Postcards from Retirement
Oct 14th, 2012, 10:47 AM
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Postcards from Retirement
We have just returned from a fabulous trip to Italy and France which many of you helped me plan. Thank you, thank you. Your tips, information, and insights all combined to make me really happy with all the decisions that we made. While we were traveling I wrote letters home to our family and friends every day and I thought, if you will allow me to adopt all of you into our family, I will post them to you as our trip report.
We are two Canadian seniors, Stew in his late 70’s, and moi, Jane, who is in my late 60’s We are fortunate enough to have traveled quite a bit around the world, but our continental European adventures have been mostly related to skiing. We were also sailors, in case you find us excessively preoccupied with harbours and boats. We live in the Great Lakes area of central Canada and flew out of and in to Toronto.
When we travel, we try to have a balance of activity representing both our interests. Fortunately, we like to do many of the same things. We are not extravagant travelers, but we will spend money for reasonable comfort and so that we don't miss out on special moments. We are still able to get around fairly well, and our fitness levels improved on this trip with all the walking and climbing.
And...thanks to many of you, we are absolute converts to carry on luggage only!!!!!
Day 1 & 2. Sept 4th and 5th
We were up early to finish off all our preparations. You know...the last minute things that you can only do as you are leaving. We each had quick appointments at 9:15, got home and actually left in the rain about an hour early. Our trip to Toronto was uneventful but there was lots of traffic. We put in our obligatory three hours waiting in Terminal One for our Air Canada flight to Frankfurt, worrying about the potential effect of the Lufthansa rotating strikes on our flight from Frankfurt to Venice. I had managed to move our seats towards the front of the plane to expedite our disembarkation efforts. This turned out to be a shrewd move since we had only 70 minutes to clear immigration, clear back through security and change terminals.
We actually landed about 10 minutes early and were able to grab our (carry on only) luggage and hit the ground running! I had printed off an airport map and instructions for changing terminals, and studied them as we flew along. The airport was easy to navigate and the signage was very good. We were about third in line for immigration and there was no customs inspection. It took about a minute each to scan and stamp our passports. We then started through a long line to clear back through security. If you had less than 30 minutes until your flight, there was an expedited line. We didn't qualify for that, but the security process was very efficient and we moved through much more quickly than in Toronto. Then we were off on what turned out to be about a one kilometer walk to get to terminal A. We arrived, panting, about 5 minutes before we boarded our next flight. Fortunately, we were unaffected by the complete work stoppage of the prior day.
Our flight was only about an hour and a half in duration. After enjoying (!) a dry muffin and a coffee we glimpsed the snow covered Alps and started our descent into Venice. We could only see industrial sites and oil storage areas. We landed in low cloud and light rain. Having already cleared into Schengen in Frankfurt, we just walked off the plane, bought our Alilaguna tickets for the water taxi trip into Venice. There were no signs that we could see so we went back inside to get better instructions to get to the boat. They told us to go out and turn right. When that didn't work we asked someone else and discovered that it should have been "left"! It must have got lost in the translation. We finally settled in on the boat for about an hour and half trip. It's not that far, but there are rigid, police patrolled speed limits for the water taxis. As best we could tell, our captain was the only one who took them seriously. Our first views of Venice were bit misty but captivating all the same. Entering the Grand Canal was magical and I'm convinced that there isn't a bad camera shot in the place! We made our way down the canal among all the diverse forms of transportation. It seems just like the 401 (a busy highway near Toronto) but with amazing scenery at every turn. Our stop was at the iconic Rialto Bridge.
We climbed out into masses of people everywhere, dragging our luggage and peering at our map. As an aside, if you aren't a convert to traveling light, Venice would certainly convince you! It was a bit of a challenge to find our B & B since there are no street names, but we arrived successfully and checked in.
Our room is fine, a good size with a closet and shelves, a safe, luggage storage, a queen size bed (well really two long singles pushed together but very comfy), and a small fridge. There is AC and a small bathroom (think of an airline bathroom with a shower!), but it is spotlessly clean and we are quite happy here. The TV is in Italian as you would expect, although we did see one Jay Leno rerun in English. I can't imagine that we'll have any time to watch TV in Venice! The owners of our B & B also run a restaurant which is reputed to be very good. I imagine we'll try it out.
We settled in and then went off to explore and to try to stay awake. The first order of business was lunch in a little square. We shared a small pizza and decided that we had earned a glass of wine for our travelling efforts! Since we were a little lacking in energy, we decided to take a Vaporetto trip down the length of the Grand Canal. We purchased our pass and managed to get seats outside on the bow, perfect for photography. We were out there for most of the trip until we got chased in by the rain. We went as far as San Marco and, as the rain had stopped, decided to walk home from there.
