the restaurants, so we headed back to the same restaurant to see if the food was really as good as the memory. And we were plesantly surprised. The great thing about this place is that it is a high end restaurant, with higher prices than we are used to paying, but their is no air of pretension with the wait staff. We were dressed in our traveling clothes, complete with Jansport backpacks, coming into their nice restaurant. And our waiter was so gracious, so nice and attentive, you would have thought we were royalty. No one looked down their noses at our appearance, and our waiter fretted over Ed and Diana, making sure they had everything they needed. When one of our party needed to use the restroom, they found their chair being pulled out from behind them as they stood up by one waiter, while another was already at the lift calling it down from an upper floor so we could use it to get upstairs. The staff was that good. And the meal was excellent as well. It was a fine way to begin the Milan portion of the trip.
Once finished with dinner, we made the walk back to the room. The wind had picked up a bit, and by the time we got back to the hotel we were ready for the heater to kick in. We headed to bed to get our rest for the next day. Michelle was able to connect with Susanne and see Zander, which made her day. All in all, a good day!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Gondola nights
This morning was something of a late morning. We all slept in and did not get going until around 11:00
We opted to do the big stuff, so we grabbed a seat in St Marks square and went through a Rick Steves audio tour of the square. In his guide book he also suggests that a quick way to bipass the long line to get into the church is to check a bag in baggage storage. They then give you a ticket that allows you to go to the front of the line. After a quick walk to the check in station, we zipped right into the church. Once there, we did the quick Rick Steves audio tour, which was great, and then we took a lift up to the upper floors where the museum was.
Since we took the lift, we actually began at the end of the tour and had to backtrack. We quickly abandoned the Rick Steve's audio tour of the museum because it was too hard to figure out where he was. There was a portion of the museum which allowed you to go outside and stand on the original rooftop. From there you had an amazing view of St Marks square below, and the grand canal off in the distance.
After our St. Marks experience, we went back to the room for late day snack of sandwiches. Ed and Diana opted to take a short nap before going out for the evening. Tim and Michelle decided to take a walk, but to toss the map to the side and just"get lost" in the city. It is fun to navigate by landmarks versus streets in a city like Venice. Michelle thinks it is a little like the 80's movie Labyrinth, the one with David Bowie. Just when you think you are walking down a set of stairs, everything changes. Lanes appear where there shouldn't be, stairs lead to open water and paths cling to the sides of buildings. It is just so surreal, you could spend your entire life trying to see it all.
After about an hour we headed back to get Ed and Diana to go out on a gondola ride. It was about 7:00 at this time, and we were a little worried that we had missed them for the day. Ok, let's be honest, Tim was confident that we would find one, and Michelle was the pessimistic one. We did find one man who was very energetic, and after a little teetering to get into the boat, we were off. Our gondolier was amazing, his dad was a gondolier and he inherited his license from him. He was born in Venice and had been doing this for 23 years. Apparently there are only so many licenses given out, and they are passed from father to son. You also have to train to be a gondolier, and there is a delicate balance between the gondolier community and the motorized water taxies. The gondoliers feel like they are preservationists of culture. One, because they continue the long tradition of having a person ferry others around (they are the original water taxis) and two, because of their presence the motor boats have to go slower, thus limiting the noise polltion and the damage the waves do to the houses. He was great at answering questions and was a very charming man.
After our little boat ride, we ate dinner at a small sports bar. They had amazing bread, Michelle had some good soup, Ed and Diana enjoyed the spaghetti and Tim enjoyed the Italian beer. The rest of the meal (there were three total courses for each person) was unremarkable. We were quickly off for bed, as we knew we had an early morning of packing and checking out. We are off for a train ride to Milan tomorrow, our last city. We fly out of Milan on Thursday, and will be home Thursday evening in the states. My how time flies!
We opted to do the big stuff, so we grabbed a seat in St Marks square and went through a Rick Steves audio tour of the square. In his guide book he also suggests that a quick way to bipass the long line to get into the church is to check a bag in baggage storage. They then give you a ticket that allows you to go to the front of the line. After a quick walk to the check in station, we zipped right into the church. Once there, we did the quick Rick Steves audio tour, which was great, and then we took a lift up to the upper floors where the museum was.
