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An Escape from Turkish Chaos to Everyday Venice

An Escape from Turkish Chaos to Everyday Venice

Old Nov 26th, 2015, 11:08 AM
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An Escape from Turkish Chaos to Everyday Venice

It was too good a chance to miss: $110/person return full fare tickets to Venice from istanbul.

I had been there twice more, in 1967 as an almost backpacker with enough time to walk about four hours before catching the train to Milano. I have no memory of anything other than the Grand Canal and the train station. I probably would have remembered the girls of Venice if I had seen any.

Strangely enough I did not see any young women worth a second glance when I was in Murano checking on some chandeliers with an architect and the owner's wife for the new (at the time) Ritz Carlton in istanbul and then a few hours at and around San Marco square with the owner and his team, before being taken to a Board meeting of another company in Trieste.

This time around, there may have been some worthy women but I was with DW and either could not take my eyes off her (even after 38 years of marriage) or I was under tight scrutiny and had a short leash.

On the other hand, Venice was the best this time around. The cold weather did not disturb either of us even when we found that our room temperature was competing with the 40 F outside emotionally charged climate. So, I crawled under the measly cover with socks and a cashmere sweater over my pajamas, and DW left for a further walk around Ca' Gottardi to discover beads and such while the room heated up to the more acceptable 60 F.

Actually, the second day we managed to hit 67 in the room.

We arrived at about Noon and while gawking around trying to figure out whether to find the Number 5 bus or take a sea based route, another Turkish couple approached us and offered to share a sea taxi. Unfortunately, they took control and the price was fixed before I could negotiate. It was 85 Euro for each party to the hotel.

The main problem was that, although the ride gave us some photogray opportunities and we enjoyed the foggy view with overcast skies, the very long walk to the water taxi with a terribly disturbing knot inside my sock just over my third toe made the trip excruciatingly painful. Naturally, I blamed DW for placing it there and she said, It was not significant enough to start a war with Russia.

Arriving at the large, rusted, locked iron gate of the hotel with evidently slippery steps leading to it was not the most favorable first impression of our hotel. However, the child in me started immediately to make up a story with witches, golems, slimy things gettin up the canal at night and that the door would let us through and then lock itself after we entered a damp dungeon.

The taxi driver rang the bell, a number of times to no avail. DW asked me if we would have to pay extra for standing there all that time. While I was saying that we had already over-paid, the taxi driver called the number written above the door bell and a young man, not at all looking strange or dangerous, appeared and led us into the 'damp dungeon I had visualized, smiling all the time, and jumping over certain objects which could not have been skulls.

I shall continue.
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Old Nov 26th, 2015, 12:51 PM
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The exit from the Ca' Gottardi dungeon was similar to that of a gate frequently encountered in science fiction tales. The damp dark, gave way to a small modern hallway and stairs leading up to another hallway with sliding doors to the breakfast room and reception desk on the right and a corridor on the left with doors for some rooms and a sitting area of sorts where we played two handed double deck pinochle that night before going to bed at a smallish Superios(!) room 302.

I showed my dismay at the size of the room strongly enough to get a promise to be upgraded what they called the Green Suite, 300, at the other building for the next two nights of our stay.

We then left, walking the wide strret, past Ca' Doro and then some basilicas and squares to the narrow alleys leading to the Rialto Bridge. Sauntering in that area, people and shop window watching and a stupid interest in new shoes on my part rather than new socks lead me in an out of some unnecessarily commonplace shops.

We thought we located some shops with the best prices for beads and colored glass for no evident pupose. It was quite fortunate that that part of our memory from the first day afternoon very quickly disappeared.

The pain at the third toe of my right, the tendons of both knees and other types of muscular leg pains made me rather compassionate so that I politely took DW back to the hotel. The fact that she immediately left me crawling under the covers for my supposedly short nap and left for another trip of discovery is evidence of her stamina and strength of character if not body.

We checked for restaurant advice from the helpful staff at the reception and very wisely (?) decided to eat somewhere else, meaning I was too tired to walk. So we ate at the restaurant almost immediately across from the land entrance of our hotel and were quite pleased with it.

Gentle reader, if you have managed to read this far, I will reward you with a hood photo of my seven month old grandson as my profile photo.

Getting late, my team beating Moltke to almost qualify for the nex stage of the UEFA cup, My president proven to be an ignorant useless and hopeless leader, and DW wishes to rub my nose in the dirt by continuing the pinochle game we had not finished. So good night for now.
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Old Nov 26th, 2015, 01:25 PM
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Your GS is just lovely, OC! Hope your toe improves.
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Old Nov 26th, 2015, 02:12 PM
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a delightful picture of your GS, OC - how much does he resemble his grandfather?

>

this reminded me so much of the entrance to the apartment we rented in Venice some years ago. to get to it, you had to walk past the public toilets at the back of the Campo San Bartolomeo [to the east of Ponte Rialto] turn right and then left under a sottoportege into a little courtyard, then through an iron gate with a very dodgy lock with a huge key, past the permanently grumpy chained up alsatian dog, through another gate [another difficult lock] then up some grimy steps, into ...

Paradise! a large, light, modern apartment with all mod cons and electricity that worked! [not always the case in Venice].

