DiversityJobber -Road Report Live from Venice
Sep 28th, 2004, 12:22 AM
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DiversityJobber -Road Report Live from Venice
Bon Gorno
It is Tuesday morning 10:00 AM Venice time and my eyes/fingers are barely coping with the keyboard layout at this VeNice internet caffe..but the cappucino @1.20E makes it bearable. As promised, I will attempt to report experiences during our 21 day first trip to Italy whenever I can get to an internet cafe..
My wife, Michele, and I (Bill) started out in Tampa,Fl last Saturday 9/25. We left our house in Clearwater and arrived at the Tampa Airport 3 hours before our Delta flight to JFK was to leave at 2:00. Good thing because there were hundreds of tourists and Floridians from the East Coast at the airport desperate to get out of town to avoid Hurricane Jeanne. In our rush to start our trip we forgot about Jeanne and the possibity our house might not be there when we return but we survived Charlie and Frances. Life continues. Arrived JFK and luck turned sour,we were flying on a Delta standby ticket and the single direct flight to Venice was oversold. Luckily, a Delta ticket representative and candidate for the Mother Theresa award took pity on us and after 1 hour found us a flight via Alitalia Airlines into Rome and then on to Venice.
The Alitalia flight was uneventful and watching the hockey movie, Miracle on Ice, in Italian was different. I cannot say enough about the benefits of using a facemask and earplugs. Oh. Alitalia only allows 1 carry on and everthing else has to be checked. Keep your passports and boarding passes handy.. someone it seems is always asking you to show them. I gave up counting the number of security checks we experienced . Pack your heavy jewelry and belt buckles in your carryon,wear slip off shoes,pack film in lead bags and do not smile at TSA security people. They are already paranoid. Enough for now..have to get to work.. more later..Chiao
It is Tuesday morning 10:00 AM Venice time and my eyes/fingers are barely coping with the keyboard layout at this VeNice internet caffe..but the cappucino @1.20E makes it bearable. As promised, I will attempt to report experiences during our 21 day first trip to Italy whenever I can get to an internet cafe..
My wife, Michele, and I (Bill) started out in Tampa,Fl last Saturday 9/25. We left our house in Clearwater and arrived at the Tampa Airport 3 hours before our Delta flight to JFK was to leave at 2:00. Good thing because there were hundreds of tourists and Floridians from the East Coast at the airport desperate to get out of town to avoid Hurricane Jeanne. In our rush to start our trip we forgot about Jeanne and the possibity our house might not be there when we return but we survived Charlie and Frances. Life continues. Arrived JFK and luck turned sour,we were flying on a Delta standby ticket and the single direct flight to Venice was oversold. Luckily, a Delta ticket representative and candidate for the Mother Theresa award took pity on us and after 1 hour found us a flight via Alitalia Airlines into Rome and then on to Venice.
The Alitalia flight was uneventful and watching the hockey movie, Miracle on Ice, in Italian was different. I cannot say enough about the benefits of using a facemask and earplugs. Oh. Alitalia only allows 1 carry on and everthing else has to be checked. Keep your passports and boarding passes handy.. someone it seems is always asking you to show them. I gave up counting the number of security checks we experienced . Pack your heavy jewelry and belt buckles in your carryon,wear slip off shoes,pack film in lead bags and do not smile at TSA security people. They are already paranoid. Enough for now..have to get to work.. more later..Chiao
Sep 29th, 2004, 08:24 AM
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DJ,
Thanks for trip report. Rather than post separately, it can be easier to follow your adventure by "replying" to yourself.
Here's your continuation . . .
DiversityJobber - Live from Venice-continued
Author: diversityjobber ([email protected])
Date: 09/29/2004, 10:32 am
Message:
So much to say so little time in this internet cafe to do it. Its 4:15PM Wednesday and being in Venice is great once you recover from jet lag.
We flew from Tampa to New York JFk on Saturday and arrived Rome on Sunday 9/26 with a 3 hour stopover prior to arriving Venice at 7:00PM Sunday..
First a couple random thoughts..dont take this trip with marginal luggage..you know "Mickey Mouse" stuff on sale from WalMart.. the terrain in the airports and especially the stone roads and steps (bridges) will beat you and your luggage - we brought new Samsonite from AAA at good prices,we packed one 22inch bag and had a matching tote bag for shoes and purposedly did not overpack either in case the Delta people stuck to the 45" overall rule. One Delta did ask and I said "no problem" and she accepted it becasue she was jammed with tourists fleeing Hurrican Jeanne..but not worth taking the chance.
