Venezia!

Canal traffic under the Rialto Bridge

We decided that after a sobering and solemn trip to Auschwitz, that we needed a vibrant, happy, beach destination to finish off our European experience.  The first one that came to mind was Venice, Italy.  We took a night train from Vienna’s Huttledorf train station to Santa Lucia Train station in Venice.

Venice is a city like no other in the world.  Situated in a lagoon in the northern Adriatic Sea, it literally sits on the water and on a number of small islands.  The streets of Venice are “paved” with water.  Although it is served by a train that crosses from the mainland, it is the largest city in the world that operates without cars or trucks.  The Grand Canal is the main artery and numerous, narrower canals branch off from it.  Even police and ambulance move about in boats.  Public transportation is in the form of “vaporettis” (water taxi).  Of course, gondolas are the most famous mode of transportation in the historic city.

One of many narrow canals in Venice

Gondola

The city, that reached the height of its influence in the 1300s, is set upon wooden pilings that have been driven through the sand and clay beneath the water.  Since wood does not decay where oxygen cannot reach it, the city foundation is actually petrified wood and has supported the city for centuries.  Venice was a thriving center of trade between Asia and Europe. As of recent years, it is believed that the water level of the ocean threatens the city and is causing it to “sink”.  So slowly,  like its influence throughout history, the city is sinking.

We stumbled off the 10 hour train ride (another story) into a bustling station, and like the hundreds of other newcomers, were a bit overwhelmed.  Dragging our suitcase (with only 3 operational wheels), we bought a ticket on the vaporetti to Lido Island to locate our hotel.  Situated on the Grand Canal, this is probably the busiest vaporetti stop in the city.  We negotiated our way from the floating, moving dock onto the floating, moving ferry. We crammed ourselves and luggage onto the crowded vessel and shoved off from the dock.

Susan riding through the "streets" of Venice.

Being land-locked Okies, we were amazed at the sights as we wound our way through the canal and through the port  as we rose and fell with the gentle waves as we crossed to Lido.  Vessels ranging from gondolas and motor boats to a barges and cruise ships populated the busy waterway.   I was amazed that so many watercrafts could move about without so much as a close call.  The vaporetti stopped a number of times to allow passengers to get on and off.  Within about 45 minutes, we were offloading at our island destination.  Again, we found ourselves among a crowd of bewildered tourists.  Being unfamiliar with the area and following the “man-law” of not asking directions, we struck out to where my personal “GPS” told me that our hotel was.  In retrospect, maybe I should have asked.

From the stern of the vaporetti; on the way to Lido Island.

Lido island is a long, narrow spit of sand populated by stately villas, beach cabanas, shops, businesses, and hotels.  It allows motorcars, has public bus service, and is infested with approximately 1 trillion bicycles and motorbikes.  We consulted our map and found the street on which La Meridiana hotel was situated and struck out on foot.  About 30 minutes of dragging a suitcase in the island sun had me questioning the wisdom of my actions so we asked a nice Italian lady the whereabouts of our elusive destination.  With fractured English, she informed us that the hotel was about 20 meters down the narrow street, along a canal.  20 meters turned into 200, then 400, then 800.  Finally, a blessed event, the sighting of the hotel!

Our hotel.  La Meridiana

Our hotel was situated in a quiet neighborhood, about 250 meters (really) from the beach.  It was nestled amongst the drooping branches of stately, tall trees.  A tall wall of shrubs formed the outer perimeter and the white, stucco-covered villa was covered with vines. Cicadas serenaded us in the still heat of the morning.  A distant hooting of an owl could be heard.  As we walked through the arched entry, we encountered a pleasant, shaded dining area.  When we entered our room, the first thing I noticed was the blessed feel of air conditioning! The room was not huge, but big enough.  It had an adjoining bathroom connected by a private hallway.  In the bathroom, I discovered a sight to which I am unaccustomed.  Two toilets; sitting side-by-side?  One looked familiar but the other, a bit different.  Maybe the spare was a place I which we could wash our swimsuits?  We never tried it.  Mild curiosity  was the only attention it got.

What's that there "extry" toilet fer ya'll? 

We took a walk to the beach.  On this busy Sunday afternoon, the beach was well populated.  People of every imaginable age and shape were engaging in the customs of the beach.  Sand castles, volleyball, soccer, sun-bathing, etc. I have to include the fact that we encountered far too many speedos, rolls, and wrinkles (not necessarily in that combination) for my comfort.  We both got the feeling that no one was bothered about either the appearance they projected or  those they encountered.  Overall, it was a happy place.

The east side of Lido Island.  This is one of many beaches.

