Unexpected Venice Vacation #6

Monday, April 19

I’ve been awake since 6:15. Decided to do my hair and makeup. I’ve looked like a wreck for 2 days now. I’m brushing my teeth when I’m pretty sure I hear a plane. The windows are open. The sky is clear blue. It’s been mostly cloudy since we have been here. I couldn’t see anything. But, yes definitely a plane. That gives me hope.

I talked to our travel agent today and she couldn’t do anything to help us. She doesn’t deal with airlines she said. She said we could do as much if we got our own reservations. The one thing she did tell me was that we could order refundable tickets that we would have as backup if we did not get out on Thursday. I called and ordered refundable tickets for Tuesday, April 27, the earliest I could get. Aub’s mother was beside herself to get her daughter back.

VENICE – You can only ride a boat or walk. One would expect a night life here. But Aub and I were at a ‘tourist’ restaurant last night. We got the 12E special actually advertised on their sign “Tourist Menu”. It was a three course menu: lasagna, chicken and fries or salad. I was not sure about eating fresh uncooked food because of intestinal stuff we may not be used to. In the end we ate salads and fruit with no problems. We needed a balanced meal, too. No matter how good the pizza, Italian sandwiches and ice cream were, we knew we needed better.

Here they are in no hurry to turn tables. Our 1^st night last week the waiter said, ”Slow down, enjoy. Americans in too much hurry.” So they eat leisurely meals here. They take their time getting your order, bringing it and bringing the bill. Jodi taught us to ask for “still water” otherwise you get seltzer water, and that they don’t bring you the bill automatically. You can sit forever – then you signal the waiter when you are ready. Also, the printout for credit card does not have a place to add the tip. It is customary to leave it separate on the table. In all the credit card (table cloth) restaurants there was a cover charge of 1€ per person.

So, when we finally got out of the restaurant it was dusk. The busy crowded streets had cleared and only a few people here and there were out. As we walked back to the hotel there were two here-one there-till none by our hotel. (I learned later that we were up on the train station, bus station side away from tourist areas. A lady told me they were down by San Marco Piazza and it was so noisy all night they asked to be put to the back of the hotel away from the canal side.

The city is beautiful. It is old with wonderful architecture. Every view is a picture. I have heard the city smells. Maybe this is true in the heat of summer but in the cool April air there was only the scent of briny sea water.

I am writing this at the hotel breakfast having coffee and apricot croissant.

Aub asked, “Do I have to get up?”

We’ve had some tense days. She can sleep in today. And with the hotel adapter we’ll be able to do her hair. Me, too. Clean styled hair and makeup and I feel better PLUS hearing a plane take off. (Heard it was a small one -not international.)

It was so quiet. With the windows open – if you wake up in the night you hear nothing. Earl and I have been in other international cities and you hear traffic, people, horns or construction all night. I woke about 6:15 and heard nothing. After a while a few birds and then about 7:00, church bells.

I just looked back in my notes and noticed my large relaxed handwriting compared to this quick pinched scribble. That could explain my constant low grade headache. I am working on relaxing.

Anyway, back to Venice. Our hotel is on the Grand Canal which curves in a large backwards “S” around Venice. The main tourist streets are marked on the hotel map in yellow. The concierge said;

“You can get lost in Venice. But…that is the best way to see the city.”

So we always carry our hotel map with us.

During the day the streets are very busy with people walking. So many different languages, everyone eating ice cream (gelato). The ice cream in the many shops is more decorative than our shops. It is piped into pans in mounds then sprinkled or drizzled with chocolate or fruit. There are colors of lime, lemon, pink berry or white yogurt. The chocolate is very dark, not milk chocolate as we are used to.

We would like to go to a concert or opera but would get back so late that I would prefer to go with a group. My main concern is always the safety of Aubrey. She has been such a trouper through all of this. When I asked the costumed girl handing out handbills for the Vivaldi symphony if it is safe to walk back at night she looked surprised and said, “This is Venice!”

I am sitting by the sign we made:

U.S.Citizens Meeting

9:00 am in breakfast area

Let’s help each other

Judy and Aubrey

But so far we haven’t met anyone else. The sign is difficult to see. Aub had the best idea. Lay it on the floor of the elevator! It is 9:10 am. I will get Aub up so we can go to the internet café. Then we will follow the “Yellow Brick Road” to Piazza San Marco. Aub met me as I was going up so we are having breakfast and I heard American English. I talked to an older couple from Berkley who was on another cruise. It is good to make connections with other U.S. citizens in the same predicament.

The lady from Berkley stopped by our table again and said she was a graduate of Oberlin – did we have any connection there? Have heard of it but not familiar.

I checked again on Delta – no change. Our flight is connecting in Amsterdam: Amsterdam to Minneapolis to Akron/Canton.

We found an Internet Café, finally. Look down a narrow alley for the little square yellow sign with a cursive red “a”. Who knew? We stood in line about 30 minutes. There are still lines to everything. People are still trying to make connections. We are listening to English/British accent in front of us. A lady behind us is from the U.S. She is going to Vivaldi concert in Piazza San Marco (Saint Mark’s Square) tonight. We wanted to do that, too. We decided to start our walk there this afternoon instead of this a.m. and just go once since it is about an hours walk.

I finally asked the people in front of us if they knew, ”Do you have to use their computers if you want wireless on your own?” She shooed me to the front to ask the “chap”. They ushered us right to a side room and we waited a few minutes for a password. Aub is my techy-she is in charge here. Yea, she got on facebook!

Before we left the hotel, I was waiting to drop off our laundry at the desk and a family from Connecticut was making some kind of adjoining room arrangements. They are scheduled to fly out on Wednesday. I was talking to their 2 children who seemed to be a girl – 20 and a boy – 15?16? Very friendly. All of a sudden the father started YELLING at the guys at the desk. I’m not sure what the issue was but father yelled, “I’M PAYING YOU A LOT OF MONEY! I SHOULD GET BETTER SERVICE!”

The mother was like, “Come on Dear. Let’s go. Forget it.” But he kept yelling. Aub was upstairs getting our sweaters. I had wanted to introduce her to my new friends. There were few kids her age. Spring break was over for most. He was yelling as he went out the door. And the desk clerk in his Italian accented English, said under his breath, “Thank you, sir. Today I weel keel myself.”

The guy heard it and ran back in yelling, “I WANT AN APOLOGY! I WANT AN APOLOGY! I WANT YOUR NAME!”

I turned around and an elderly lady and I exchanged raised eyebrow glances. I think I spoke Italian with my face.

I met and lost friends all in 2 minutes.

Aubrey asked me why I talked to so many people. I told her each time we talk to someone we get a bit more information how to navigate this place. At breakfast she said it was, “like we are in a video game.” I said, “I think we just made another level.”

We went to a bank to buy Euros but they don’t exchange money. Met an Australian. He was stranded in Milan where the airport was still closed, and he wanted to see Venice for the day.

The bank pointed us in the right direction.

You have to go to an Exchange along the tourist route. The hotel will exchange only cash, but we weren’t home yet and I didn’t want to give up my U.S. dollars. We had seen the exchange but didn’t know if they were legitimate.

We bought 135E for $200. I guess it is like a cash advance which we never in our life have done. Next time it would be worth a trip to the airport to exchange money. Live and learn.

[Hotels have some of the worst exchange rates. See my post on Exchange Rates.]

Posted on December 30, 2010 - Filed Under Beach and Vacation Travel Tips and Help, Travel

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