Three Trips to Venice
Trip Start
Jan 21, 2005
1
16
Trip End
Aug 20, 2005
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Venezia, Italy
Saturday, April 9, 2005
Stacey
Stacey came to visit during her Spring break and we went to Venice during a cold March weekend. It was both our first times there and we were immediately enchanted by the canals, colorful buildings, and lack of cars (cars are left on the mainland). We saw the major tourist attractions of Piazza San Marco, the Rialto Bridge, and Grand Canal while we wandered the streets of Venice. While in Piazza San Marco, Stacey and I were attacked by pigeons and climbed a tower to see all of Venice... ok, we took an elevator. The best part was our visit to Venice's Jewish Ghetto where we toured synagogues, bought Judaica, and tried to understand Jewish life isolated from the rest of the world. At night we ate delicious candlelit meals in local areas. We wandered, shopped, and enjoyed the street performers in Piazza San Marco. Our visit was very touristy and extremely exciting.
Mia Madre
My mother came to visit in the end of March and she too wanted to see Venice. My mom saw Venice once before with Vicki and it was great having such an experienced traveler to show me good deals, the importance of location and how to be creative while traveling. We ended up finding an amazing little hotel one street over from Piazza San Marco. Our room overlooked a busy pedestrian market and one of the basilica's towers. Venice was warm and beautiful that weekend. The sun reflected off the canals and the buildings were bright. We saw the same major tourist sites, but had a more education visit. We toured the Basilica San Marco where we climbed to the roof and saw the piazza from above. We also toured the Palazzo Ducale to see Venice's historical political life and prisons. The rooms in the Palazzo were very ornate, apparently Venetians used to love to flaunt their wealth in any means possible. In the prison, I learned that the romantic "Bridge of Sighs" actually connects the courtroom to the actual prison (not so hot). We had many great meals along the Grand Canal, but was worth mentioning was our time in Piazza San Marco. We spent an entire afternoon sitting on the steps of the Piazza sharing a bottle wine and a bag of biscotti while listening to an orchestra play a medley of Jewish music.
The Patrons
One a quest to understand why Europe is so costly... and an excuse for a vacation... Dad and Linda came to visit and planned a trip to Venice. Their visit was a culture shock for me since I have spent four months in hostels or cheap hotels with a 9-5 reception desk. We stayed in a hotel called the "Gritti Palace" where I enjoyed room service, a nice bathroom, and sleeping in a bed that was not part of a system of bunk beds. We saw all of the same major tourist sites and the Jewish Ghetto. Armed with experience from prior trips, I threw birdseed on my Dad who had to then from the hungry pigeons... he was on his cell phone. We spent afternoons drinking tea in Piazza San Marco and evening dining on small streets or the Grand Canal. I insisted that Murano glass factories are open on Saturdays and had the hotel arrange for a tour... turns out I was wrong. We visited a factory that is closed on the weekend, but opened just for our tour and private demonstration. We got to watch glass blowers make a bowl and then saw the factory's four showrooms. The manager followed us around for nearly an hour, but insisted that there was no pressure to buy anything... yeah, no pressure. One bowl later we made it back and wandered the streets of Venice. During this visit it actually rained and Piazza San Marco flooded. It was amazing to see the water spill over from the canals onto the streets and watch everybody walk on the planks.
Each visit to Venice was very different and equally memorable. I didn't think that I would have a different experience each time, but it all depended on the very diverse people I traveled with. Most people came back declaring the city to be "too touristy" or "kind of like an Olive Garden." I found Venice to be a unique "what you make of it" kind of place where you could learn about trade, be surrounded by beauty, or even dance in the piazza... it just depends on who you are there with.
I am still very behind and have a lot more trips to post... bear with me. I'll see everyone in about two weeks! I love and miss you all.
Brian
