jpm

[Note: I write these travelogues primarily for myself. They may seem to have too many details, but I tend to forget just about everything. So when I reread these months or years later, they bring to mind the minor details that makes each trip unique.]

Saturday, December 24, 2005

Two years ago, just before I left for a trip to Venice, I met the most beautiful woman in the world. We had been on one date and the night before I left we went out again. I was in love. While the next ten days in Italy were fascinating, my mind kept wandering back to her. Everywhere I went I could only wish that she were with me

Love grew quickly and we were married six weeks later. Due to a variety of circumstances, we were only able to take a too short, two-day honeymoon at a local B&B. But I had promised that I would take her to Italy. Two years later I was finally able to fulfill that promise.

This morning we woke completely packed with a nearly clean house. Both were major accomplishments. The previous day I discovered that I did not have a jacket. I had a jacket but it didn’t fit – ok, I have one New Year’s Resolution – so it was off on the great jacket hunt. Four stores and fifty miles away, I finally found one. This jacket caper proved to be more beneficial than I realized at the time. And with the Christmas holidays, we had cleaned the house because I had promised the previous year to have the family get together at our place.

I had dropped the dogs, Patton and Rommel, at the kennel Friday afternoon. All we had to do was load the luggage and drive to Atlanta. My brother who is in school at Stanford was flying in this morning and was planning on stopping by to visit for an hour or so before we left. I hadn’t seen him since the summer and this would be too brief a visit – but Italy beckoned and we had to go.

After he left I loaded the luggage into the truck. It was here that I discovered that my suitcase had a broken zipper. Yes, I own luggage straps but do I know where they are? NO! I have all kinds of stuff but I can never find it. Each time I need something I have to go to the store and buy it again. I now have boxes and boxes of office supplies, computer equipment, light bulbs, etc. I digress.

Our flight was on KLM at 6:30 pm (Eastern Time) from Atlanta. This meant we needed to leave between 12:30 and 1 pm (Central Time) from the fair city of Cropwell, Alabama. My algorithm for such an early departure is as follows:

6:30 pm (Easter) – 1 hour (Central) – 2 hours (arrival at Airport) – 1 hour (parking, shuttle to airport) – 2 hours (120 mile drive) = 12:30 pm.

Actually very simple. And for once amazingly accurate. We planned a quick stop at the store to purchase luggage straps. Being Christmas eve a “quick stop” at Wal-Mart was a bit optimistic, but we managed it. And we stopped at Zaxby’s for lunch. For those who don’t know, Zaxby’s is a “chicken” fast-food place with really good food. We do not have one locally so when we spotted the store off the interstate it was a quick decision.

I had gone online and printed off coupons for four or five parking lots servicing the Atlanta airport. One coupon had a rate of $5 a day with the 7th day free. Jen called them to ask if any spaces were available. The reply was, “Sure, plenty.” “Sure, plenty” translated into two spaces – but I only needed one so there was “plenty” available for me. A quick note, our final bill for 11 days was just $40.

It was a cold, wet, rainy day. We grabbed our bags and headed to the front of the lot. Arriving there the attendant told us we should have stayed at our vehicle and the shuttle van would have come by and picked us up. Live and learn. While waiting for the shuttle I spent the time putting the luggage straps around my suitcase. Within five minutes the shuttle arrived and we were on our way to the airport, another five minutes away.

Wearing my Santa hat we marched inside. No one was in line at the KLM counter so we quickly had our boarding passes. We checked two suitcases and had a 22-inch carry-on full of medicine, a change of clothes, cameras, books, and documentation. Security was a non-event and we made our way downstairs to take the tram to the terminal.

I like the Atlanta airport. I think it is designed in a very efficient manner. There are six (or seven) terminals that are parallel to each other. They are connected by an underground tram. This means that you can go from any place in the airport to any other and only have to walk the distance of a single terminal. Having traveled to airports that require walking the equivalent of a 10K to get to the next gate, this is greatly appreciated.

We reached the gate just a few minutes before boarding began. My timing had worked. I usually arrive way too early as I’m so paranoid about missing a flight. At the gate a minor drama was taking place. Minor for me because I was not involved, but I’m sure a major drama for those involved.

It seemed that there were three people who were coming from Amsterdam to Atlanta. They had been separated in Amsterdam and only two of them made it on the plane to Atlanta. Unfortunately, the two who made it had the passport of the person left behind. That person had somehow gotten on a plane to Detroit. Since they did not have a passport they would be put back on a plane to Amsterdam. The discussion centered around how to get the passport to the person in Detroit. For some reason it couldn’t be sent to Detroit because there was no way to get it to the person needing it. As we boarded the discussion centered around someone taking the passport to Detroit (I wasn’t sure how they would get it too the person, or someone flying back to Amsterdam and taking the passport with them). Neither option sounded viable and both sounded expensive. It would be interesting too know how things worked out.

The plane was half-empty so we each managed an aisle/window seat apiece. We should have been even more observant and grabbed 3 middle seats apiece. By the time I thought about it others had staked their claim to this prized real-estate.

The plane did not have individual entertainment systems and the closet screen was nearly over my head, so I did not try to watch any of the in-flight movies. After dinner I took two Tylenol PM capsules, arranged myself in almost comfortable position, and went to sleep. And while I did not get a restful night sleep, I did manage to sleep the majority of the way across the Atlantic. I did look out the window occasionally trying to spot Santa.

Jen, who is a foot shorter than I am, tried curling up on her two seats. I’m not sure if she ever managed to find a comfortable position and she most of the flight watching the movies. For breakfast we were served an egg, ham, and cheese sandwich with two cups of fruit and a small-cold waffle. The waffle was sweet and tasty.

jpm

Sunday, December 25, 2005

Our flight landed 30 minutes early which took some of my anxiety away. We were scheduled to land at 9:05 with our connecting flight leaving at 10:05. I was very concerned that we would not be able to make it though customs and passport control in time to make it too our next gate. Fortunately our luggage had been checked through to Venice so we did not have to retrieve it in Amsterdam.

As soon as we were in the Terminal I stopped at the first ATM and retrieved €250 ($298.81 / 1.19524). We then made our way to passport control where I had a bit of a shock – the officer opened our passports, looked at us, and very calmly stated, “Your passports are invalid.” “What?” “You need to sign your passports.” “Oh, ok, can we go sign them and come back.” “No, just sign them on the plane.” Jen and I had both renewed our passports and both had forgotten to sign them.

After this small heart-attack we made our way to our gate. After a five minute wait we boarded a bus that took us out to plane. This flight was nearly full. After a short 1.5 hour flight across the Alps we finally arrived in Venice shortly before noon. Grabbing our luggage from baggage retrieval, we walked passed several guards with German Shepherds and found ourselves in the main terminal.

I spotted a sign to the left for the ticket office for the water bus to St. Marks. €20 later we had our tickets headed outside. There is a shuttle that goes between the airport and the bus stop but it was leaving as we walked out the door. I had read that it was only a 10 minute walk, and after being cooped up on airplanes for the last 12 hours it felt good to walk.

