June 29, 2013 – Our ship docked around 7 am. We had breakfast at 7:45 and were off the ship by 9. People Mover to Piazzetta Roma and a Vaporetto to Tre Arche station and back to Ca’ Fontanea for 3 nights. We had inadvertently booked a studio apartment (which they manage) and it is great! We have a little deck overlooking some green space (rare in Venice) and a washing machine (yeah). We then went took the Vaporetto to St. Mark’s Square, toured St. Mark’s Basillica, the Doge Palace and the Correr Museum. Back on the Vaporetto to the hotel and dinner at Groppon Café near our hotel. Had spaghetti, pizza, tiramisu and limoncello. Check, check, check, check!
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| St. Marks Basillica |
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| St. Mark's Square |
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| Doge Palace |
June 30, 2013 – Late start and lunch at Groppon then we wandered the streets of Venice for 3-4 hours and ended up at St. Mark’s Square – which is almost entirely across the entire city from our hotel. Took the Vaporetto back to the hotel and rested for a bit. We then went to dinner near the train station and then went for a nighttime gondola ride at about 10 pm. We went for an hour and many of the back canals and it was one of the most romantic things we have ever done. Cost: 150 Euros Memories: Priceless.
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| Bob on the Grand Canal |
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| Rialto Bridge |
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| Romantic Gondola Ride |
Our Gondolier, Luca, gave us some interesting facts about Venice as well: 1) almost 1/3 of all buildings are abandoned and uninhabitable as they have been empty for hundreds of years 2) the population of Venice is about 60,000 down from 120,000 about 20 years ago – they say that if the trend continues, Venice will become more of an amusement park in 20 years 3) about 100,000 people work in Venice each day which means most come from the mainland 4) a house on the Grand Canal in its present form (which means that it needs to be completely redone on the inside) costs about $7M
July 1, 2013 - Went on the Vaporeto to the island of Murano which is famous for its glass making. We saw a glass making demonstration and visited numerous glass shops and bought a few pieces of jewelry. Took the Vaporetto back, but got on the wrong one which took us to the train station instead of the stop by our hotel. Good thing. We walked from the train station (about 15 minutes) and stopped at the Post Office to check their hours. We have packed up some things to send home to lighten our load for the remainder of our trip and want to mail it home. HUGE PROBLEM. Checking hours at Post Office at 1:05 pm. Find out that it closes at 1:35 pm. 15 minute walk to our hotel/15 minute walk back and we still have to finish packing the box and addressing it. Off we go! Got back to the hotel and finished packing the box - then Bob was off running (that hasn't happened in numerous months). Made it back to the Post Office at 1:35 pm just before they closed. It all worked out except the fact that I was completely drenched in sweat. Just was running behind and was afraid that she would come around a corner and find me on the sidewalk having a heart attack. Nope. We then went for lunch as I needed/earned a beer and had a calzone the size of a pizza (see below). A little more shopping and then back to our hotel to relax. Had wine on our deck at the hotel and then off to dinner at Groppon. We have been here a few times this week and they treated us to a few drinks and snacks as well. Tomorrow: Ciao Venezia ... Bonjourno Vernazza (in Cinque Terre) ... and it's my birthday!
July 1, 2013 - Went on the Vaporeto to the island of Murano which is famous for its glass making. We saw a glass making demonstration and visited numerous glass shops and bought a few pieces of jewelry. Took the Vaporetto back, but got on the wrong one which took us to the train station instead of the stop by our hotel. Good thing. We walked from the train station (about 15 minutes) and stopped at the Post Office to check their hours. We have packed up some things to send home to lighten our load for the remainder of our trip and want to mail it home. HUGE PROBLEM. Checking hours at Post Office at 1:05 pm. Find out that it closes at 1:35 pm. 15 minute walk to our hotel/15 minute walk back and we still have to finish packing the box and addressing it. Off we go! Got back to the hotel and finished packing the box - then Bob was off running (that hasn't happened in numerous months). Made it back to the Post Office at 1:35 pm just before they closed. It all worked out except the fact that I was completely drenched in sweat. Just was running behind and was afraid that she would come around a corner and find me on the sidewalk having a heart attack. Nope. We then went for lunch as I needed/earned a beer and had a calzone the size of a pizza (see below). A little more shopping and then back to our hotel to relax. Had wine on our deck at the hotel and then off to dinner at Groppon. We have been here a few times this week and they treated us to a few drinks and snacks as well. Tomorrow: Ciao Venezia ... Bonjourno Vernazza (in Cinque Terre) ... and it's my birthday!
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| Glass Sculpture at Murano |
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| Ca' Fontanea Courtyard |
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| Now that' s a Calzone! |
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