In Rome when you exit the plane and enter the terminal dont expect lots of signs describing how to get to Termini rail station etc..there arent any...just hordes of taxis and limo drivers looking to take you into the city.. most prices quoted to me were $45.00 but I figure my African American complexion was a dead giveaway I wasnt a local businessman returning from a trip.
Took some effort to find the place to buy tickets to Termini Railstation..but go to area between Rome Hilton and Airport terminal and you will see signs for Termini near Terminal A. Take the long walk and get in line .. . round trip costs $19E, stamp your ticket in yellow machine and get on board and wait for 10 minutes, trip takes 20 minutes and is relaxing. We returned immediately ..I just waited to check it out for the hell of it and because well need to use it on 10/16.
Venice is jammed pack with people and the weather is great during the day but a bit cold at sunrise and sunset.. the real estate agent for the great apartment we have told us something about it being illegal to turn on the heat until October sometime. Dont remember the details, that was when we arrived last Sunday night all whacked out and starved for food and vino.
Wine is cheap and good. Butter and eggs are so great..as if the cow personally delivered them ... the Sicilian Red OJ - yes, blood red orange juice is delicious with or without vodka... Ooops have to go..more later. my wife and two daughters are waiting to be taken out to shopping and then to dinner ... bye
Thanks for trip report. Rather than post separately, it can be easier to follow your adventure by "replying" to yourself.
Here's your continuation . . .
DiversityJobber - Live from Venice-continued
Author: diversityjobber ([email protected])
Date: 09/29/2004, 10:32 am
Message:
So much to say so little time in this internet cafe to do it. Its 4:15PM Wednesday and being in Venice is great once you recover from jet lag.
We flew from Tampa to New York JFk on Saturday and arrived Rome on Sunday 9/26 with a 3 hour stopover prior to arriving Venice at 7:00PM Sunday..
First a couple random thoughts..dont take this trip with marginal luggage..you know "Mickey Mouse" stuff on sale from WalMart.. the terrain in the airports and especially the stone roads and steps (bridges) will beat you and your luggage - we brought new Samsonite from AAA at good prices,we packed one 22inch bag and had a matching tote bag for shoes and purposedly did not overpack either in case the Delta people stuck to the 45" overall rule. One Delta did ask and I said "no problem" and she accepted it becasue she was jammed with tourists fleeing Hurrican Jeanne..but not worth taking the chance.
In Rome when you exit the plane and enter the terminal dont expect lots of signs describing how to get to Termini rail station etc..there arent any...just hordes of taxis and limo drivers looking to take you into the city.. most prices quoted to me were $45.00 but I figure my African American complexion was a dead giveaway I wasnt a local businessman returning from a trip.
Took some effort to find the place to buy tickets to Termini Railstation..but go to area between Rome Hilton and Airport terminal and you will see signs for Termini near Terminal A. Take the long walk and get in line .. . round trip costs $19E, stamp your ticket in yellow machine and get on board and wait for 10 minutes, trip takes 20 minutes and is relaxing. We returned immediately ..I just waited to check it out for the hell of it and because well need to use it on 10/16.
Venice is jammed pack with people and the weather is great during the day but a bit cold at sunrise and sunset.. the real estate agent for the great apartment we have told us something about it being illegal to turn on the heat until October sometime. Dont remember the details, that was when we arrived last Sunday night all whacked out and starved for food and vino.
Wine is cheap and good. Butter and eggs are so great..as if the cow personally delivered them ... the Sicilian Red OJ - yes, blood red orange juice is delicious with or without vodka... Ooops have to go..more later. my wife and two daughters are waiting to be taken out to shopping and then to dinner ... bye
Oct 1st, 2004, 12:22 PM
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Yes..thank you for the advice regarding the best method for posting. A single thread would be easier for all. The past 5 days have shot by and have been wonderful in Venice. I have met a number of locals and other tourists in bars,restaurants on the vaporetto and its been a great time.
We spent 80% of our time in the
Cannaregio sestiere and 20% shopping in and around The Rialto Bridge. Shopping is fabulous according to my wife & two daughters who subscribe to the notion you cannot never be too thin or have to many pairs of shoes. I kept telling them to slow down and save some for Florence and Rome. They ignored. Anyway, I would like to say a lot about the Cannaregio neighborhood but there is no time. Stated simply, if you would enjoy a real Italian community with noisy children going to school in the morning, women shouting news to each other across courtyards,the fatest cats I ever seen and clothes hanging on lines then Cannaregio is for you. Its only a 13 minute walk to the main Strada Nova and all the grand shops. The apartment will had is a 9 on a scale of 10...would have been a 10 if it had internet and/or CNN connection. The apartment was almost like a separate house since there was no knowing who else was in the building. The location was the best. Under 5 minute walk to Sant Alvise vaporette station.