St. Mark's square is a feast for the eyes, even with some restoration going on. It was absolutely mobbed with the late day cruise ship passengers so we decided that we would explore it later in the day when the crowds tend to dissipate a little. We continued our adventure, turning here and there down little streets, not really knowing exactly where we were. Getting "lost" in Venice is one of the most highly recommended activities. We just continued along following the "per Rialto" signs, sparse as they are. One minute we would be on a high end shopping street and the next turn would see us in a neighborhood square (campo). We stopped for a shared gelato, one scoop of pistachio and one of coffee. I can see where this will be a downfall!
We arrived "home", very tired and decided that showers would perk us up. Stew managed to acquire a bottle of wine and a cork screw, so we were all set! We had a drink and set out for an early dinner. We ventured father into our neighborhood, Cannaregio, which was the Jewish ghetto, and found La Cavello where we dined outside in the square. Jane had grilled chicken and Stew enjoyed lasagna. We shared grilled veggies and a large salad. We wandered back home, almost too tired to move. My first impression of Venice is that it is just what I expected only so much better!
We tried valiantly to get on line, to no avail, and finally crashed at about 8pm. We slept really well until midnight, and both woke up and couldn't get back to sleep...thus the journal was started! It is now 2am, so we'll try again.........
We are two Canadian seniors, Stew in his late 70’s, and moi, Jane, who is in my late 60’s We are fortunate enough to have traveled quite a bit around the world, but our continental European adventures have been mostly related to skiing. We were also sailors, in case you find us excessively preoccupied with harbours and boats. We live in the Great Lakes area of central Canada and flew out of and in to Toronto.
When we travel, we try to have a balance of activity representing both our interests. Fortunately, we like to do many of the same things. We are not extravagant travelers, but we will spend money for reasonable comfort and so that we don't miss out on special moments. We are still able to get around fairly well, and our fitness levels improved on this trip with all the walking and climbing.
And...thanks to many of you, we are absolute converts to carry on luggage only!!!!!
Day 1 & 2. Sept 4th and 5th
We were up early to finish off all our preparations. You know...the last minute things that you can only do as you are leaving. We each had quick appointments at 9:15, got home and actually left in the rain about an hour early. Our trip to Toronto was uneventful but there was lots of traffic. We put in our obligatory three hours waiting in Terminal One for our Air Canada flight to Frankfurt, worrying about the potential effect of the Lufthansa rotating strikes on our flight from Frankfurt to Venice. I had managed to move our seats towards the front of the plane to expedite our disembarkation efforts. This turned out to be a shrewd move since we had only 70 minutes to clear immigration, clear back through security and change terminals.
We actually landed about 10 minutes early and were able to grab our (carry on only) luggage and hit the ground running! I had printed off an airport map and instructions for changing terminals, and studied them as we flew along. The airport was easy to navigate and the signage was very good. We were about third in line for immigration and there was no customs inspection. It took about a minute each to scan and stamp our passports. We then started through a long line to clear back through security. If you had less than 30 minutes until your flight, there was an expedited line. We didn't qualify for that, but the security process was very efficient and we moved through much more quickly than in Toronto. Then we were off on what turned out to be about a one kilometer walk to get to terminal A. We arrived, panting, about 5 minutes before we boarded our next flight. Fortunately, we were unaffected by the complete work stoppage of the prior day.
Our flight was only about an hour and a half in duration. After enjoying (!) a dry muffin and a coffee we glimpsed the snow covered Alps and started our descent into Venice. We could only see industrial sites and oil storage areas. We landed in low cloud and light rain. Having already cleared into Schengen in Frankfurt, we just walked off the plane, bought our Alilaguna tickets for the water taxi trip into Venice. There were no signs that we could see so we went back inside to get better instructions to get to the boat. They told us to go out and turn right. When that didn't work we asked someone else and discovered that it should have been "left"! It must have got lost in the translation. We finally settled in on the boat for about an hour and half trip. It's not that far, but there are rigid, police patrolled speed limits for the water taxis. As best we could tell, our captain was the only one who took them seriously. Our first views of Venice were bit misty but captivating all the same. Entering the Grand Canal was magical and I'm convinced that there isn't a bad camera shot in the place! We made our way down the canal among all the diverse forms of transportation. It seems just like the 401 (a busy highway near Toronto) but with amazing scenery at every turn. Our stop was at the iconic Rialto Bridge.
We climbed out into masses of people everywhere, dragging our luggage and peering at our map. As an aside, if you aren't a convert to traveling light, Venice would certainly convince you! It was a bit of a challenge to find our B & B since there are no street names, but we arrived successfully and checked in.
Our room is fine, a good size with a closet and shelves, a safe, luggage storage, a queen size bed (well really two long singles pushed together but very comfy), and a small fridge. There is AC and a small bathroom (think of an airline bathroom with a shower!), but it is spotlessly clean and we are quite happy here. The TV is in Italian as you would expect, although we did see one Jay Leno rerun in English. I can't imagine that we'll have any time to watch TV in Venice! The owners of our B & B also run a restaurant which is reputed to be very good. I imagine we'll try it out.