The weather was brisk and the sky was blue. At the bus-stop, or is it boat-dock, we waited for ten to twenty minutes for the next bus. Several people had their dogs with them including one very cute miniature Yorkie. On the boat we settled in for the hour long trip to St. Marks. Jenny stretched out on one of the couches at the front of the boat and fell promptly asleep.

The windows were very dirty and I couldn’t see much out of them. What I could see was very foggy and indistinct. I could smell the boat fumes and was getting slightly nauseous. With no one seating near me I opened the window to let in the cool air from the water and this calmed me.

The bus stopped at Murano, Venice (north shore), the Lido, and then St. Marks. The trip took about an hour. I noticed they have a direct shuttle between the airport and St. Marks but it cost €26 each – more than I wanted to pay but far cheaper than the €100 - €125 the water taxis wanted.

There were a few tourist groups wondering about the square but it was mostly empty. We made our way around the corner of St. Marks Cathedral, pass the McDonalds, and turned onto the street of our hotel. I knew the general location but not exactly where it could be found. I admit that Jen spotted the hotel after I walked pass their lobby.

We were staying at the Donà Palace. I admit to a bit of subterfuge in reserving our room. I had told Jen that we were staying in bargain hotels (which would be true for Florence) but I had researched the web and found a suite at the Donà Palace (booked through Venere.Com) for €260 a night. This is far more than I usually spend on a room but this was my honeymoon.

We quickly checked in and were escorted to our room on the second floor. Jen’s eyes popped open as we walked into the room. There was a small room with a sleeper-sofa and a flat screen television, a huge bathroom with a hydro-massage tub and a “rainfall” showerhead. And the bedroom was as large as our living room at home. The suite had 3 windows overlooking the Rio Palazzo canal and two windows looking out into the hotel’s small garden area.

I had been informed the room had a view of the Bridge of Sighs. It did – if you leaned way out the window and looked to your right. There was a mini fridge filled with expensive treats (but actually cheap for Venice). There was another small flat-screen television in the bedroom. The hotel provided free wireless internet which I used to check email and train schedules.

I had kept joking with Jen about how nice it would if we could have a hot-tub in Venice. She was delighted to find that we did have one. And the shower was one of the best I’ve ever seen. One thing you must know about me, I judge most places by the water pressure of the shower. There also seemed to be and endless supply of hot water.

Would I recommend this hotel? Yes! It was great. The location was idea. We often popped in during the day to drop off items, use the restroom, or to take quick breaks. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Each morning a buffet breakfast was served from 7 am to 11 am. The buffet included fruits, cereals, cheese, various breads and muffins, cooked eggs and bacon, and various drink including juice, milk, and coffee.

Wanting to see some of Venice today we headed towards the Rialto Bridge. Although many restaurants were closed almost all the stores were closed. There were very few people out and about. We just wandered around various streets and eventually found ourselves back at St. Marks square. By this time it was growing dark and the square was deserted – only one or two shops located on the square were opened.

By now we were nearly worn out. At the hotel Jen took a long hot bath, with plenty of hydro-massage action, and I took a very refreshing shower. After relaxing for a bit in the hotel we headed out looking for a place for dinner. After stopping at various places we decided to go to the hotel owned, Pizzeria La Grotta located directly across from the hotel. Since we were staying at the hotel we got a 20% discount.

The ceiling of La Grotta looks like a cave and there are weird faces peering out from the walls. Very interesting. Our table was against the window and there was a continual stream of people looking in to see what we were eating.

For an appetizer I ordered a tomato mozzarella salad. For the price I was very unimpressed with what was delivered. But that was the only downside of the meal. Jen ordered a cheese and spinach pizza. Why? I don’t know. She never eats anything green at home so I’m not sure why she ordered a spinach pizza. She did eat some of the spinach but not much – she mostly ate the cheese around the outside. That was fine by me as I enjoyed the center of her pizza. I ordered Spaghetti and Meatballs.

This was my fourth trip to Italy and as far as I remember the first time I had ordered spaghetti. I was served a large plate of spaghetti, with a delicious sauce and two large meatballs. I had a bottle of “frizzante” water and Jen ordered a coke. Neither of us are wine drinkers. For dessert we shared an order of Tiramisu. Jen pronounced it the best she ever had.

I believe Tiramisu to Italians is like Banana Pudding to Southerners. There is very good banana pudding and very bad banana pudding. The good type is baked, with whipped egg white and vanilla wafers. The bad type is vanilla pudding spooned over cookies with cool whip. The same appeared to be true about Tiramisu in Italy. Some was very good and some should never be served.

With the 20% discount our dinner cost €47. A major portion of this cost was the appetizer that I was very disappointed with. After dinner we spent more time walking. We went to find La Bistro where I had made reservations for the following night. After easily finding the restaurant we finally decided to call it a day.

Waiting for us in our room was a bottle of Champaign the hotel gave us for celebrating our “honeymoon/anniversary” with them. There was small card on the bed with candies and a weather forecast for the next day.

jpm

More to come tomorrow....

Tiff

MORE, More, more!

You know, jpm, I can read trip report after trip report, and I love them all so much for each has it's own unique quality. Your style of writing is delightful.

My heart dropped to my toes when I saw the words "your passport is invalid" I bet yours did, too! So happy all you had to do was sign it.

Regarding "I judge most places by the water pressure of the shower" You and my DH would get along magnificently!

SO looking forward to more, only three more weeks until we depart.


Tiff

SuzieC

MMMM...I sense ROMANCE and a romantic writer... can't wait for more.

jpm

Monday, December 26, 2005

The breakfast room on the second floor of the hotel was very nice. A floor to ceiling glass wall provided a view of the canal below. At this time in the morning there were many boats delivering goods to stores all around Venice. After a filling breakfast we left the hotel around 10 am.

It was a crisp day with a bright blue sky. Entering Piazza San Marco the tourist groups were just arriving. There were one or two vendors out and a couple of pigeon food carts but mostly the square was empty. I had never been to the top of the Campinelle so this is where we headed. It was a short line to get in and after paying €6 each we were soon in the elevator on our way to the top.

Stepping out the wind had a biting edge but it was the view that took my breath away. I was amazed at how different Venice looked from this vantage point. I could not see a single canal, just a mass of buildings. To the north and east we could see Murano, the airport, and in the hazy distance snow-capped mountains. To the south was a view many islands dotting the water and even further was the open sea.

Looking around Venice we spotted many landmarks. I finally spotted the Scala Contarini del Bovolo, the beautiful spiral staircase. We determined to try to find it later. Near the S. Elena stop we again saw the large, white, metallic, obelisk shaped sculpture we had seen the previous day. At night it appears to have a colorful waterfall of light cascading down its center. Closer to us by the Arsenale stop a fair had been set-up including a miniature roller-coaster. Once or twice we thought about walking down to it but the cold breeze off the water always put a halt to that idea.

It wasn’t until we were ready to take the elevator back down that I noticed the huge bells suspended above our heads. Fortunately they were not rung as the 11 am hour passed. We did hear them later that night as we walked through the piazza.

