Here are some random photos now that I have a reliable internet connection.
Friday, August 17, 2018
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.
Here are some random photos now that I have a reliable internet connection.
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
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.
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.
Monday, August 13, 2018
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.
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.
Saturday, August 11, 2018
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.
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.
Thursday, August 9, 2018
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
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.
Gondola
A gondola ride wasn't on the itinerary but a small tour with a small group of people can be flexible. So when one of the guests asked if it could be arranged, it was.
This would be a good time to mention our fellow Travelers. There are two American couples, one from Rhode Island and the other from east Texas, and two Australian couples, both from South Australia. Interestingly they are both in the wine making business. To fill out the dozen guests are two women, one from Australia and the other from Canada.
Modern technology
We been in super photogenic places over the last couple of days but they been in the technology boon docks. Currently we have docked in the small town of Adria. Not only is it beautiful but it has fast internet.
Sunday, August 5, 2018
On board
Mystery solved! The Mery is the name of the barge, not a ship or boat, and La Bella Vita (the good life) is the name of the cruise. In her pass life the Mery hauled sand. Not such a glorious start to a glamorous mid-life. Here she is docked on the south side of Venice. Better pictures to follow.
Fashion mainstream
I thought I had slipped back into the fashion mainstream when I noticed that all the happening young guys wore their baseball caps with the brim over their eyes. It wasn't to be. Those same guys have cuffs on their shorts. I haven't noticed young ladies doing the same.
Saturday, August 4, 2018
Dinner
No blogger worth his salt would eat a meal without comment and a photo. So to meet my moral obligation, here is last night's dinner. It was great! In thirty plus years together, Liza and I have never ordered the same thing at the same meal. We have shared a dinner for two but never ordered exactly the same thing, until last night. The creamy cod on toast was the best part of many good parts. We also had grilled octopus, pickled sardines and a little salad. And since we are in Italy we complimented the food with an excellent prosecco.
In Italy
Not without incident, we are now in Italy at the Laguna Palace Hotel. It is located in a light industrial area of Mestre, which is the mainland connection to Venice. In spite of the location, the hotel is spectacular. It is in two halves with a marina in between. There isn't any obvious pathway connection between the two. The two halves are covered by an impressive engineering structure supported by 10 huge angled columns. The hotel is so proud of these columns that one of the bases is right in the middle of the lobby.
Sunday, July 29, 2018
European Waterways
Last year I offered an explanation as to why we chose Viking for our first river cruise. So it seems appropriate that I explain why the choice this year was European Waterways.
Probably the main reason was that we wanted somewhere warm. So we looked at Mediterranean cruises and they were all on really huge ships. The small ones had almost 1,000 passengers. The 180 people on board the Viking Grand European Cruise was fine but we didn't want to go any bigger. So we started looking at southern European cruises.
European Waterways had a number of options in France and one in Italy. The French versions were exclusively repurposed Dutch barges that served 4 to 8 people while the Italian version was La Bella Vita with rooms for 20. I don't know yet what she was in her previous life but her name was Mery, which she still carries on her bow. She was refurbished in 2010 so she should still look pretty good.
Probably the main reason was that we wanted somewhere warm. So we looked at Mediterranean cruises and they were all on really huge ships. The small ones had almost 1,000 passengers. The 180 people on board the Viking Grand European Cruise was fine but we didn't want to go any bigger. So we started looking at southern European cruises.
European Waterways had a number of options in France and one in Italy. The French versions were exclusively repurposed Dutch barges that served 4 to 8 people while the Italian version was La Bella Vita with rooms for 20. I don't know yet what she was in her previous life but her name was Mery, which she still carries on her bow. She was refurbished in 2010 so she should still look pretty good.
Saturday, July 28, 2018
Welcome!
Welcome! We are less than a week from departing Phoenix and we think we are ready. That means we aren't ready and just don't know what we are missing. I hope they are minor items or that we think of them in the next week.
We fly United Airlines out of Sky Harbor to Chicago O'Hare and then Lufthansa to Frankfurt. We picked Lufthansa at least partly because they operate direct flights into Marco Polo Airport which is the airport on the mainland that serves Venice. The flights are about 13 and a half hours in the air and 5 and a half hours of layovers, mostly in Frankfurt.
Occasionally I've had a flight time changed between when I bought the tickets and the flight actually departed. Since January when we bought these tickets, there have been four changes. While most were only changing the departure time by a few minutes, one change actually changed the airport from Munich to Frankfurt. I'm not sure that we care but it was a surprise.
We fly United Airlines out of Sky Harbor to Chicago O'Hare and then Lufthansa to Frankfurt. We picked Lufthansa at least partly because they operate direct flights into Marco Polo Airport which is the airport on the mainland that serves Venice. The flights are about 13 and a half hours in the air and 5 and a half hours of layovers, mostly in Frankfurt.
Occasionally I've had a flight time changed between when I bought the tickets and the flight actually departed. Since January when we bought these tickets, there have been four changes. While most were only changing the departure time by a few minutes, one change actually changed the airport from Munich to Frankfurt. I'm not sure that we care but it was a surprise.
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