Back home

Our last flight was from Denver to Phoenix on United. And our airplane broke. So two and one half hours later we were on our way in a different plane. I would recommend Denver as an entry point into the US over anything east. By midnight and one Uber ride later, we were home.

Here are some random photos now that I have a reliable internet connection.

An evening to remember

The temperatures in Europe/Italy/Venice have been almost 40°C. In Fahrenheit that is about 100°. And the humidity has been above 85%. Hot and muggy and rarely a breath of air.

In Prague last year I took a beer and tapas tour with an Australian company called Urban Adventures. Since it was fun and I got to try some beers and snacks in some places that I wouldn't have otherwise, I booked a similar wine and tapas tour in Venice. Camilla was our tour guide and I was put off a little at first because she was so young. She shined before the evening was over.

The plan was six wines and tapas in five bars. The first surprise was that we found our meeting place. From there we went to the oldest bar in Venice, seven hundred years old if I recall. The second bar was only 350 years old but did have a functioning toilet. More wine and snacks at the third place. On our way to the fourth place the wind started to blow and the clouds were black over our shoulders. Everyone was trying to blink the dust out of their eyes.

The fourth place was a popular bar with a younger crowd. Just as we got inside it started to pour. While it was going to mess with our itinerary, the Venetians certainly needed the rain. And Camilla got the chance to prove her meddle. Because everyone was trying to get in out of the rain, the bar was packed and our nine tourists were split into three groups. Camilla shuffled between them trying to explain about the wines and the tapas all the while keeping an eye on the weather.

A couple of drinks later it was clear that there wasn't going to be a fifth bar so Camilla started giving directions to each group on how to get back to their hotels. We became part of a herd getting on the water bus heading back to the tram/bus station at the north end of the island. If we were lucky we would catch the numer 2 and the trip would be direct. We caught a number 1 so it was eight exciting stops later that we reached the Pizale Roma. Because of the winds the water was rough and docking became a version of bumper cars.

Once at the terminus we got in line for a taxi. Since Venice is at the end of a two mile cul de sac and no taxis were dropping off tourists at 9:00 PM, we waited fruitlessly. A tram was parked a bit away and had some shelter from the the light rain. We waited fruitlessly there for awhile. Even though there wasn't anyone on board the doors wouldn't open. Finally it was back in line for a taxi and a thirty minute wait in the rain.

On the ride back to the hotel we saw a police vehicle blocking the street that the tram runs on. Our suspicion was that in the wind and rain a tram had been involved in an accident. With but a single track, when you block it the tram system is shut down.

Eventually we were safely back in our room.

Venice

We have been in Venice a couple of days but haven't seen much. In spite of months of warnings that you had to walk everywhere in Venice, we have only gotten as far as the souvenir shops and cafes at the the end of the tram line. Then someone's legs started to hurt so it was back on the tram.

I had done a little research on how to use the tram but it didn't help much. I thought I had read that there was an English option on the machine that sold the ticket. It didn't. But the transaction was pretty simple and there aren't too many choices so we stumbled through it. We did end up with two tickets for four uses each when we only wanted one. The ticket came in a box that looked like a pack of cigarettes. When you board the tram you are supposed to validate your ticket. Just like on the light rail in Phoenix, there were some freeloaders that didn't have a ticket. On the four trips we have taken we didn't see anyone checking to see if you validated.

The hotel we are staying at is the Laguna Palace. It was where the cruise picked us up. Because it is close to the airport it is the hotel of choice for the flight crews. One of them told us of a grocery store nearby so we went there to get some things, like candy for Liza's friends kids. We also saw racks of wines for a Euro or two. I couldn't find a cork screw and the only the screw cap was a chardonnay so we ended up with a decent red in a box for Euro 2.20.

I haven't been able to load any pictures since the first few I took back on the 8th. We have had very intermittent internet access and haven't been able to get anything even when we have.

The cruise is over

We are back to being regular tourists. The good news is that we are regular tourists in Venice, Italy.

We had WiFi on board the Mery. That doesn't mean we had an internet connection however. It is probably understandable as we were definitely in the boon docks most of the time.

Locks

I find locks fascinating. There is something about a technology that is hundreds of years old that so changed transportation in its time and is still basically unchanged.

We only encountered five or six different locks, passing one in both directions. In that number we had one that raised the gates vertically, one with a pair of hinged gates at one end and a sliding gate at the other and the rest with hinged gates.

Dolce Palace

Bridge of sighs

As part of the Dolce Palace complex, the bridge of sighs was the path convicted criminals took from the court on one side to the prison on the other.