It was then across the square to the Basilica. I had been in St. Marks before, and honestly, I’ve never been overwhelmed by it. I’ve read many travelogues of people stating how beautiful the gold is when the sun is streaming through the windows. The sun was streaming through the windows and while small parts of the church were lit in fire, the majority was dark. There are not enough windows high in the church to adequately allow the interior to be lit – of course, one day, I may enter St. Marks and find it truly radiant.

I spent more of my time looking down than looking up. The complexity and variety of the marble tile work on the floor was amazing. The 3D optical illusions created by some of the patterns are mesmerizing. We did pay the €1.50 each to walk behind the baptistery – something I had not done before.

After purchasing a bottle of water for another €1.50 we made a quick stop by the hotel – I love the location. With it being such a beautiful day we decided to do the obligatory gondola ride – after all, it was our honeymoon. We decided for a day ride as a night ride would be way too cold.

There were gondolas beside our hotel so that is where we started. The first time I was in Venice I had bargained hard with the gondolier, turned and walked away, and he came running after me agreeing to my price. This time I didn’t bargain – I should have as business was obviously slow. The gondolier presented two different trips with two different prices. We selected the longer ride, and €100 later found ourselves floating by our hotel room.

Gondolas are definitely tourist traps – but this is Venice! I find the whole gondola experience interesting. On my first gondola ride I actually had a singing gondolier who was very enjoyable. This time we had a whistling gondolier – at least he was whistling during the times he wasn’t; a) talking on his cell phone, b) giving a tired rehearsed talk about the various buildings we were passing, c) yelling at other gondoliers. It didn’t matter as we were snuggled together enjoying the moment. At one point we came up behind a line of other gondolas. These four gondolas had one person playing music and another singing various favorites.

We thoroughly enjoyed our ride and the hour passed by quickly. Back at the Bridge of Sighs, I decided that since I had just spent €100 I should spend another €42 on a 72 hour vaporetto pass. This was actually a mistake. I had purchased them before and it is nice to be able to hop on a boat anytime you like, but in this case I would have done better by buying individual or daily passes. Three times during our visit we were required to show our passes which I’ve never had to in the past.

With our pass we hopped on the boat and headed up the Grand Canal. With no destination in mind we got off at the Riva De Biasio stop, the one just before the railway station. Picking a nearby street we headed away from the Grand Canal. For the next hour we wandered through various streets, campos, piazzas, crossing various canals and making our way down narrow alleys. We had no idea where we were. This appeared to be a very residential area of Venice with only an occasional shop selling tourist items. Many of the stores were still closed for the Christmas holidays.

Eventually deciding we needed to figure out where we were, we spotted a sign for the Rialto Bridge and headed in that direction. Passing a small ceramic shop we paused to look at their wares. A leaflet in the window described Margherita Rossetto, an artist who had moved to Venice and had opened a shop selling her hand-painted ceramics.

Jen looked at me and said, “That sounds so interesting, we should try to find her shop.” I tried not to laugh as I replied, “I think this is it.” Stepping inside we met Margherita. Her shop is very small but her designs are wonderful. She has several patterns that she has developed, each evoking a different mood. Jen and I immediately picked out the same piece – a vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper set.

I spotted a vase that I really liked. Margherita was slightly embarrassed about the vase – it was in the back of the top shelf. The vase had several small imperfections which had greatly reduced the price. But for me it was those same imperfections that perfected it.

Purchasing both pieces Margherita carefully wrapped them for us. Later we specifically packed in such a way to give these two pieces the greatest protection. Taking them in our carry-on help to insure they arrived home unbroken. The new vase is going to be beautiful on our dining room table full of sunflowers.

You can view her website at: WWW.LAMARGHERITAVENEZIA.COM

From the shop it was still a ways before we found ourselves at the market just north of the Rialto Bridge. Only one fruit stand was open and the majority of the stores and booths were closed. I had been watching the prices of the “glass candy” since we had arrived in Venice. My mother had purchased some before to give out as presents and wanted some for herself. The prices vary widely so it pays to shop around. We found one booth selling the large candies at 11 for €7. The vendor gave me his card and told me to check out his Italian ebay store, La Bottega Dei Veneziani.

A few booths down the “Pizza, Fries, Hot Dogs, and Brats” vendor stand was open. This is cheap, good, fast Italian food. I had a pizza capriciosa, Jen had a order of fries and a coke. This great late lunch was a total of €6.30. I kept laughing at Jen as she fought off the pigeons who were trying to steal her fries. At the fruit stand next door we purchased a banana for € .30.

Most of the stores on the Rialto were closed but my favorite paper store in Venice was opened, the Rivoaltus Legatoria. I’ve purchased gifts for myself and others here each time I’ve been to Venice. This time we purchased a small, oil painting of the Rialto Bridge. It will look lovely next to the watercolor of the Bridge of Sighs Jen gave me for our first anniversary.

We arrived back at the hotel a little after 4 pm and decided to take a nap before going back out. By 7 pm we had rested, showered, and changed and on our way to La Bistro de Venise. I was extremely interested in their historic Venetian food. Stopping outside to look at their menu, it was then that noticed nearly all their menu items for the night were fish.

I’m allergic to fish – very allergic. It is actually a very weird allergy that is the opposite of most peoples. Most are allergic to shellfish and can eat fish. I’m the exact opposite. I cannot eat fish – any type of fish. But I can eat calamari, shrimp, crab, lobster, etc. I actually was able to eat fish until I was 21 years old and then the allergy developed.

With this profusion of fish on the menu we decided to find somewhere else to eat. We walked about for an hour stopping and checking various menus. For one reason or another we decided against each. At one restaurant we looked at their menu and then moved on. Around the corner we spotted a sign for a restaurant located down an alley. Arriving there we spent several minutes looking at the menu – it seemed very familiar. Jen finally looked at me and said, “You know, this is the back of the restaurant we were just at.” “Doh!”

Eventually we settled on the Trattoria Pizzeria Aquila Nera due south of the Rialto Bridge – very easy to find. While obviously a tourist restaurant, there were several tables full of what appeared to be locals. And while the restaurant did not have much charm, the food was good. Jen ordered the “Tourist Menu” and had lasagna; a salad; a very thin plate-sized pork chop, and cappuccino. She later declared it was the best lasagna she had ever had. I tried a small taste and it was very good – there was a unique taste to it, perhaps nutmeg. I ordered Gnocchi Ragu and for my Secondi, Liver and Onions.

Let me just say right now that “Liver and Onions” sounds much better in Italian. It is something like “fegato alla Veneziana.” I love liver and onions and this was very good, but the price I paid for less than a €1 worth of food made it a little hard to stomach. I had to keep telling myself, “You are on vacation, you are on vacation.” I did get to try the “squid in black ink” when it was mistakenly brought to our table instead of Jen’s pork chop. Before calling the waiter over I took a small bite to see how it tasted. Interesting.

We were seated between two larger groups. One table had an older couple, a tour guide, two very frizzy haired ladies, and one young girl. The tour guide spoke English, but it appeared the remainder spoke a variety of languages. At the end of their meal the older couple paid the check and the group split into various parts. It appeared this was a group of friends. How did I know the man was a tour guide? I wasn’t eavesdropping, he just spoke loudly (probably from being a tour guide) and mentioned several of the recent tours he had guided. Simple.

