Venice is a maze…canals, plazas, wide streets with shops, narrow streets and alleyways. Supposedly they are all named…but the names are anyone’s guess.
Dad and I arrived in Venice on the train without incident. I slept while Dad read and wrote. The train has two stops in Venice…one on the mainland and the other across the water to the island city. As we exited the train, we were presented with a magnificent view of an old church with a beautiful dome on top…I’m not sure of the name…but I just gazed in wonder. Dad found the hotel on Maps and off we went…Dad with his backpack and crossbody bag…I walked beside him and took in the new sites and smells. No cars to worry about but the walkways were very hard on my feet and Dad’s knees. We proceeded along the main canal thorough the little shops selling tourist trinkets…glass, magnets, hats, tshirts…same stuff you see in downtown Annapolis. The smaller canals circle the city center…so every 50 yards we crossed another ancient bridge..all stone. We continued with the crowds walking away from ether train station. The roads got more narrow and we passed through a number of ancient plazas all with fountains. And (here’s the theme for Venice)…no damn grass. Lots of plants in pots…but not a blade of grass to be seen. This girl needs to go…but the smell of grass I am used to just isn’t there. I didn’t see a lot of dogs on the walk in…but I asked several where I could relieve myself…sadly, they didn’t understand my bark…I guess they bark in Italian here. I considered peeing in one of the canals we crossed but decided I could hold it until Dad figured something out. After about a 45 minute walk…possibly the ONLY time Maps and Google Maps knew where we were…we arrived at the hotel…Hotel Ai Cavieri in the heart of Venice, a little off the main tourist area. Venice was moderately crowded…I can only imagine how busy this place gets in high season. I would need to spend half of my time following Dad and the other half trying not to get stepped on. When we arrived at the hotel, we asked for a room with a terrace…it wasn’t quite ready for us so the staff…so friendly…steered us to a local restaurant for lunch. Still no damn grass.
OK. So Dad found the food in Verona a little mundane. Not so in Venice. He loved every bite of every meal he ate starting with lunch. We cant remember the name of the restaurant the Hotel recommended but it was local and wonderful. They greeted me at the door with a smiling Bonjourno and ushered us back to a quiet table. Across from us were four older Italian men…eating pasta and drinking white wine…and talking and laughing rather loudly. I enjoyed listening. Dad ordered a pasta dish with tomatoes and olives followed by monkfish again with an olive/cherry tomato topping. And, a half liter of local wine. He said it was fabulous…his favorite meal so far. And again (Theme #2), I got water. I drank a little but…I only had so much room in my tiny bladder…and no grass. Dad had Tiramisu for dessert with a Macchiato. He ate half and took the rest for later. We walked back to the hotel and checked in to our suite. Absolutely beautiful. Nice private terrace…with potted plants. While Dad was unpacking, I snuck outside and relieved myself on the porch. A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. The room had marble floors and a beautiful antique carpet…yes, I know better than to pee on the carpet. The bathroom was beautiful…except that it had a stunning claw foot tub but no shower. How will Dad deal with that? Time will tell.
After we checking in and rested for a few minutes, we set out to explore Venice. The staff directed us to the only park in the city. We took the map and googled the park directions and off we went. The sun set around 430…just beautiful over the water. Dad relied on Maps and GoogleMaps to find the park…it was “supposed to be” a 35 minute walk. Neither Maps nor GoogleMaps had any idea where we were. We walked down alleys, across empty plazas, more alleys, more plazas. Dad kept having to stop and restart the directions because Google was confused…persistently confused. Dad started to refer to GoogleMaps as CasperMaps and JesusMaps because Google kept trying to make us walk through walls and buildings…and across canals with no bridges. We finally found the park…it took well over an hour…and it was closed. Fortunately he found a small plot of grass in front of the library and I was FINALLY able to relieve myself. The walk back to the hotel was equally frustrating for Dad…I was just enjoying the view…but we finally made it. We headed straight down to the bar for a cocktail before dinner. Dinner was at Osteria Romeo and Juliet. Just beautiful…a 5star restaurant. But the final bill was less than 100euros including the wine. Dad ate a beautiful shrimp appetizer followed by a soft-shelled crab dish and then risotto with dried eel. He savored every bite and loved the bottle of local red wine. Dessert was a tiramisu macaroon dusted with chocolate and a macchiato. Fortunately the restaurant was about a block from the hotel on a straight line so we made it there and back without problem.