We settled in and then went off to explore and to try to stay awake. The first order of business was lunch in a little square. We shared a small pizza and decided that we had earned a glass of wine for our travelling efforts! Since we were a little lacking in energy, we decided to take a Vaporetto trip down the length of the Grand Canal. We purchased our pass and managed to get seats outside on the bow, perfect for photography. We were out there for most of the trip until we got chased in by the rain. We went as far as San Marco and, as the rain had stopped, decided to walk home from there.
St. Mark's square is a feast for the eyes, even with some restoration going on. It was absolutely mobbed with the late day cruise ship passengers so we decided that we would explore it later in the day when the crowds tend to dissipate a little. We continued our adventure, turning here and there down little streets, not really knowing exactly where we were. Getting "lost" in Venice is one of the most highly recommended activities. We just continued along following the "per Rialto" signs, sparse as they are. One minute we would be on a high end shopping street and the next turn would see us in a neighborhood square (campo). We stopped for a shared gelato, one scoop of pistachio and one of coffee. I can see where this will be a downfall!
We arrived "home", very tired and decided that showers would perk us up. Stew managed to acquire a bottle of wine and a cork screw, so we were all set! We had a drink and set out for an early dinner. We ventured father into our neighborhood, Cannaregio, which was the Jewish ghetto, and found La Cavello where we dined outside in the square. Jane had grilled chicken and Stew enjoyed lasagna. We shared grilled veggies and a large salad. We wandered back home, almost too tired to move. My first impression of Venice is that it is just what I expected only so much better!
We tried valiantly to get on line, to no avail, and finally crashed at about 8pm. We slept really well until midnight, and both woke up and couldn't get back to sleep...thus the journal was started! It is now 2am, so we'll try again.........
Oct 14th, 2012, 12:04 PM
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Enjoying your report and looking forward to reading more about your trip
Would you mind sharing the info about your B&B ,name website etc. I may be in Venice next Spring for a few days and startng to get info.
May I make a suggestion, please use spaces between each paragraph, it makes it easier to read.
Thanks
Would you mind sharing the info about your B&B ,name website etc. I may be in Venice next Spring for a few days and startng to get info.
May I make a suggestion, please use spaces between each paragraph, it makes it easier to read.
Thanks
Oct 14th, 2012, 02:24 PM
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Hi tdk320n.
We stayed in B & B Barababao in Cannaregio, about 5 minutes from Rialto Bridge. It was not fancy, but the location was great, it was clean and comfortable and the restaurant was excellent. The only down side was that the Wifi in the room was variable.
Thanks for the tip on the spaces...I'll try to remember!
Jane
We stayed in B & B Barababao in Cannaregio, about 5 minutes from Rialto Bridge. It was not fancy, but the location was great, it was clean and comfortable and the restaurant was excellent. The only down side was that the Wifi in the room was variable.
Thanks for the tip on the spaces...I'll try to remember!
Jane
Oct 15th, 2012, 09:46 AM
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Day 3 Sept 6th
We're in better shape today after some rest. We still aren't quite acclimatized to the time change, but at least we don't look like we should bleed to death from our eyes!
We got up around 7:30 to watch the fish mongers set up at the Rialto Market. The abundance of selection of fresh fish and sea food was amazing. Stew was so upset not to be buying and cooking! We were surprised to see horse meet for sale. You'd never get those ribs in your oven! There was also a lot of fresh produce so we bought some apples and a type of white grapes that is new to us...very sweet. We wandered back to our B & B for a breakfast of juice, yogurt, croissants and jam, and coffee, very strong coffee. That woke us up!
It was a beautiful, sunny day and we decided to walk to the Frari Church through the neighborhoods to our west. We browsed in shops along the way. There are beautiful woolen and silk clothes, linens, masks, and Murano glass. My favorites are the leather gloves but they are unlined and therefore too cold for our winters.
After a fruit smoothie break (kiwi, pineapple and lime), we did an audio tour of the church. When we were finished, we took the Vaporetto to San Giorgio for views back to Venice. We toured the church and wandered around checking out the sail boats in the marina...sigh! We caught another vaporetto and took the long way home, past three monstrous cruise ships. No wonder it's crowded.
We bought a panini for lunch and brought it home to have with some wine. After a short break and more sunscreen, we headed out on another walk to St. Mark's, arriving around 4pm. We got in the line to go in the Basilica and it moved along quite quickly. A couple of young girls in line with us were denied entry because of their short skirts and they were required to wrap themselves up in some sort of fabric that was supplied for a fee. It did my heart good because one of them had pushed in front of us in line!
After the tour we decided to take the Vaporetto home as we were tired. Well, you would have thought we were on the Tokyo subway! We had to wait for several boats before there was room for us to get squished on. We certainly noticed the cultural differences in inclination to push. It really was a super hot, miserable trip which ended up going on longer than walking would have been. Jane got grumpy! Just how good can shower feel?