The other table was a group of tourist from somewhere who spoke some language. The funny thing was watching one fellow who ordered a pizza that arrived with six clams on top, shell and all. He wasn’t sure what to do and his buddy kept giving his meal very quizzical looks.

After our meal we returned to St. Marks hoping to find something taking place – even a little music. But only one shop and one restaurant were open on the square so we return to the hotel. Shortly before midnight we went to bed.

More to come…

I will post a link to pictures in the next few days…

jpm

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

I had prebooked tickets for the Secret Itinerary tour of the Doge’s Palace. Our reservation was for the 9:50 English tour. I purchased the tickets on the web and after I bought them I immediately knew I had a problem – they were far too cheap. The website has an English version, but as soon as you begin the ticket purchase everything converts back to Italian.

Knowing there was a problem; we left the hotel at 9 am and arrived at the palace just five minutes later. Sure enough, I had purchased two child’s tickets. It took both ladies working at the desk to figure out what to do. After 15 to 20 minutes of talking and phone calls, they finally had an answer. I wrote down my info and they stated I would receive a refund on my credit card. If I do, I do; if I don’t I don’t. I then purchased two tickets.

With no crowds in Venice, there had really been no need to reserve anything. Our tour consisted of only 8 people (I believe the maximum is 25). It was funny listening to two guys from Philadelphia; who while seeming to have traveled around the states had obviously never been to Italy. They were complaining about so many things, especially their small hotel room for which they were paying an exorbitant amount. I kept thinking about the huge room we had been fortunate enough to find

The Secret Itinerary tour is a must! A young lady was our guide and she escorted us to the top, or what we thought was the top, of the palace. Unlocking a door she led us into a small room made of wood. Here she explained that while the public places of the palace were covered in a marble veneer the building was actually constructed of wood.

Wow! I would have never known this. The place looks so solid. She gave us a tour of many small rooms where various officials had worked out of sight of the public. The chief of these employees earned a salary equal to half million dollars a year. This enormous sum was to insure his loyalty to Venice.

Going up more flights of stairs – weren’t we already at the top – we found ourselves in the “leads”. The “leads” are the prison cells just beneath the lead ceiling of the palace. These were considered the most desirable prison cells as they benefited from fresh air and weren’t as cold in the winter. I can’t imagine how hot they must be in the summer. There are the “wells”, cells beneath the palace that tended to fill with water. I guess it was easy to see why the “leads” were considered better.

It was in the “leads” that Casanova was imprisoned for various reasons – primarily for sleeping with the wives of the local nobility. We were shown his cells and the route of his escape. Nearby was the local torture chamber to wring confessions from villains.

Eventually we were taken onto a narrow walkway through a huge area just beneath the roof of the palace. Iron shafts could be seen poking through the floor and anchored to pieces of wood. Our guide explained we were now above the largest room in the palace and the iron shafts held the huge pictures and frames to the ceiling below.

At the end of the tour we followed our guide down several flights of stairs and entered a large meeting room. She had us take chairs and gave us some final details. Then she asked, “Where is the stairway that we used to enter this room?” Looking around it had disappeared. Where did it go? I’m not telling, you’ll have to take the tour. And take the tour, it is awesome.

Our tour was over and we were left to explore the remainder of the palace on our own. The map room is still my favorite. We crossed the Bridge of Sighs and quickly toured the prison. Fortunately we were able to return over the bridge – something many of the prisoners never had a chance to do.

Outside we decided to take a boat to Murano, but I realized I had only €10 left. Heading up a small alley we found ourselves in Campo S. Zaccaria. I knew there was an ATM near our hotel so I left Jen shopping while I went to get money. I actually had another reason for going off on my own as I wanted to purchase some jewelry we had looked at the night before.

Going as fast as I could I withdrew more Euros (1.18716 exchange) and then quickly hurried down the street to the jewelry store. Walking in I explained to the clerk I was in a great hurry as I wanted to surprise my wife who was waiting for me. I pointed out the ring, necklace, and earrings that I wanted. While not the exact ones my wife had looked at the previous night, these were the ones I liked. They were set with amber, yellow, and silver stones with a silver leaf pattern.

Hurrying back I found Jen browsing the most unfriendly vendor in Venice. I understand the whole “don’t touch the merchandise” mentality, but this guy took it a little too far. He followed us around and around his booth. In fact, it became fun walking around and watching him scoot after us. While we were looking he kept being asked for directions from people walking by which really irritated him. This guy is in the wrong business in the wrong city.

Moving one booth down we proceeded to buy a bell for Jen’s mom and a hat pin for ourselves. We decided several trips ago that we would collect hat pins. They are cheap and small.

It was after 1 pm and we were growing hungry. On the corner was a small pizzeria, the Bar Karibu. Jen ordered a pizza margarita and I ordered the pizza capricisso. Both pizzas were huge and tasty. Mine had toppings of ham, olives, peppers, mushrooms, and artichoke. Each topping was in its own little heap. I ordered a large water and Jen had two cokes – she needed her fix. For dessert I ordered and espresso and Jen enjoyed cookies. The total for this great meal was just €26.

In the restaurant you will find Charlie the dog. Charlie is very cute and very quiet. He seems to spend all of his time sleeping on a chair. I could tell that Jen was missing Patton and Rommel as she stopped to love on Charlie several times.
I wanted to go ahead and give Jen the jewelry I had bought her. It was in my coat pocket and my coat was hanging from her chair. I asked her to get the hat pin we had purchased from my pocket. In she reached out pulled out the hat pin. A few minutes later I tried again. I asked if she would give me my map in the pocket. This time she felt the gift pouch the jewelry had been wrapped in. Slowly pulling it out she gave me that look I love so much. Opening the pouch her eyes glittered as she brought out the pieces – without hesitation she quickly put them on.

At the table next to us was a couple from England. The wife was originally from Arizona but had been living in England for the past five years. We talked with them a variety of subjects with the New Orleans hurricane being the chief among them. It was interesting to hear their view point on this “American” disaster.

After lunch we took the boat to the Accademia. Our goal was to work our way back to St. Marks and find the La Fenice on the the way. I had reservations for the Taverena La Fenice that evening at 8 pm. And I wanted to take a tour of the Teatro if possible. I had just finished “City of Falling Angels” and wanted to see the theater.

Unfortunately, upon arriving at the theater we found there were no tours until the following day and the first English tour was not until 4:30. Since we had to leave the next evening we would have to save this for a future trip to Venice. Nearby we found our restaurant. At St. Marks we decided to try to find the Scala Contarini del Bovolo or spiral staircase.

Having no idea where to begin we stopped in a bookstore and I quickly browsed a guide-book until I found it. Not to be a complete free loader, I did buy a street map of Venice for €4. Even with the map and knowing which street it was located on, we made many wrong turns and were helplessly lost for the longest time.

We eventually found the stairwell only a hundred yards from the apartment I had stayed in during my last time in Venice. It is located down one small alley and then you must turn down an even smaller alley. Another couple arrived just after we did with the same look of bewilderment on their faces. A small sign stated that one could climb the tower on Saturdays.