Since we took the lift, we actually began at the end of the tour and had to backtrack. We quickly abandoned the Rick Steve's audio tour of the museum because it was too hard to figure out where he was. There was a portion of the museum which allowed you to go outside and stand on the original rooftop. From there you had an amazing view of St Marks square below, and the grand canal off in the distance.
After our St. Marks experience, we went back to the room for late day snack of sandwiches. Ed and Diana opted to take a short nap before going out for the evening. Tim and Michelle decided to take a walk, but to toss the map to the side and just"get lost" in the city. It is fun to navigate by landmarks versus streets in a city like Venice. Michelle thinks it is a little like the 80's movie Labyrinth, the one with David Bowie. Just when you think you are walking down a set of stairs, everything changes. Lanes appear where there shouldn't be, stairs lead to open water and paths cling to the sides of buildings. It is just so surreal, you could spend your entire life trying to see it all.
After about an hour we headed back to get Ed and Diana to go out on a gondola ride. It was about 7:00 at this time, and we were a little worried that we had missed them for the day. Ok, let's be honest, Tim was confident that we would find one, and Michelle was the pessimistic one. We did find one man who was very energetic, and after a little teetering to get into the boat, we were off. Our gondolier was amazing, his dad was a gondolier and he inherited his license from him. He was born in Venice and had been doing this for 23 years. Apparently there are only so many licenses given out, and they are passed from father to son. You also have to train to be a gondolier, and there is a delicate balance between the gondolier community and the motorized water taxies. The gondoliers feel like they are preservationists of culture. One, because they continue the long tradition of having a person ferry others around (they are the original water taxis) and two, because of their presence the motor boats have to go slower, thus limiting the noise polltion and the damage the waves do to the houses. He was great at answering questions and was a very charming man.
After our little boat ride, we ate dinner at a small sports bar. They had amazing bread, Michelle had some good soup, Ed and Diana enjoyed the spaghetti and Tim enjoyed the Italian beer. The rest of the meal (there were three total courses for each person) was unremarkable. We were quickly off for bed, as we knew we had an early morning of packing and checking out. We are off for a train ride to Milan tomorrow, our last city. We fly out of Milan on Thursday, and will be home Thursday evening in the states. My how time flies!
Venice extended
Check out time today was at 11:00, so we made sure to be down for breakfast nice and early so that we could get our things packed in time. Tim and Michelle went to go check out location of apartment, and it turns out it was right around the block from old hotel. While we were there we bumped into owner of the hotel, and he said the room will be ready at 11 versus 2. This was great as we could go directly from one hotel to the other, without having to leave our bags in checked luggage.
Yesterday on our way out to Murano Diana had talked to a lady on the vaporatto who mentioned that there was a small island with a church on it, and you could take a lift to the top of the churches bell tower to get a great view of Venice. So, since we still had a few hours left on our passes, we decided to head out that way. Plus, Ed really wanted to see the ocean and the beach, so it was also a chance to visit Lido, another little island, and walk to the ocean.
The churches name was San Giorgio, and it was a beautiful little church. A monk took our money at the bottom of the lift, and we quickly zipped our way to the top. The views were amazing, and we even made it up just in time for the bell to ring at the top of the hour. A little noisy though!
We took another vaporatto to Lido island, then walked across the island to the ocean where there was a beach. After a little difficulty in finding the beach access point, we located it (and another gelato shop - had to stop for some of course!) and we stepped foot on the shore. Tim and Diana took off their shoes and wadded into the water to do some shell searching. Ed decided to use his ice cream spoon to do a little digging. Michelle decided to savor the gelato and the view while the rest were playing:)
On the way back to the vaporatto we decided that since we had a kitchen, we should do dinner in, that way we could have a relaxing evening and get to bed early. We picked up some pasta, sauce, salad and meat balls at a local grochery store. We used some of the extra bread and butter we had as well. Though not the best meal ever, it was fun to cook and to be in our own space.
Tim and Michelle tried calling Zander, but the connection was really choppy. It froze, and then after that we were not able to get back onto the internet. So Ed and Diana opted to go to bed. Tim and Michelle stayed up to watch a movie for a little while.
Last full day in Venice tomorrow. See you then!