Revived by our showers and a glass of wine, we decided to have dinner at the restaurant associated with our B & B, Barababao. It's not too fancy but I had read good reviews about it. Well, it was just excellent. We started with prosecco and homemade bread. Stew had a sea food platter which had squid and shrimp along with eggplant, red peppers, yellow peppers and zucchini. It was piping hot and very lightly fried...perfection. Jane ordered grilled monkfish with cherry tomatoes, olives and capers...also excellent. It was very reasonably priced and we got a ten per cent discount because we are guests. This could well be the highlight meal of the trip.
It is now about nine o'clock and we are trying to stay awake at least until ten.
Ciao from Venice!
We're in better shape today after some rest. We still aren't quite acclimatized to the time change, but at least we don't look like we should bleed to death from our eyes!
We got up around 7:30 to watch the fish mongers set up at the Rialto Market. The abundance of selection of fresh fish and sea food was amazing. Stew was so upset not to be buying and cooking! We were surprised to see horse meet for sale. You'd never get those ribs in your oven! There was also a lot of fresh produce so we bought some apples and a type of white grapes that is new to us...very sweet. We wandered back to our B & B for a breakfast of juice, yogurt, croissants and jam, and coffee, very strong coffee. That woke us up!
It was a beautiful, sunny day and we decided to walk to the Frari Church through the neighborhoods to our west. We browsed in shops along the way. There are beautiful woolen and silk clothes, linens, masks, and Murano glass. My favorites are the leather gloves but they are unlined and therefore too cold for our winters.
After a fruit smoothie break (kiwi, pineapple and lime), we did an audio tour of the church. When we were finished, we took the Vaporetto to San Giorgio for views back to Venice. We toured the church and wandered around checking out the sail boats in the marina...sigh! We caught another vaporetto and took the long way home, past three monstrous cruise ships. No wonder it's crowded.
We bought a panini for lunch and brought it home to have with some wine. After a short break and more sunscreen, we headed out on another walk to St. Mark's, arriving around 4pm. We got in the line to go in the Basilica and it moved along quite quickly. A couple of young girls in line with us were denied entry because of their short skirts and they were required to wrap themselves up in some sort of fabric that was supplied for a fee. It did my heart good because one of them had pushed in front of us in line!
After the tour we decided to take the Vaporetto home as we were tired. Well, you would have thought we were on the Tokyo subway! We had to wait for several boats before there was room for us to get squished on. We certainly noticed the cultural differences in inclination to push. It really was a super hot, miserable trip which ended up going on longer than walking would have been. Jane got grumpy! Just how good can shower feel?
Revived by our showers and a glass of wine, we decided to have dinner at the restaurant associated with our B & B, Barababao. It's not too fancy but I had read good reviews about it. Well, it was just excellent. We started with prosecco and homemade bread. Stew had a sea food platter which had squid and shrimp along with eggplant, red peppers, yellow peppers and zucchini. It was piping hot and very lightly fried...perfection. Jane ordered grilled monkfish with cherry tomatoes, olives and capers...also excellent. It was very reasonably priced and we got a ten per cent discount because we are guests. This could well be the highlight meal of the trip.
It is now about nine o'clock and we are trying to stay awake at least until ten.
Ciao from Venice!
Oct 16th, 2012, 05:56 AM
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Day 4. Sept 7th
I still haven't mastered my technology. I ended up writing yesterday's note 4 times and managed to lose it three times...aarrgghh! I am writing it in iPad Notes but, although it saves it without any action on my part, I don't really understand where it goes. I am used to being able to find files in "my computer" on a pc. Although my notes seem to open up when I go back to the iPad notes, if I do something to lose one of them, I can't seem to retrieve it and I have no idea what I did. The programme also highlights certain things automatically, such as times, and I can't overcome that feature. It sometimes anticipates what you are typing, like texting on a phone, and it drives me crazy. I clearly should have brought a small child with me!
Our other challenge is our WiFi connection. There is free WiFi all over Venice, but it is certainly not high speed. We have experienced times when things will not download or when we cannot send stuff for several hours. It seems to happen most in the evenings. Perhaps it is affected by volume. On the other hand, I am able to download my pictures each day to the iPad to back them up, and my camera is really getting a workout. I sure am glad that we are past the film stage and living in a digital age. I would have had to mortgage the house to process all the pictures I have taken.
Today was forecast to be sunny and even hotter. Fortuitously, we had planned to venture out to the islands in Venice's lagoon. We were hoping for some sea breeze and fewer people and that turned out to be the case. After breakfast, we took the vaporetto out to Cimiterio. Yup, the cemetery! It occupies most of the island and is very interesting. It also keeps the plastic flower industry alive and well. It is a peaceful and shady place and, among others, are the graves of Igor Stravinsky and Ezra Pound.
We stayed there for a short time and moved on to Murano where they make the Venetian glass. We passed on the tour of the glass factory because it was so hot and we have certainly watched glass blowing in the past. We bought a couple of souvenirs and walked around the island a bit. It seems a little sterile after Venice. The streets are wider and it is more residential.