Returning to the hotel we rested for a few minutes before leaving for dinner. Jen had seen a small tapestry she liked so we went to purchase it. We had seen the same tapestry all over Venice usually selling for €5. Since we still had two hours till our reservations we stopped to get gelato at the American Café in the square. I had pistachio and Jen tried the chocolate.

I had received two phone cards from a lady on the Fodor’s forum website and we decided to call home. This soon became a fiasco. I kept thinking the international code for the USA was 01 + 1 + Area Code + number. Finally I called a help number listed on the card and realized I should be dialing 00 1 + Area Code + number. We then spent the next 30 – 40 minutes calling various numbers with none of them going through. I finally got my mother and Jen got through to a friend at work.

During this time we were standing in the cold and by now we very frozen. Not wanting to walk all the way back to La Fenice we decided to skip the reservation. I’ve never skipped reservations in the past and now I’ve skipped two in a row. Instead we decided to return to La Grotta.

This time we had a table in the back with a window overlooking the blue-green water of the canal. Throughout our meal we watched gondolas with their frozen passengers floating by. Jen tried the Spaghetti Bolognese while I had the Spaghetti with Veal (which was only roast). With drinks, a plate of fries, and a shared piece of cake for dessert the meal cost €46 – this was after our 20% discount. We had a long peaceful meal reminiscing about the day.

With a warm meal, the cold outside was not as bad. We walked around the streets just enjoying being in Venice. Eventually we made our way back to the hotel and bed.

More later...

LoveItaly

Hello jpm, I am looking forward to the next installment of your trip report. Oh your lucky wife!! I love Venice and reading your report made me feel like I was there again. Know others that will be visiting Venice will get some much good information fromm the details you supplied. Your hotel sounded wonderful. Thank you for sharing your experiences. P.S. I love live and onions too, sorry you did not get a decent amount of liver.

SusanEva

Hi jpm,

This is a good read, love your sense of detail and humor.

You made me giggle about the gondolier with the cell phone. My favorite picture from our September visit to Venice is the gondolier talking on the cell phone and "driving" at the same time. Modern world meets tradition, I guess??

Tiff

Bravo to you jpm on listing Margherita's website - this is one of my favorite things... When a Fodorite raves on and then gives details on where one can find them for us wee little future travelers.

I will go forth now and "w.s.o.t.w"
"Window shop on the Web"

p.s. That picking up Jen's jewelry on the side was simply lovely.

jpm

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Our last day in Venice. We spent a leisurely morning packing and eating breakfast. It looked cold and wet outside. We finally managed to leave the hotel at 11 am. I Stored our luggage in the lobby for the day. Then I booked a water taxi to take us to the train station that night at 5:30. Booking through the hotel cost €30.

I know, I know. Water taxis are expensive and I did have the vaporetto pass. I thought it would be a nice way to end our trip – instead of lugging luggage back to the vaporetto, spending 45 minutes to an hour getting to the train station and being worried the entire time about the ceramics we had purchased. Speaking of luggage, it had expanded frighteningly by this time.

With no clear agenda for the day we started for the Rialto Bridge. I had the general idea of walking to the Basilica di S. Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. Why? Two reasons: 1) I had never been to that part of Venice; and 2) it looked really big on the map!

Arriving at the bridge we finally found a “La Befana” doll that we liked for €9. It looks exactly like Meryl Streep! I had only recently become aware of the tradition of “La Befana”. For those who don’t know, here is a short description:
The legend of Babbo Natale (Santa Claus) has existed in Italy mostly since the days of World War II. However, there is even a more ancient (and popular) Italian Christmas tradition that has its origins traced back to the 13th century: the legend of “La Befana”. The legend of “La Befana” is that of an old witch lady with a big red nose and slight hunch, dressed in a jacket of colorful patches.
Legend has it that on the 12th night of Christmas (January 5th) the 3 Wise Men, on their search for the baby Jesus, asked “La Befana” to join them in their quest. She initially declined, stating she had too much housework to do. She later changed her mind and went looking for the 3 Wise Men and the baby Jesus, but was unable to find them.
Therefore, every year, on the night of January 5th, “La Befana”, will travel on her magic broom, to every house in Italy in search of the baby Jesus bringing gifts. Climbing down the chimneys, she brings candy or fruit to the children that were good and black coal, onions or garlic to the children that were naughty. The children will leave out their stockings, and even their shoes, hoping to awake on the morning of January 6th to some candy. Similar to the Santa Claus tradition, many of the children will write notes to “La Befana” and even leave out food for her (sausages and broccoli in some parts of Italy).
It is a tradition that is still strong in Italy with many stores selling stockings, mostly red, but sometimes even sand-colored, for the children to leave out for “La Befana”. It is a fairy-tale story of the good witch / bad witch, depending on how you behaved during the past year.
I spotted a small cup for a friend at work. I hadn’t planned on buying any presents for anyone at home except for our kids (Charlie and Hannah). The cup was only €2 so I bought it. Jen was having a coke emergency. I was having another type of emergency. As she purchased a coke I looked for a restroom. As you head north over the bridge there are “WC” signs. The WC is easy to find. And though it cost €1 to use at least it was clean.

Let me mention a few things I observed in Italy since there is really no good place to mention these:

1. Smoking – I had less of a problem with smokers than I have in Alabama and Georgia. Airports are smoke free, but so were the trains. And I cannot remember a single person smoking in any of the restaurants in which we ate. At home I often surrounded by clouds of smoke in so-called “smoke free” sections of restaurants.
2. Clean Restrooms – In general the majority of the restrooms were very clean. Several had attendants that cleaned each stall after it was used. A small tip was expected. Of course there were exceptions but after the horrors of many of the facilities in the states even the worse were an improvement.
3. Beggars – In Venice there are many beggars in the streets. All we saw were sitting with a hat out simply asking for money from those passing by. Who they are and why they are there I don’t know. If you fill like giving – give; if you don’t – don’t. Once on a residential street far from where any sane tourist would meander we came upon an old lady sitting on a bridge begging. I guess because of the location she had chosen I dug into my pocket to make a donation. In Florence, especially the train station, we were often approached by the “Gypsy women with babies” pleading insistently for money. I watched one for several minutes and in that time she had several Euro given to her by different tourist – all in all, begging could bring in a substantial daily income – but it is just so dehumanizing.
4. Flower Sellers - These are FAR worse than the beggars. We only saw these in Venice but they seemed to be everywhere in the city. These swarthy looking men holding a couple dozen roses would approach you one after another offering to “give” you a rose for a donation. They even entered restaurants trying to sell roses – I’m not sure why the owners of the restaurants allowed them. And they were very persistent not taking no for an answer. A couple of times I nearly had to get physical with them before they would back off. Now I’m a BIG guy and when I turn my full attention on someone Jen tells me that I become extremely intimidating. What? I’m harmless.
5. Tipping – I have no idea. I really wish I did know. We often paid for meals with credit cards and there was no place to leave a tip. Only one restaurant provided a place to leave a tip before they charged the card – but they also charged a €3 cover per person and an 18% service fee. I didn’t want to appear cheap but neither did I want to be seen as extravagant.
6. Street Vendors – By street vendors I mean those who literally spread their goods out on the street to sell. In Venice the most common were the omnipresent black men (African-Italians?) selling purses. Jen, who is a textile engineer, noted that these were all “thirds.” Ok, actually that is my term, but these are purses that failed inspection to go to the Fashion stores; then failed being accepted by bargain stores; and thus they find there way to the streets.
7. MaiTaiTom – a fellow Fodorite whose recent trip to Italy was so funny to read mentioned his philosophy of “attitude is everything.” I made this my personal motto for this trip and even the stressful situations became experiences to enjoy.