Yesterday on our way out to Murano Diana had talked to a lady on the vaporatto who mentioned that there was a small island with a church on it, and you could take a lift to the top of the churches bell tower to get a great view of Venice. So, since we still had a few hours left on our passes, we decided to head out that way. Plus, Ed really wanted to see the ocean and the beach, so it was also a chance to visit Lido, another little island, and walk to the ocean.
The churches name was San Giorgio, and it was a beautiful little church. A monk took our money at the bottom of the lift, and we quickly zipped our way to the top. The views were amazing, and we even made it up just in time for the bell to ring at the top of the hour. A little noisy though!
We took another vaporatto to Lido island, then walked across the island to the ocean where there was a beach. After a little difficulty in finding the beach access point, we located it (and another gelato shop - had to stop for some of course!) and we stepped foot on the shore. Tim and Diana took off their shoes and wadded into the water to do some shell searching. Ed decided to use his ice cream spoon to do a little digging. Michelle decided to savor the gelato and the view while the rest were playing:)
On the way back to the vaporatto we decided that since we had a kitchen, we should do dinner in, that way we could have a relaxing evening and get to bed early. We picked up some pasta, sauce, salad and meat balls at a local grochery store. We used some of the extra bread and butter we had as well. Though not the best meal ever, it was fun to cook and to be in our own space.
Tim and Michelle tried calling Zander, but the connection was really choppy. It froze, and then after that we were not able to get back onto the internet. So Ed and Diana opted to go to bed. Tim and Michelle stayed up to watch a movie for a little while.
Last full day in Venice tomorrow. See you then!
Water, Murnano glass and a little good wine
Today was our first full day in Venice, and it felt nice to be in a new city and a fresh start, especially after the events of the night before. We took our time getting up and ready, making it to breakfast with more than enough time for the 8-10 window it was open.
Our impression of this hotel is already a little negative. Most of the places we have stayed so far have been on the good side. A few little quirks here and there, but nothing off-putting. At this hotel in Venice, it is hot, in fact the heater in Ed and Diana's room is on, and there is no nob to turn it off with. They must get mosquitos, because former guests have smushed them on the walls, and the cleaning staff has made no effort to remove them. And one of the ladies running the front desk in the afternoon is a little . . . unhelpful would be a polite way to put it. When asked how to call from one room to another, she was wrong the first 2 times she told us. When asked for a recommendation to a good restaurant, she responded with "I don't ever eat in Venice". When asked if she had heard of good restaurants here, she said "No". Needless to say, we found her a little useless.
We decided that since we had tickets for the vaporatto (water busses) for the next 48 hours, we might was well get our use out of them. So we hopped on one headed for Murano, the glass island. It was a slow water bus, taking us a full 45 minutes to get out there. But as we understand it, that is typical. Unless you want to take a taxi, there is no faster way. But it allowed Ed and Diana to continue resting, which was good.
Once there, we tried to find a place that would let you watch the glass blowing technique for free. One place wanted to charge 3 euros per person, which seemed excessive to us. So we found another place that charged 5 euros per family, which was better. And if you bought anything, they would take 5 euros off the price. The demonstration was short, but neat, and since we could not find anything we liked at that shop, we opted to continue on.
We walked along the main waterway and found a place to eat lunch. More pizza! This time one called quatro stazione, which means 4 stations. Litterally it is a pizza with artichoke, olives, ham and mushroom, but not mixed together on the pizza like you would find in the states. The are separated into 4 quarters, so one quarter is ham and cheese, another is mushroom and cheese and so on. It was a good pizza.
We walked around Murano a bit more, did some shopping and had an ice cream near one of the waterways. We left the island and took a 30 minute boat ride back to the mainland of Venice. We went to the hotel to rest a bit, and Tim and Michelle looked into dinner options.
We finally decided to have dinner at a local restaurant near the hotel that had a fixed price menu, where you have one flat price, and you order in courses, where you can have between 5-10 options per course. Tim also ordered a nice bottle of wine, Brunello di Montalcino, to go with the meal. When the wine arrived the waitress quickly showed him the front, then went to open it. Tim asked to see the front again, and discovered that instead of the 2004 (which was a very good year) in the wine list, she was opening a 2007 (which was ok, but had not aged as long). There was no mention to us that the bottle was different than advertised. Tim questioned her about it, and she asked the owner if they had anymore 2004 bottles. He said they didn't, so Tim asked to see the wine list again. Low and behold, 5 minutes later, a 2004 bottle appears. Shocking! It is a little frustrating that it seems to be the cultural norm to screw with tourists and give them less than what they pay for. We just don't see this kind of thing being ok in the states. To always be on your guard, it is exhausting . . .