Next we went out to Burano, a lovely island with very brightly painted houses. We had a panini (brie and prosciutto) for lunch. We checked out all the little shops selling glass, linens, masks and souvenirs. We were getting tired and so we came back to San Marco. We walked home on some of the back lanes which are not crowded and just delightful. Since we had certainly walked enough to earn it, we indulged in gelato. This time we had a scoop of pistachio and one of peach....very yummy!
After a brief break at home, we walked down Strada Nova to the train Station. Strada Nova is a much wider street than any other we have encountered in Venice. It tracks along about a block in from the Grand Canal. Even though it was crowded, it was easier navigating. There are vendors selling just about anything you want, and there are all types of restaurants as well. We scoped out the train station and have a pretty good idea what we will be doing tomorrow when we catch our train to Rome. We just caught the Vaporetto home as we were too tired to walk anymore.
Next on the agenda was showers (the highlight of the day) and a glass of wine....another highlight! We started to get organized for our trip to Rome tomorrow.
We had enjoyed our dinner last evening so much we decided to go back to the same place tonight and it certainly did not disappoint. Stew had scallops in a tomato sauce with fresh basil and Jane had squid ink pasta with pieces of squid. Once again, we had a wonderful meal.
After dinner we took the Vaporetto back to San Marco to see it at night. It was not as lit up as I would have expected but still an interesting experience. The orchestras were playing so we listened for a while. Finally, we took a last look around and caught the vaporetto home. Being on the water at night is certainly scary. Gondolas are very poorly lit and there are still a lot of different vessels milling about. There are enough brighter lights that your night vision is not that acute. Even as experienced night sailors, we both agreed that we wouldn't be piloting any type of vessel here at night.
We got home around ten and packed up our stuff to leave tomorrow morning. Next stop.....Rome. Hail Caesar!
I still haven't mastered my technology. I ended up writing yesterday's note 4 times and managed to lose it three times...aarrgghh! I am writing it in iPad Notes but, although it saves it without any action on my part, I don't really understand where it goes. I am used to being able to find files in "my computer" on a pc. Although my notes seem to open up when I go back to the iPad notes, if I do something to lose one of them, I can't seem to retrieve it and I have no idea what I did. The programme also highlights certain things automatically, such as times, and I can't overcome that feature. It sometimes anticipates what you are typing, like texting on a phone, and it drives me crazy. I clearly should have brought a small child with me!
Our other challenge is our WiFi connection. There is free WiFi all over Venice, but it is certainly not high speed. We have experienced times when things will not download or when we cannot send stuff for several hours. It seems to happen most in the evenings. Perhaps it is affected by volume. On the other hand, I am able to download my pictures each day to the iPad to back them up, and my camera is really getting a workout. I sure am glad that we are past the film stage and living in a digital age. I would have had to mortgage the house to process all the pictures I have taken.
Today was forecast to be sunny and even hotter. Fortuitously, we had planned to venture out to the islands in Venice's lagoon. We were hoping for some sea breeze and fewer people and that turned out to be the case. After breakfast, we took the vaporetto out to Cimiterio. Yup, the cemetery! It occupies most of the island and is very interesting. It also keeps the plastic flower industry alive and well. It is a peaceful and shady place and, among others, are the graves of Igor Stravinsky and Ezra Pound.
We stayed there for a short time and moved on to Murano where they make the Venetian glass. We passed on the tour of the glass factory because it was so hot and we have certainly watched glass blowing in the past. We bought a couple of souvenirs and walked around the island a bit. It seems a little sterile after Venice. The streets are wider and it is more residential.
Next we went out to Burano, a lovely island with very brightly painted houses. We had a panini (brie and prosciutto) for lunch. We checked out all the little shops selling glass, linens, masks and souvenirs. We were getting tired and so we came back to San Marco. We walked home on some of the back lanes which are not crowded and just delightful. Since we had certainly walked enough to earn it, we indulged in gelato. This time we had a scoop of pistachio and one of peach....very yummy!
After a brief break at home, we walked down Strada Nova to the train Station. Strada Nova is a much wider street than any other we have encountered in Venice. It tracks along about a block in from the Grand Canal. Even though it was crowded, it was easier navigating. There are vendors selling just about anything you want, and there are all types of restaurants as well. We scoped out the train station and have a pretty good idea what we will be doing tomorrow when we catch our train to Rome. We just caught the Vaporetto home as we were too tired to walk anymore.
Next on the agenda was showers (the highlight of the day) and a glass of wine....another highlight! We started to get organized for our trip to Rome tomorrow.
We had enjoyed our dinner last evening so much we decided to go back to the same place tonight and it certainly did not disappoint. Stew had scallops in a tomato sauce with fresh basil and Jane had squid ink pasta with pieces of squid. Once again, we had a wonderful meal.