Ok, enough of these observations. I’m sure I will think of more as I continue this travelogue. Take them for what they are worth, just one person’s impressions – nothing more.

As we continued towards S. Maria I noticed that many more stores were now opened after the holidays – and the streets were full of people. Heading down Del Ravano we passed many small meat, cheese, wine, and grocery shops. While these are few in the San Marco area they were abundant in this section of town – note to self for future trips.

Reaching Campo S. Aponal I stopped to buy a bottle of water. In the campo a man was playing the guitar, cymbals, and several other instruments all at the same time. He was very good so we threw a few coins into his case. Across the campo we found a toy store.

Jen has two kids from a previous marriage so we had been looking to buy them some small gifts. Charlie, 6, loves NASCAR and I’ve enjoyed taking him to see the Talladega 500 near our house. We had seen many toy shops with cars, but they were all at outrageous prices, €15, €25, even €50 or more! Looking in the window we noticed several race cars under the €10 price. Suddenly Jen was hit with a big drop of pigeon surprise. And then another, and then another.

At least I thought it was from a pigeon – but then I noticed it was coming down everywhere. It was snowing! And it had turned very cold. I lived in Wisconsin for 13 years and I know cold – this was cold. If you go to Venice this time of year be sure to take warm clothes. We hurried into the store to escape the snow and to enjoy the warmth.

We found Charlie a race car and as I paid for it Jen noticed a rubber ball that had “fallen” on the floor. She picked it up and placed it on the counter. As we were exiting the store the shopkeeper took the ball and placed it back on the floor – he was using it for a doorstop.

Next door we found a glass store. Jen had decided to buy some of the small glass candies to give out to her coworkers. This store had them at 12 for €6. Jen needed 13 so she picked out this amount. Inside we spotted a small glass dolphin for €4 for our daughter Hannah, 8. She loves dolphins and we thought this would look good in her room. We had previously purchased a small wooden gondola for her. As I paid I assumed the clerk would charge me for the extra candy, but she counted them out, wrapped them up, and charged me the €6.

Nearby we stopped into a tobacco shop to purchase stamps so we could mail some postcards home to the kids. Inside we found a large selection of very cheap (€2 -3) toy cars. Doh!

Continuing our walk towards S. Maria we frequently had to check the map to insure we were going in the right direction. By this time we were both slowly freezing. Each small café we passed beckoned us inside – but we were on a mission. Eventually we found the church and paid €2.50 to enter. After walking this distance I was definitely going in. I noticed several people just walked in where you see the church and then left.

If only the church was heated! It wasn’t. I’m sure it cost a small fortune to heat a building this size. To the left as you enter is a very “modern” looking pyramid with a half open door that you can almost see pass. Very mysterious – what is behind that door? And by modern, I think it was built around 1830.

Across the front of the church are several small chapels. I’m probably wrong but I believe they were built by various wealthy families. In one chapel there is a board telling about paintings from the 1300’s that had been discovered behind one of the walls in 1990. It seems they had been painted but another chapel was built and they were bricked over. In another part of the church is a collection of “relics” including a mummified hand.

Leaving the church we started for the Accademia when we suddenly had one of those “Venice Moments”. We had gone quite a distance when turning a corner – we were suddenly back where we started! Or at least I thought we were. I had no idea where I was or how to get where I needed to be. Out came the map. Out came the other map. Out came my pocket pc and GPS (note to self – GPS doesn’t work in Venice due to the height of the surrounding structures not allowing enough sky access).

After several minutes of getting our bearings, matching streets, and looking pitiful – we discovered we were in Campo Santa Margherita – or maybe we weren’t. Fortunately we spotted a sign pointing the way to the Accademia so we hurried off in that direction. Still looking for a place to stop every café we passed was filled with people trying to escape the cold. We even passed an Indian Restaurant at one point. While I love Indian food I knew Jen would never go for it – she considers ketchup spicy. After many a twist and turn, we reached the Accademia and hopped onto a loading vaporetto heading back to the Rialto Bridge.

Oh yes, we also found a VFD safe-place! If you know what I’m talking about there is no need to explain further. If you don’t, well, I’m not going to explain. Suffice it to say we took a photo which I will post later.

At the Rialto we decided to return to the Trattoria Pizzeria Aquila Nera. This time I ordered a Pizza Capri (as you can tell this is my favorite pizza). Jen ordered the lasagna. Combined with 2 cokes and a plate of fries the price came to €30. After this very late lunch we went to a nearby shop for hot chocolate (for me) and a gelato for Jen (total €4). A question – When do you use “gelati” and when do you use “gelato”?

While we were eating lunch the weather had warmed up considerably. It was now very pleasant outside. With nothing else to do and very tired of walking, we got on the 82 bus and proceeded to ride it counter-clockwise around Venice. This meant going pass the railway; pass the huge parking structures; and pass many warehouses and industries located in this section of Venice; through the Canale Della Guidecca and back to San Marco. It was interesting to see cars in Venice. And this provided a different view of Venice that many never see.

We arrived back at San Marco around 4:30. With an hour left before we needed to be at the hotel, we stopped back in Bar Karibu for cappuccino and tiramisu (€9) – and to see Charlie. Somehow we managed to eat twice at each place in Venice. This is very unlike me – I usually try to go somewhere different each time. While enjoying our treats we talked with another couple from England.

At 5:00 we hurried back to the hotel. Our taxi driver was waiting for us in the lobby. After a quick stop in the restroom we boarded the taxi at the hotels private dock. Soon we were making our way through the canals of Venice on our way to the train station. Snuggled together we enjoyed these last few sights of this wonderful city.

Arriving at the train station at 5:30 we grabbed a bench as soon as one became available and waited for our train to be listed on the board. As we were sitting a lady approached and asked if we were from Venice. Now, if you ever saw me you would know immediately that I’m not Venetian or even Italian. Actually, I’m a dead-ringer for Henry VIII. Seriously, while at Hampton Court I found a picture of Henry VIII that could have been me with stockings!

This lady looked Italian to me. But actually she was from Mexico and was on her honeymoon. It seemed her husband had accidentally gotten off the train at Venice Mestre and had their luggage. She was trying to figure out how to meet him. She was young, pretty, and incredibly naïve.

When she came to speak to us she left several bags in the middle of the floor. We quickly warned her she needed to watch her bags and keep them close by. And she was completely unaware of Venice. She had no idea there were no cars in the city and was confused about vaporettos, thinking of busses with wheels. Pulling out a sheet a paper she showed us where she was staying – it was a five star hotel located on the Grand Canal near San Marco. I noticed their hotels in Rome, Florence, and Paris – all were luxury hotels.