Never judge a book...

looking forward to more of your trials and triumphs in La Serenissima, OC!
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Old Nov 27th, 2015, 09:09 AM
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hmmmm what next, pushing Russian sailors into the lagoon ;-)
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Old Nov 27th, 2015, 09:28 AM
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All of the stairs at private docks in Venice are slimey - it's a function of the tides and steps that are underwater at times.

But surprised it took so long for someone from the hotel to come. Did they know that's how you would be arriving. At the hotels we have stayed at when our taxi pulls up to the steps the boat pilot just rings the bell and someone comes immediately to get the luggage. But we do note on our reservation that we will be arriving by boat taxi.
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Old Nov 28th, 2015, 03:01 AM
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I spent a week in the Academia section of Venice in the late 90's. I had the tiniest room I ever saw: the twin bed plus suitcase on the floor left no space to walk. The room was 12' long and 6' wide but had the most fantastic window on the canal, overlooking the canal bridge to the left and a gorgeous domed church to the right. Fantastic. Up early walking with the garbage scows collecting along the "side street" canals. Memorable.
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Old Nov 28th, 2015, 06:04 AM
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Your grandson is a heartbreaker! What a charmer!

I'm enjoying your description of your trip to Venice enormously and love your and your wife's sense of humor!

>
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Old Dec 16th, 2015, 12:17 AM
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Almost three weeks, and I remembered to continue. Felt that I was doing Fodors a disfavour by not writing here because I had the time, energy and the will to write two new reviews on Amazon recently. (on the film "Youth" or "La Giovinezza) and on the collection of the Enderby novels of A. Burgess.)

In the room 300 which had the view of a nice bridge, the canal and the busy residential route, the temperature had started to climb after I discovered that one window had been left open either by an uncarting housekeeper or by the ever playful Eser. The fact that the friendly receptionist had also managed to find a small portable electric radiator may also have helped especially Eser because it could only be placed next to her side of the bed due to a short electric cord.

This may not be the best time or place to say that we did not manage to find any memorable food in Venice. There was some good pizza and some good and not so good primi piatti, but I think that I make better pasta sauces than the chefs at the restaurants we tried in Venice. We also noted that there were almost no really different, out-of-the-ordinary menu items we could see. Definitely no fusion or even mention of Asian or Latin American, Caribbean, Indian, African spices, herbs or ingredients. We discussed the possibility of getting together again, in another reincarnation, to set up a fusion or eclectic restaurant in Venice.

The next day was almost another Hall of Fame record for me. I managed to walk possibly about six hours and, in fact, duplicated that, by no means, mean feat again, and with a vengeance, the next day. The pain in the toe was gone due to not only not wearing booby trapped socks (which I did not throw away, for some reason) but to my wisdom of having packed a pair of barefeet Merrells.

We reached Rialto bridge easily and even crossed it, talking of check points and trolls. There were few tourists and the residents were out in large numbers enjoying these tourist free days when they were able to just saunter around, shop, and see the commonplace through their own eyes and experiences.

I actually tried to find another pair of Merrells or good memory foam soled walking shoes. This was not possible at the shops we checked. We decided that Venetian residents depended on the quality of their socks rather than their shoes for their comfort.

Eser's initial interest in getting Murano baubles as presents to all family, friends and acquaintances back home started to get dimmer as the day advanced and the shops catering to the glass collecting tourist grew in numbers beyond the spice shops of the Egyptian Bazaar in istanbul. All the shapes and colours of glass started to blend into each other and we did not buy one single item that day, deciding to sleep over the idea while making subtractions in the numbers needed and finding reasons why some of the possible recipients would not like having the colourful jujubees.

It was not the roads which started the gnawing aches in my knees and leg muscles, but the bridges. The fact that they ranked with the instruments of the Spanish Inquisition (an institution honoured by Monthy Python in the modern world) ws not mentioned in anything I read on Venice. It was not only myself but also all the younger parents with children and older people who must have suffered some sort of rheumatism or arthritis due to the steeples and the humidity who sinned multiple times everyday, everytime thay came to another bridge. None of the bridges were allowed even a narrow ramp for prams, geriatrics like me or people using walking aids or those preferring the classical dances instead of the modern "step dance."

Soon it was time for my beauty sleep in the afternoon and for Eser's need for being alone an free of her incumbrance on the streets of a new and beautiful city.

The room was warmer, possibly about 60-65 F. because we had managed to get two door cards and left one in the slot which allowed the tiny, possibly only 8 BTU A/C and the radiator to stay on during our absence. I enjoy larger rooms even when I sleep. My claustrophobia must be permanent and continuous, staying to haunt me even during sleeping hours. Eser likes to unpack and move all unnecessay things, shoes, luggage, clothes I take off (even unwearable socks) out of eyesight. I live with the fear that she will one day decide that I also should be put away.

We searched for the recommended restaurants in the vicinity that Monday evening of our second night of stay. Unfortunately, the good one we wanted was closed both Mobday and Tuesday. We should have forced our way through the crowd to eat there the previous night.

Tuesday dawned beautifully about eight in the morning........
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Old Dec 16th, 2015, 12:20 PM
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Fun read-- Eser will nevah put you out of sight...at least probably not!
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Old Dec 16th, 2015, 12:51 PM
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Thanks for the TR. Please note that we think you are much than a pair of used socks.
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Old Jan 12th, 2016, 03:14 AM
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photographs now published on my blog : otherchelebistravels
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Old Jan 12th, 2016, 07:51 AM
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nice photos
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