After dinner we took the Vaporetto back to San Marco to see it at night. It was not as lit up as I would have expected but still an interesting experience. The orchestras were playing so we listened for a while. Finally, we took a last look around and caught the vaporetto home. Being on the water at night is certainly scary. Gondolas are very poorly lit and there are still a lot of different vessels milling about. There are enough brighter lights that your night vision is not that acute. Even as experienced night sailors, we both agreed that we wouldn't be piloting any type of vessel here at night.
We got home around ten and packed up our stuff to leave tomorrow morning. Next stop.....Rome. Hail Caesar!
Oct 16th, 2012, 08:04 PM
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Thanks for the hotel information.
I am really enjoying your report and appreciated the airport info, since I may be flying into Venice from New York,
Taking notes and looking forward to the rest of what sounds like a great trip
I am really enjoying your report and appreciated the airport info, since I may be flying into Venice from New York,
Taking notes and looking forward to the rest of what sounds like a great trip
Oct 17th, 2012, 04:31 AM
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Day 5 Sept 8th
We were up around 7:00 and had our last breakfast at our little B & B. After checking out, we made our way by Vaporetto to the St. Lucia Train Station. We were able board our train about 30 minutes early which gives one a great luggage storage advantage. People who boarded later were faced with piling huge suitcases one on top of the other. When the train lurched the suitcases came tumbling down and everyone was scrambling to retrieve their stuff.
We traversed very flat farmland at the beginning of the trip, mainly corn, wheat and vineyards. Eventually we got into the mountains and most of that part of the trip was through tunnels. After Florence, our seats were facing backwards. Nothing that a little Gravol couldn't fix. As we approached the outskirts of Rome we were struck with the amount of graffiti. There is no surface that is not painted. We had been alarmed seeing graffiti on the Rialto Bridge in Venice, but the way into Rome is just covered. Even the subway cars are completely painted over.
We arrived in Roma Termini, after a 4.5 hr. trip, and emerged into crowds of people of every color and language. After heading in the wrong direction at first, we arrived at our hotel and checked in. This is a small boutique hotel, one of several in the same old building. The ceiling in our room must be 20 feet high. Our window is roughly 5 x 12, has both interior and exterior shutters and elaborate maroon draperies. We have a good size room with a queen bed and a bigger bath than at the last place.
Once we settled in and freshened up, we decided to do a guide book recommended walk from Campo de' Fiori to the Spanish Steps. We managed to take Bus 64 (the notorious pick pocket bus) without incident. As an aside, Stew was wearing his Tilley pants which have many secret, zippered pockets. They work so well, that even he can't get at his money half the time! When we arrived at Campo de' Fiori, the market was finished (which I expected), but the place was just covered in trash. We were then just swept up the crowd as we walked to Piazza Navona. This is famous for the church of St. Agnes and the Bernini fountains. We stopped for dinner here and just watched the people go by. The guide book did call it “watching Italy's human river”!
From there we went by the Pantheon but did not go in as we will be going there again later. Next stop was the Trevi fountain where I had planned to toss a coin over my shoulder. Well, you couldn't get anywhere near it. I barely saw it. You would have to be major league pitcher to get your coin to the water. Did I mention the crowds? We finished our walk at the Spanish Steps, but, again, you couldn't get near them. By this time I was feeling sick and we had had enough. We managed to get home on the subway, the Metro.
We had expected Rome to be crowded, dirty, loud, and hot. It is actually CROWDED, DIRTY, LOUD, and HOT! Don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled to be in Rome. Showers felt extra good tonight
We were up around 7:00 and had our last breakfast at our little B & B. After checking out, we made our way by Vaporetto to the St. Lucia Train Station. We were able board our train about 30 minutes early which gives one a great luggage storage advantage. People who boarded later were faced with piling huge suitcases one on top of the other. When the train lurched the suitcases came tumbling down and everyone was scrambling to retrieve their stuff.
We traversed very flat farmland at the beginning of the trip, mainly corn, wheat and vineyards. Eventually we got into the mountains and most of that part of the trip was through tunnels. After Florence, our seats were facing backwards. Nothing that a little Gravol couldn't fix. As we approached the outskirts of Rome we were struck with the amount of graffiti. There is no surface that is not painted. We had been alarmed seeing graffiti on the Rialto Bridge in Venice, but the way into Rome is just covered. Even the subway cars are completely painted over.
We arrived in Roma Termini, after a 4.5 hr. trip, and emerged into crowds of people of every color and language. After heading in the wrong direction at first, we arrived at our hotel and checked in. This is a small boutique hotel, one of several in the same old building. The ceiling in our room must be 20 feet high. Our window is roughly 5 x 12, has both interior and exterior shutters and elaborate maroon draperies. We have a good size room with a queen bed and a bigger bath than at the last place.