We carefully explained to her the options she had for reaching her hotel. She could take the “WATER Bus” 82 almost directly to her hotel or she could hire a taxi. With the hotels she was staying in I didn’t think hiring a taxi would be a monetary issue, but she seemed thrilled with the cheap cost of taking a vaporetto. Besides, she had no luggage with her! Hers was another story of which I will never know the end. Did she wait at the train station? Did she go to the hotel? Did she find her husband? Jen and I both were curious about her husband – could she be a “trophy” wife?

With fifteen minutes before our train departure the bin number finally appeared on the board. Leaving our innocent friend we had to walk to the far end of the train to find our car. I had purchased the tickets on the web using the Trenitalia.com website. Two first-class, one-way tickets from Venice to Florence cost about €70. I elected to use an eTicket so only had to provide a print-out of the receipt to the conductor.

The first half of the ride the train was empty but after a couple of stops most of the seats were filled. Still, it was a comfortable, peaceful ride compared with the torturous airlines. Jen slept most of the way and I played solitaire on my PocketPC. Occasionally looking out the window I noticed most of the country side was covered in snow.

Arriving in Florence just a few minutes ahead of schedule we saw the first of the many cows spread throughout the city. This “art” exhibit is very interesting and many of the cows remind me of Chick-fil-a advertisements. If you want more information, check out www.cowparade.com.

In front of the terminal we were able to immediately get a taxi. Showing him the address of the hotel we were off at breakneck speeds through the narrow streets of the city. After the peacefulness of Venice this was a mild culture shock. While Rome has crazy traffic you never feel that you will be rundown – Florence is the exact opposite. Whipping around the backside of the Duomo we soon found ourselves at Via della Condotta 4, otherwise known as Hotel Cristina.

After struggling up 40 stairs with our expanding luggage we were graciously greeted by one of the two sisters who own the hotel. Escorting us to our room she showed us how to use the “skeleton” key to unlock our private bathroom located in the hall next to our room. I asked if she knew where we could buy a bottle of water. Telling us everything was closed she went to her room and returned with a two-liter bottle of water that we could have. After showering we both collapsed into bed worn out from the day.

Now for a hotel review:

Location: Perfect! One street away from Piazza della Signoria and just a few blocks from the Duomo.

Price: Very good - €85 a night.

Staff: As friendly as can be. I had sent several emails to the hotel requesting them to make reservations for the Uffizzi, the Accademia, and for restaurant recommendations and reservations. They were unfailingly accommodating.

Room: Oh, the room! We were spoiled with our room in Venice and now we were back to reality. Our room was actually taller than it was wide! The bed was “spring”only and I felt as if I was sleeping in a hammock. Our one window looked into an interior “well” that allowed fresh air but no view. Actually, this was a blessing I will describe later. And while there was a radiator heater, I did not notice any air conditioning.

Shower: Remember, I judge all hotels by the shower. This was comical. The shower had two sliding doors that opened to allow almost 10 inches of entry space. Now, I’m a substantial guy and I was never meant to fit through any 10 inch space. One shower door would hit the cold water nozzle and suddenly the water became scalding hot or bone-chilling cold. I actually had to remove the shower doors and even then it was a squeeze just to get into the shower stall. Of course, with no doors it meant the floor got very wet each time I took a shower. And once inside the shower, which was far smaller than a phone booth, if I dropped anything it was gone as I couldn’t squat as there wasn’t enough room to bend my knees. At least the water was hot.

Would I recommend this hotel? Yes and no. Yes if you are looking for a very clean, cheap, centrally located budget hotel. No if you need a firm bed and a shower in which you can fit without using a shoehorn. I later told Jen now that I’m approaching the 40-year mark. I’m finished with budget hotels.

If you are interested in the hotel you can view its website at www.hotelcristina-florence.com. The hotel does have consistently good reviews on Venere.com and Tripadvisor.com.

One thing I forgot to mention earlier when we were in Venice. Our first day there Jen came out of the bathroom and said she couldn’t get any hot water. Being very tired and thinking of England where there was often a cord to pull that activated the heater, I suggested she pull the cord in the tub. A few minutes later the front-desk rang asking if there was a problem. I had forgotten this was actually an alarm cord if you injured yourself in the tub. I walked into the bathroom and realized she had mistaken “C” for cold instead of “caldo” or hot. A mistake I’ve been known to make more than once.

More to come….

Statia

I've very much enjoyed your report on my favorite city, jpm, and now look forward to hearing about Florence. Thanks for posting.

Holly_uncasdewar

This is delightful, jpm. Keep it coming!

LCBoniti

Great trip report! I especially enjoy the "dramas" for which you (and we) will never know the ending!

Looking forward to Florence . . .

ellenem

waiting for more. . .

LoveItaly

Oh jpm, funny and interesting report. And yes, wonder if the dear Mexican woman ever did meet up with her husband. And isn't getting "lost" in Venice an adventure. And some showers in Italy go beyond description, LOL. I had never heard so many swear words from my DH as when he was taking a shower in some hotels in Italy..to funny. His back actually went out one time (dropped the soap in the shower and tried to retrive it).

I love the minor details of your report, that is what makes a trip report so interesting to read. And now about Florence....

jpm

Thursday, December 29, 2005

Today was completely free. We had nothing planned except for dinner reservations. Leaving the hotel we found we were indeed just a few steps from Piazza della Signoria. There was one problem – the Piazza was covered in several inches of very mushy snow and neither of us had brought suitable footwear. We delicately picked our way across the square stopping occasionally to snap photos of the snow covered statues.

I had briefly thought of trying to go to the Uffizi, but the sight of a long line put that idea to rest. Instead we decided to visit the Palazzo Vecchio. After purchasing tickets (€6 each) we hurried, well actually we trudged, up the stairs to the grand hall. One end of the hall had been filled with poinsettias. There are computer stations throughout the palace that gives detailed media presentations on the building, the art, and Florence.

From the windows we snapped photos of the snow covered city and hills. Having skipped breakfast we were growing hungry. And hunger drove us to a desparate act – eating at one of the “Self-Serve” restaurants near the Duomo. Why did we do it? Why didn’t someone stop us? Why was this small, old, Italian waiter calling my wife beautiful? Well, I know the answer to the last one!

We each had a heaping plate of Spaghetti, rolls, and cokes for the amazing price of just €25! Yikes! That money could have been spent for much better food someplace else. But we were tired, wet, cold and hungry. Jen did get a strawberry dessert which she thoroughly enjoyed.

After lunch we waited in the short line to enter the Baptistery – which cost several Euro each. I don’t remember the cost, but I weighed this against the free entry into the Duomo to calm my financial nerves after the cost of lunch. The Baptistery is beautiful and we found a bench and sat for some time taking in the many golden frescos on the dome above. Being well lit with artificial lights, the ceiling seemed to glow. I imagine this is how St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice would look if lighted properly.

We entered the Duomo and walked around a bit. Not having nor wanting a guidebook we simply enjoyed the scenery. When I started traveling I was nuts about having guidebooks. I wanted to know exactly what I was seeing. I still do to a certain extent. But I’ve found the joy of just enjoying the moment without the need to know every exact detail – besides, I’ve got the history channel at home.