The food overall was ok. Diana tried a fish, and it came to her with the head still on. It was one of those moments where you look at your food and you really don't know how to eat it, so you stare at it for a good long while. Then you just dive in. Michelle had a side of spinach that was really good. Other than that, the food was just ok.
Back at the hotel, Tim and Michelle checked on hotels for Lake Como, which was the next stop on the trip. None of the ones they were finding looked good for Ed and Diana, so we opted to stay in Venice for another 2 days. We found a good apartment which advertised having a washer as well, which is great because we are all getting to the end of our clothes. We booked it, and finally went to sleep around 1:30 am.
Our impression of this hotel is already a little negative. Most of the places we have stayed so far have been on the good side. A few little quirks here and there, but nothing off-putting. At this hotel in Venice, it is hot, in fact the heater in Ed and Diana's room is on, and there is no nob to turn it off with. They must get mosquitos, because former guests have smushed them on the walls, and the cleaning staff has made no effort to remove them. And one of the ladies running the front desk in the afternoon is a little . . . unhelpful would be a polite way to put it. When asked how to call from one room to another, she was wrong the first 2 times she told us. When asked for a recommendation to a good restaurant, she responded with "I don't ever eat in Venice". When asked if she had heard of good restaurants here, she said "No". Needless to say, we found her a little useless.
We decided that since we had tickets for the vaporatto (water busses) for the next 48 hours, we might was well get our use out of them. So we hopped on one headed for Murano, the glass island. It was a slow water bus, taking us a full 45 minutes to get out there. But as we understand it, that is typical. Unless you want to take a taxi, there is no faster way. But it allowed Ed and Diana to continue resting, which was good.
Once there, we tried to find a place that would let you watch the glass blowing technique for free. One place wanted to charge 3 euros per person, which seemed excessive to us. So we found another place that charged 5 euros per family, which was better. And if you bought anything, they would take 5 euros off the price. The demonstration was short, but neat, and since we could not find anything we liked at that shop, we opted to continue on.
We walked along the main waterway and found a place to eat lunch. More pizza! This time one called quatro stazione, which means 4 stations. Litterally it is a pizza with artichoke, olives, ham and mushroom, but not mixed together on the pizza like you would find in the states. The are separated into 4 quarters, so one quarter is ham and cheese, another is mushroom and cheese and so on. It was a good pizza.
We walked around Murano a bit more, did some shopping and had an ice cream near one of the waterways. We left the island and took a 30 minute boat ride back to the mainland of Venice. We went to the hotel to rest a bit, and Tim and Michelle looked into dinner options.
We finally decided to have dinner at a local restaurant near the hotel that had a fixed price menu, where you have one flat price, and you order in courses, where you can have between 5-10 options per course. Tim also ordered a nice bottle of wine, Brunello di Montalcino, to go with the meal. When the wine arrived the waitress quickly showed him the front, then went to open it. Tim asked to see the front again, and discovered that instead of the 2004 (which was a very good year) in the wine list, she was opening a 2007 (which was ok, but had not aged as long). There was no mention to us that the bottle was different than advertised. Tim questioned her about it, and she asked the owner if they had anymore 2004 bottles. He said they didn't, so Tim asked to see the wine list again. Low and behold, 5 minutes later, a 2004 bottle appears. Shocking! It is a little frustrating that it seems to be the cultural norm to screw with tourists and give them less than what they pay for. We just don't see this kind of thing being ok in the states. To always be on your guard, it is exhausting . . .
The food overall was ok. Diana tried a fish, and it came to her with the head still on. It was one of those moments where you look at your food and you really don't know how to eat it, so you stare at it for a good long while. Then you just dive in. Michelle had a side of spinach that was really good. Other than that, the food was just ok.
Back at the hotel, Tim and Michelle checked on hotels for Lake Como, which was the next stop on the trip. None of the ones they were finding looked good for Ed and Diana, so we opted to stay in Venice for another 2 days. We found a good apartment which advertised having a washer as well, which is great because we are all getting to the end of our clothes. We booked it, and finally went to sleep around 1:30 am.
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