Once we settled in and freshened up, we decided to do a guide book recommended walk from Campo de' Fiori to the Spanish Steps. We managed to take Bus 64 (the notorious pick pocket bus) without incident. As an aside, Stew was wearing his Tilley pants which have many secret, zippered pockets. They work so well, that even he can't get at his money half the time! When we arrived at Campo de' Fiori, the market was finished (which I expected), but the place was just covered in trash. We were then just swept up the crowd as we walked to Piazza Navona. This is famous for the church of St. Agnes and the Bernini fountains. We stopped for dinner here and just watched the people go by. The guide book did call it “watching Italy's human river”!
From there we went by the Pantheon but did not go in as we will be going there again later. Next stop was the Trevi fountain where I had planned to toss a coin over my shoulder. Well, you couldn't get anywhere near it. I barely saw it. You would have to be major league pitcher to get your coin to the water. Did I mention the crowds? We finished our walk at the Spanish Steps, but, again, you couldn't get near them. By this time I was feeling sick and we had had enough. We managed to get home on the subway, the Metro.
We had expected Rome to be crowded, dirty, loud, and hot. It is actually CROWDED, DIRTY, LOUD, and HOT! Don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled to be in Rome. Showers felt extra good tonight
Oct 17th, 2012, 03:30 PM
#18
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Day 6 Sept 9th
We felt much better after a night's rest. After breakfast at the hotel, we set out on the Metro for Ostia Antica, an ancient Roman ruin. Ostia was really Rome's port city, where the Tiber River enters the sea. The first settlement is thought to have started in the 7th century BC and survived until approximately 500 AD.
We spent most of the day poking about in the ruins and watched some of the archaeological dig going on. It was beautiful, sunny day with a breeze coming in from the ocean. Although there were quite a few tourists here, it did not feel crowded.
We really enjoyed our trip to Ostia. Originally we had thought of going to Pompeii but the logistics of the trip were going to make for a long day. Many think that the Ostia ruins are the better of the two.
We finally left in mid afternoon and made our way back to out hotel, and it was then that we had our first injury with actual blood! Stew was opening a bottle of wine with our totally inadequate cork screw (purchased in Venice) which broke while he was using it. He ended up with a significant laceration which is right on his knuckle. I always travel with a few band aids but this is going to keep opening up every time he bends his finger. Back to the drug store!
Once he was all disinfected and bandaged up, we set out to explore our neighborhood. The first stop was to buy a better cork screw. You can certainly tell where our priorities lie. We poked around in some other stores and decided on an early dinner of veal scallopini limone and a salad which was a delicious. Back to the room for a little Italian TV.
We felt much better after a night's rest. After breakfast at the hotel, we set out on the Metro for Ostia Antica, an ancient Roman ruin. Ostia was really Rome's port city, where the Tiber River enters the sea. The first settlement is thought to have started in the 7th century BC and survived until approximately 500 AD.
We spent most of the day poking about in the ruins and watched some of the archaeological dig going on. It was beautiful, sunny day with a breeze coming in from the ocean. Although there were quite a few tourists here, it did not feel crowded.
We really enjoyed our trip to Ostia. Originally we had thought of going to Pompeii but the logistics of the trip were going to make for a long day. Many think that the Ostia ruins are the better of the two.
We finally left in mid afternoon and made our way back to out hotel, and it was then that we had our first injury with actual blood! Stew was opening a bottle of wine with our totally inadequate cork screw (purchased in Venice) which broke while he was using it. He ended up with a significant laceration which is right on his knuckle. I always travel with a few band aids but this is going to keep opening up every time he bends his finger. Back to the drug store!
Once he was all disinfected and bandaged up, we set out to explore our neighborhood. The first stop was to buy a better cork screw. You can certainly tell where our priorities lie. We poked around in some other stores and decided on an early dinner of veal scallopini limone and a salad which was a delicious. Back to the room for a little Italian TV.
Oct 18th, 2012, 12:59 PM
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Day 7 Monday, Sept 10th
We got up in good time and had our breakfast at the hotel. When we were leaving, our little street, so quiet yesterday, had transformed into a market. I have no idea if that is just on Mondays or every day. They were selling mostly clothes, bags, and scarves but there was a green grocer as well.
Our decision to get up and get going early paid off. Today would be another day of ancient ruins. Fitting, since we feel like ruined ancients ourselves. We took the Metro to the Colosseum and arrived, before it opened, to a very small line. We have Roma Passes that would have allowed us to skip the line to enter, but we were expecting the very long security line that I had read about. In reality there was no security line and we walked right in. We followed an audio guide that I had downloaded for free before we left. We were able to stop often to rest in the shade while we listened to the tour. I find it just astounding that these early folks had such amazing engineering skills. It didn't take too much imagination to see the gladiators slaying the lions and each other.
We finally tore ourselves away from the Colosseum and crossed to the Palantine Hill and the Roman Forum. We walked through the site for a couple of hours, taking in the amazing ruins. It was getting warmer as the day progressed and there was less shade. When we needed a break, we just found a piece of ancient sculpture lying on the ground in a shady spot and sat down.