Breakfast at the Hotel was spectacular (according to Dad since I was not allowed in the dining room…sucked!). A full selection of meats, cheeses and pastries along with eggs and sausage…or local muesli. Also Cappuccino. The Americano’s are weak and tasteless (like so many Americans!!!) so Dad opts for Cappuccino every morning. I will say this. Europeans are not early risers. Dad still gets up early but coffee is not available until 830 or 9. And yes, Dad is a bit cranky until he gets his first cup. The day was filled with Venice sight seeing. We walked to St Marks Square and marveled at the huge ornate church and the adjoining palace. Dad thought about taking the tour but I was not allowed inside…I guess that they didn’t understand that God loves Dogs as much as he/she loves people. Fortunately this was the “off season” so the crowds were not huge. St Marks was unbelievably beautiful…ornate and huge. The square was covered with pigeons…I wanted to chase them…but Dad would not let me off the leash. Damn. I could have had pigeon for dinner! As we walked we heard so many languages…Italian, English, Spanish, Chinese, French. Clearly Venice is an international magnet. Oh, in the morning,Dad spoke to the gentleman at the desk…and got directions to a little park close to the train station. We found it…no problem but the return to the hotel took 45 minutes longer than it should have because we kept walking in circles. Dad didn’t really get his bearings until later that evening. When we were walking back form St Marks, we stopped at a Pizza Restaurant for a late lunch…bruschetta as an appetizer then a Rustico pizza…and local wine. Dad made mistake #1 and gave me some little bits of the meat from the pizza which I wolfed down. That began the road to hell which lasted 2 days. That’s night I developed an extreme case of the runs…it just didn’t sit well with my stomach. That evening we walked to the train station and purchased tickets for our return to Verona the next day. We finally made it back to the hotel without issue…Dad started using landmarks as a guide. A friend recommended that we check out Harry’s Bar…a famous place where Ernest Hemingway hung out. Well, Dad has seen it all…they had a 50Euro hamburger and a 40Euro bowl of bean soup on the menu. Dad settled for a cheese plate and Bellini’s…Harry’s Bar originate the Bellini. They were good but…25Euros apiece…absurd. There were more waiters in the bar than patrons…all dressed in jackets, white shirts and ties. The patrons included an older white couple from America who knew all the waiters, a gay couple who I think were American…they kept eyeing me, and a Saudi couple. The Saudi couple ordered a veal chop…huge. The waiter asked how it was and he gave a so-so response. Not cooked well. The waiter was very perturbed…and the young Saudi (probably a prince) was ambivalent. Harrys Bar was not my favorite experience…nor Dads.
We made it back to the hotel…we stopped briefly at a local pub she had read about…but it was LOUD. Too loud for me and for Dad so we headed home. Found the hotel...no sweat!!!
The next day, we got up and Dad enjoyed another amazing breakfast. We packed up and headed to the train station…this time we took the water taxi from the hotel. Dad’s knees and hips were killing him after carrying his backpack from the Verona apartment to the train station (45 minutes) and then another 30 minute walk in Verona to the hotel. The water taxi ride was amazing. I was a little skittish getting on the boat…but once we got on board, the views were amazing…down the narrow canals…out to the main canal to the train station. A 30 minute ride…great perspectives. It was cold and rainy in Venice when we left…I’m glad we did our sightseeing the day before. Dad took me across the bridge over the main canal to the little park…relief…then onto the train. As we walked back to the train station it actually started snowing. We had reserved first class tickets from Venice to Verona. The ride was uneventful. Dad wrote for most of the journey and I slept. And it snowed…lightly. We arrived in Verona in a light snow storm…Dad put on his backpack and we headed back through the plaza to the car…about 45 minutes. Fortunately, Dad had an umbrella so the walk wasn’t too bad. We enjoyed strolling amongst the locals. We found the car…right where we left it…and were able to exit thorough the narrow passageway without issue. Traffic was minimal…and we set our sights on Florence, our next destination…about a 3 hour drive. Dad wanted to make it to Florence before the sun went down at 430…and I’m so glad we did. The drive was just spectacular…through the mountains…Dad stopped for gas and I walked in the snow. We hit Florence right at 430…in rush hour traffic. Cars, motorcycles, bikes and pedestrians everywhere. But..that’s for my next post.
Bonjourno/Ciao,
Thanks for reading…we are loving life and out time together.
Ciao Bella (Maggie) and Doug
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