We went to Murano and Burano today. It took most of the day to get there and back. I wasnt impressed with all the shops on Murano although my family did buy a few small items. I think the shops near the Rialto and St Marks are just as good price wise. Anyway continued on to Burano.. again it was simply Ok.. beautiful colored painted houses for sure and we had the best seafood meal. Great place if you wish to purchase some beautiful but too far to go when your time is limited.
Some quick notes... 3 day tourist page the best buy primarily because it saves you the hassle of being them each time,i could live with the sour reception of Italian waiters and all the miscellanious charges they add to your bill and twice they returned our credit card with the lame excuse their credit card machine was malfunctioning so I learned to ask that question first do you take credit cards and is the machine working.
Try grappa if you have cold or want a real stiff drink. it will knock you to your knees but It has helped my sinuses and cold tremendously. .. also the pills from the Pharmcia are good too..
Buy water at grocery stores, and keep a look out for toilets..public toilets cost a few coins and are well kept but are scarce. We found buying a glass of merlot for $1E and using their unisex toilet was simpler.Oh... I brought a sim card for my TMobile triband phone and its working well in Italy.. T Mobile is the way to go but getting it set up in Italy is a little tricky.. the best part is all incoming calls are free... so take to the internet and tell your friends and associates to call you .
Ciao
We spent 80% of our time in the
Cannaregio sestiere and 20% shopping in and around The Rialto Bridge. Shopping is fabulous according to my wife & two daughters who subscribe to the notion you cannot never be too thin or have to many pairs of shoes. I kept telling them to slow down and save some for Florence and Rome. They ignored. Anyway, I would like to say a lot about the Cannaregio neighborhood but there is no time. Stated simply, if you would enjoy a real Italian community with noisy children going to school in the morning, women shouting news to each other across courtyards,the fatest cats I ever seen and clothes hanging on lines then Cannaregio is for you. Its only a 13 minute walk to the main Strada Nova and all the grand shops. The apartment will had is a 9 on a scale of 10...would have been a 10 if it had internet and/or CNN connection. The apartment was almost like a separate house since there was no knowing who else was in the building. The location was the best. Under 5 minute walk to Sant Alvise vaporette station.
We went to Murano and Burano today. It took most of the day to get there and back. I wasnt impressed with all the shops on Murano although my family did buy a few small items. I think the shops near the Rialto and St Marks are just as good price wise. Anyway continued on to Burano.. again it was simply Ok.. beautiful colored painted houses for sure and we had the best seafood meal. Great place if you wish to purchase some beautiful but too far to go when your time is limited.
Some quick notes... 3 day tourist page the best buy primarily because it saves you the hassle of being them each time,i could live with the sour reception of Italian waiters and all the miscellanious charges they add to your bill and twice they returned our credit card with the lame excuse their credit card machine was malfunctioning so I learned to ask that question first do you take credit cards and is the machine working.
Try grappa if you have cold or want a real stiff drink. it will knock you to your knees but It has helped my sinuses and cold tremendously. .. also the pills from the Pharmcia are good too..
Buy water at grocery stores, and keep a look out for toilets..public toilets cost a few coins and are well kept but are scarce. We found buying a glass of merlot for $1E and using their unisex toilet was simpler.Oh... I brought a sim card for my TMobile triband phone and its working well in Italy.. T Mobile is the way to go but getting it set up in Italy is a little tricky.. the best part is all incoming calls are free... so take to the internet and tell your friends and associates to call you .
Ciao
Oct 2nd, 2004, 09:14 AM
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Foul up in Florence. My wife,2 daughters and i arrived 1 hour ago from Venice - great train ride on Eurostar and hauled 9 bags almost 1/2 mile to B&B Peterson and arrived promptly at 6:00PM to meet the representative as planned to be taken to their B&B Cassia.
Well, no representative around...left two messages(one from Statione SM Novelle) and one from outside their door. No one inside but two guests who did not have a clue where the B&B Petersen folks were...ok, it is now time to be resourcefull and I could use anyone help. We called and walked the local streets near B& B Petersen and all hotels are full.. I left family at a nice restaurant opposite the train station, who were nice enough to store our 9 bags and serve them an early dinner while I sought out a new plan for accomodations..