Eventually, we walked past the Capitoline Hill and then the huge white monument to Victor Emmanuel. We made our way through the small "pedestrian friendly" streets to the Pantheon. “Pedestrian friendly” seems to mean fewer cars but more motor bikes. Driving in Rome would certainly require intestinal fortitude, but walking is even more terrifying. The motor bikes go at least twice the speed limit (maybe twice the speed of sound!), and basically don't stop for much of anything.
The Pantheon was even more than I had imagined. We worked our way around the interior. Every few minutes, a voice would ask for silence in several languages. Things would subside for a minute or two. Again, the architecture was amazing. The only light comes in through a 30 foot oculus or opening in the centre of the roof.
By now we were getting too hot and tired to walk all the way back to the Colosseo Metro station. We figured out what bus we needed and waited for it to arrive. After about 10 minutes it came along. Well, it was just packed. I had nothing to hold on to except the waist of Stew's pants while he was holding a bar on the ceiling. At times, I had only one foot touching the floor. An older gentleman kept saying "Scusi, Scusi" to me but there was nowhere for either of us to go. At one point the bus lurched to the left and stopped suddenly leaving me lying on the floor on top of another woman with one more person on top of me. It took a minute to get disentangled and upright with all of us laughing. Of course, I couldn't see outside at any point so the motion was getting to me as well. Finally, we got off at the next stop. I didn't care where we were, I just wanted off. It turned out that we were not that far from the subway so we walked the rest of the way.
We arrived home a little earlier than scheduled so we had showers and took our laundry to the laundromat. It turns out that they take it and do it for you which was not what I was expecting. Two loads cost E17! That's OK, it freed us up to go for gelato...one scoop mixed berry and one of coconut. So yummy! We picked up our laundry, all beautifully folded, and came back to our room for a glass of wine.
Eventually, we went out for another great dinner...seafood fettuccine for Stew and Osso buco for Jane. Then it was home to charge up all our technology for another day.
We got up in good time and had our breakfast at the hotel. When we were leaving, our little street, so quiet yesterday, had transformed into a market. I have no idea if that is just on Mondays or every day. They were selling mostly clothes, bags, and scarves but there was a green grocer as well.
Our decision to get up and get going early paid off. Today would be another day of ancient ruins. Fitting, since we feel like ruined ancients ourselves. We took the Metro to the Colosseum and arrived, before it opened, to a very small line. We have Roma Passes that would have allowed us to skip the line to enter, but we were expecting the very long security line that I had read about. In reality there was no security line and we walked right in. We followed an audio guide that I had downloaded for free before we left. We were able to stop often to rest in the shade while we listened to the tour. I find it just astounding that these early folks had such amazing engineering skills. It didn't take too much imagination to see the gladiators slaying the lions and each other.
We finally tore ourselves away from the Colosseum and crossed to the Palantine Hill and the Roman Forum. We walked through the site for a couple of hours, taking in the amazing ruins. It was getting warmer as the day progressed and there was less shade. When we needed a break, we just found a piece of ancient sculpture lying on the ground in a shady spot and sat down.
Eventually, we walked past the Capitoline Hill and then the huge white monument to Victor Emmanuel. We made our way through the small "pedestrian friendly" streets to the Pantheon. “Pedestrian friendly” seems to mean fewer cars but more motor bikes. Driving in Rome would certainly require intestinal fortitude, but walking is even more terrifying. The motor bikes go at least twice the speed limit (maybe twice the speed of sound!), and basically don't stop for much of anything.
The Pantheon was even more than I had imagined. We worked our way around the interior. Every few minutes, a voice would ask for silence in several languages. Things would subside for a minute or two. Again, the architecture was amazing. The only light comes in through a 30 foot oculus or opening in the centre of the roof.
By now we were getting too hot and tired to walk all the way back to the Colosseo Metro station. We figured out what bus we needed and waited for it to arrive. After about 10 minutes it came along. Well, it was just packed. I had nothing to hold on to except the waist of Stew's pants while he was holding a bar on the ceiling. At times, I had only one foot touching the floor. An older gentleman kept saying "Scusi, Scusi" to me but there was nowhere for either of us to go. At one point the bus lurched to the left and stopped suddenly leaving me lying on the floor on top of another woman with one more person on top of me. It took a minute to get disentangled and upright with all of us laughing. Of course, I couldn't see outside at any point so the motion was getting to me as well. Finally, we got off at the next stop. I didn't care where we were, I just wanted off. It turned out that we were not that far from the subway so we walked the rest of the way.
We arrived home a little earlier than scheduled so we had showers and took our laundry to the laundromat. It turns out that they take it and do it for you which was not what I was expecting. Two loads cost E17! That's OK, it freed us up to go for gelato...one scoop mixed berry and one of coconut. So yummy! We picked up our laundry, all beautifully folded, and came back to our room for a glass of wine.
Eventually, we went out for another great dinner...seafood fettuccine for Stew and Osso buco for Jane. Then it was home to charge up all our technology for another day.