We did notice people coming in a side entrance and disappearing into a door in the wall. Outside, a long line of people waited to go inside. Asking around I discovered it was the entrance to climb to the dome, some 550 million steps up. No thanks! Not this time.

Last year on our first anniversary we had a caricature made. In it I look fairly like myself and Jen looks like Victoria Principal. Outside the Duomo were several artists doing caricatures and for a mere €40 we were able to completely humiliate ourselves for the second year in a row.
The guy doing our sketch was hilarious. He kept a running line of jokes going and soon had a crowd gathered behind him. They were all watching what he was doing and laughing at the drawing he was doing of us. I wasn’t sure if this was a good or a bad thing. He quickly completed the drawing and turned it around to show us – it was hilarious. I look like Pavarotti and Jen was on a beach in a bikini. Why he decided to put us on a beach when we were in the middle of Florence in the middle of winter I’ll never know.

Concerned that our picture wouldn’t make it home undamaged we carefully rolled it up. Serendipitously, we went into a gift shop nearby and found poster tubes for sale. Jen purchased another bell for her mother and I found another small cup for my co-worker (total €10).

We had passed several small groceries earlier so we decided to stop and buy a few items for later. Our hotel room did have a small fridge, but with the coldness of the weather, I sat several items on the window ledge to stay cold. For €19 we purchased two 1 liter cokes, two hunks of cheese (Swiss and pecorino), Nutella, and one of the hardest loafs of bread known to man. I’m not sure what we were thinking as we had no way to slice the cheese or the bread.

I admit I don’t understand Italian bread. Every piece of bread we ate was as hard as a rock. And more than once it tasted, well, it had no taste at all. I go to Italy for many reasons, but Italian bread is not one of them. On our last day in Florence we arrived back at the hotel around 5 pm. In the corner of the stairwell were 3 huge, open boxes full of hot, fresh rolls. Who were they for? I’ve no idea – perhaps the Chinese restaurant across the street. I was so tempted to snatch a couple but I didn’t. The rolls were still there the next morning; ready for the dual purpose of being served to unknowing tourist or to repair the holes in the street outside.

Across the street was a small fruit market. Jen purchased strawberries and a bag of cookies while I purchased Cherries. After dropping our purchases at the hotel we headed out to find Aqua al Due, the restaurant the hotel recommend and where they had made us reservations for 9:30 that night. The restaurant was only one block away and we quickly found it – looking at the prices on the menu it appeared to be very reasonable.

Stopping at a nearby newsstand we purchased a hat pin for Florence, and for good measure, one for Pisa as well since we planned on going there on Saturday. The next few hours were spent walking the streets of Florence shopping, window and otherwise, as we took in the lights and people watched.

We looked through the leather market where Jen spotted several purses she wanted but refrained from buying. There was a Merry-Go-Round in the Piazza Della Republica. I stopped by an information booth to ask a question. I had purchased ballet tickets for the next evening and want to assure myself I knew the location of the theater. I believed it was the same one I had been to see an opera the last time I was in Florence – it was.

Continuing on we came to the Ponte Vecchio and slowly browsed each way across. I told Jen I would buy her some bling – all-be-it cheap bling – but she didn’t take me up on the offer. After looking at the 4th or 5th shop everything looked the same anyway. With the Christmas lights and Christmas music, all in English for some reason, we were enchanted.

Florence is best by night. I know many people love Florence and others hate it. I have a more ambivalent attitude. While I’m not overly impressed with the beauty of Florence I do enjoy going there. And I know there are so much more to do there than I’ve ever even contemplated.

It was getting late so we decided to return to the hotel to freshen up for dinner. At 9:00 we left for the restaurant. Upon arriving we found it full so we waited outside until our reservation time. This was fine as it gave us time to decipher the Italian menu. Promptly at 9:30 we were escorted to our table.

Now I had reservations at two places to eat in Florence and I really wanted to go to both – I just couldn’t remember which was which. I knew one place had a “sampler” menu and a “blueberry steak.” Inside we found that this was the place.

Let me say right now that I’m not a foodie – well, I love eating but I don’t think that counts. And I don’t know the proper names of the foods I’m going to describe. Go ahead and laugh at my descriptions if you wish – but I had the pleasure of eating this wonderful food; so there.

We each ordered water to drink. Our waiter brought a plate of bread with a warm vegetable topping to dip it in. I’m not sure what it was but it tasted like a very thick potato soup.

For her first course the ever adventurous Jen ordered macaroni and cheese. At least the cheese wasn’t “American” cheese, it was a delicious gorgonzola. I ordered the “assagio primi” or sampler. Jen’s plate of pasta was huge and I received six successive courses of pasta that equaled the amount that Jen received. My pastas were: 1) macaroni with gorgonzola; 2) bowtie pasta with cheese sauce; 3) penne pasta with marsala sauce; 4) snail shell pasta with red peppers; 5) Risotto with pesto; and 6) something I forgot to write down but was very good!

For our second course Jen ordered grilled chicken and I ordered the Assagio Secondi. This was Jen’s worse dish of the trip and one of my best. Jen’s chicken was burnt and dry. How hard is it to cook chicken? The vegetables on her plate were cooked but cold. I will say her grilled cauliflower was very tasty

I had placed before me a heavenly plate. Two fillet mignon steaks with different toppings and in the center was a bread bowl filled with more thin slices of steak. One steak was covered with a blueberry sauce and the other had a dark, black sauce. I only understood the waiter to say it was something-balsamic. I had asked the waiter the recommended way to have the steaks cook and he replied rare – so that is what I asked for.

I sliced a small piece of the steak with dark sauce and brought it to my mouth. I believe my whole body sagged in satisfaction and the marvelous taste melted across my senses. Chocolate! Chocolate! Chocolate! Let me just say it again, Chocolate! This steak was covered in a dark, bitter, chocolate-balsamic sauce. Yes, it was a religious experience. And the blueberry steak was only slightly less ecstatic. The sliced steak in the bread bowl tasted wonderful as well.

A paragraph above I mentioned this was “one of the best” meals of the trip. What could be better? Wait and see!

For dessert Jen enjoyed the sampler plate. They had run out of tiramisu so she got three larger helpings of cheese cake, chocolate cake, and a strawberry tart. Jen wanted a cappuccino but all they had was espresso. The waiter brought an espresso for her in a large cup with a glass of milk.

This marvelous meal cost a mere €59. Price, service, quality, taste all combined to make this one great evening. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting Florence. I would think reservations are a necessity. There website can be found at www.acquaal2.it. After this two hour meal we returned to the hotel shortly before midnight to rest up for another day.

hipvirgochick

jpm - I'm absolutely absorbed in your trip report. More, more! What great experiences you had. Thanks for sharing

Bokhara

Grazie, JPM, enjoying your Venice enormously.

SeaUrchin

jpm, love your report, you seem like the sweetest man! I like the way you describe your adventures too. I can't wait to read more tomorrow.

BTW, gelato is one, gelati is plural.