My options are to start dialing for hotels in Florence, rent a car and try to get out of town tonight south towards Seina since we are planning to stay at Malvernia this coming Wednesday. I have a cell with a italian number so I can dial anyone easily.. All suggestions and ideas would be most recommended.. now. thax
Well, no representative around...left two messages(one from Statione SM Novelle) and one from outside their door. No one inside but two guests who did not have a clue where the B&B Petersen folks were...ok, it is now time to be resourcefull and I could use anyone help. We called and walked the local streets near B& B Petersen and all hotels are full.. I left family at a nice restaurant opposite the train station, who were nice enough to store our 9 bags and serve them an early dinner while I sought out a new plan for accomodations..
My options are to start dialing for hotels in Florence, rent a car and try to get out of town tonight south towards Seina since we are planning to stay at Malvernia this coming Wednesday. I have a cell with a italian number so I can dial anyone easily.. All suggestions and ideas would be most recommended.. now. thax
Oct 2nd, 2004, 09:28 AM
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DJ, right this moment in Florence you need accommodation?
Look at www.laterooms.com - I'm hoping you're still at the computer. They'll list a bunch of hotels with rooms and the phone numbers to match.
Sorry this happened!
Look at www.laterooms.com - I'm hoping you're still at the computer. They'll list a bunch of hotels with rooms and the phone numbers to match.
Sorry this happened!
Oct 2nd, 2004, 09:38 AM
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Will Travel...thank you , thank you for the quick response. I am sweating my butt off in the internet cafe searching and dialing for a hotel room.. wife and two daughters are hopefully enjoying my share of merlot at the restaurant. I can tell you these people at the restaurant were wonderfull to me and my family.
Oct 2nd, 2004, 09:43 AM
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Ira....
I just received a phone call from someone - a very apologetic lady from B&B Petersen who said they were waiting for us at B&B Cassia while we were at the B&B Petersen location. She offered to pick us up in a car from the restaurant and or pay for whatever accomodations we may have already may. I said we would walk back to B&B Petersen in an hour after I can swallow some wine and a sandwich. I feel this is a simple mistake in communications but I would not have to explain this to 3 females who are waiting for me back at the restaurant. Hopefully all ends well tonight..
got to go...cya
I just received a phone call from someone - a very apologetic lady from B&B Petersen who said they were waiting for us at B&B Cassia while we were at the B&B Petersen location. She offered to pick us up in a car from the restaurant and or pay for whatever accomodations we may have already may. I said we would walk back to B&B Petersen in an hour after I can swallow some wine and a sandwich. I feel this is a simple mistake in communications but I would not have to explain this to 3 females who are waiting for me back at the restaurant. Hopefully all ends well tonight..
got to go...cya
Oct 2nd, 2004, 12:29 PM
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Happy you connected with the B&B.I'll be there early november.Could you tell me the name of the restaurant?My husband and I will love to stop by and have a drink or something to eat there.Thanks,Nono
Please enjoy the rest of the trip
Please enjoy the rest of the trip
Oct 4th, 2004, 12:19 AM
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It's me. I found a nice internet cafe on Viadell'Albero18r who showed me how to use get an apostrophe to print. Happy days.
Ok.. don't have much time so here is the good, the bad and the ugly.
The ugly first...
Our desperate B&B Petersen / B&B Cassia experience was the result of an error on their part and they apologized profusely. Bottom line: We spent the night because we were exhausted and had no were else to go at 10:00PM. The next morning,we paid for our night's stay and checked out. Overall.. a huge disappointment - Enough said.
The bad... my wife and I still have our colds and I wish I had planned ahead and requested some antibiotics from my doctor. We've met other tourists suffering too.
The good....just being in Florence is good thing.. although their bread and butter doesn't come close to what we enjoyed in Venice.. The local Chianti is superb.. Sorry, guys.. my minutes on this pc are done..be back later today
later
Ok.. don't have much time so here is the good, the bad and the ugly.
The ugly first...
Our desperate B&B Petersen / B&B Cassia experience was the result of an error on their part and they apologized profusely. Bottom line: We spent the night because we were exhausted and had no were else to go at 10:00PM. The next morning,we paid for our night's stay and checked out. Overall.. a huge disappointment - Enough said.
The bad... my wife and I still have our colds and I wish I had planned ahead and requested some antibiotics from my doctor. We've met other tourists suffering too.
The good....just being in Florence is good thing.. although their bread and butter doesn't come close to what we enjoyed in Venice.. The local Chianti is superb.. Sorry, guys.. my minutes on this pc are done..be back later today
later