We returned to our hotel and cleaned up to go out to eat.  We learned how to ride the bus to the busy Maria Elissabetha street and strolled until we found an outdoor portion of a street café.  We both ordered pizza and were not overwhelmed by the products that were served.  They weren’t bad but I thought that in the country famous for pizza, a better example could have been produced.  I may be prejudiced but I agree with my son Johnathan, in that European pizza is not as good as American.  European pizza is very thin and has very little sauce.  (Inexplicably, in Austria, corn is scattered as a common topping.) Disparaging pizza in Italy is equal to blasphemy, right?  Anyway, since we were worn out from the long day and night’s travels, following our unspectacular pizza experience, we returned to our room and collapsed.

Really, Italy, that's your best pizza? Seriously? 

             

Monday was beach day.  I have never really been a sun-worshiping “beach person” but made the effort because of Susan’s desire to visit the one near our hotel.   She had the official swimsuit and beach towel.  I donned my gym shorts and absconded with a towel from the hotel room.   Rightfully fearing the feel of a miserable sunburn on my fish-belly white skin, I left Susan sunning on the beach and I struck out to find sunscreen.  After a fairly long walk, I found a shop, entered, selected a bottle of sunscreen and handed the clerk what I thought was more than enough to pay for it.  She looked at me and after a bit of an awkward moment, I realized that it was 18 Euros (about 23 bucks)!  Sheepishly, I pulled out another ten-euro note, paid, and beat an embarrassed and hasty retreat with my valuable spf 20.    

BEACH!!!

The 18 euros turned out to be well-spent as we spent upwards of two hours at the beach.  That may not sound like much to seasoned beach-goers, but it was enough for skin that hasn’t seen natural sunlight for years!  Later, that day and the ones to follow, I was mildly but painfully reminded of the places to which I neglected to apply the sunscreen.  Susan spent much time on the beach, timing how long to lie in one position and then re-positioning strategically to another.  I tried that.  For about 3 minutes.  Then I got back in the water.  Then I tried the sun-bathing ritual again.  For about 3 more minutes.  Not my gig.  The whole experience was different and enjoyable.  I even made the statement that I could enjoy a life that included a lot of days enjoying a beach.  Later, we returned to the hotel to wash off the sand and rest.  The afternoon found us exploring more the town and more beaches. That evening,  a beach-side café and moonlit walk down quiet streets, to the hotel.

Cruisin' on the Canals

Tuesday was spent roaming up and down the canals and narrow streets of Venice.  Crossing the port in the now-familiar vaporetti, a combination of bright sunlight, heat, and humidity accompanied us. Shade and breeze became a valuable commodities as we meandered.  With no real agenda but to experience the place, we were not disappointed in what we saw.  The architecture of many centuries formed the backdrop for the thousands of tourists that crisscrossed places like St. Mark’s square.  During the day, we crossed the Rialto Bridge and later, strategically found seats in the stern of a vaporetti that took us on an unofficial tour of the Grand Canal.  From our vantage point, we saw the buildings on the canal in various states of decay.  The ambience of this city emanates from the very thing that makes every other city less desirable.  Crumbling foundations and facades of buildings built centuries before formation of the Constitution of the US, overlook the greenish-blue waters of the lagoon and city.  Cargo laden boats scurry up and down the canals delivering everything from bottled water to refrigerators.  Traghettos, (gondolas that have been de-commissioned and relegated to simply carrying people across the canal) dodge larger vessels as they transport people that don’t want to walk to the next bridge.

Venetian Clothes Dryer

We plunged into narrow alleys and streets, encountering shops, restaurants, and sights of every kind.  Beggars, street performers, and waiters constantly beckon the crush of tourists to spend their money.  Cameras hang from the perspiring necks and wrists of visitors from every continent.  Gondoliers awaiting another fare, stand beside bridges straddling the canals and heartily encourage people to board their floating business and livelihood.  The obligatory souvenir shops fill every imaginable nook and cranny.  It doesn’t take long before every street begins to look like the rest.

Tourists in St. Mark's Square

We inspected menus of the restaurants near the most popular places.  Cokes (.33 liters) are brazenly sold for over 5 euros and dishes of ice cream (gelato) go for 14.  A meal, complete with 3 courses and wine could go well into the hundreds.  We retreated with heads spinning to Lido island, where prices were a little lower for our evening meal.  On Lido, we explored more of the community and found a free public beach. 

One of many outdoor cafes in Venice.  We met some great folks from Australia here later.

As sunset approached, we watched the people as they wound up the day.  We observed a group of teenaged girls from Uruguay, posing in a “planking” position for a picture (if you haven’t heard about planking, Google it).  The young men near us on the concrete bleachers, taking the picture from afar, got tickled at the scene behind the girls.  In the near background, two “larger”, “mature” women in swim-suits, were arranging their towels in preparation for a bit of sunbathing (in rather unflattering postures and positions; let your imagination form the picture in your mind).  As the “plus-sized” pair settled in (with their gelato), the laughter of the boys became louder.  The teen girls, awaiting the picture to be taken, turned to discover the source of the laughter from the boys.  This led to laughter from the girls. Thankfully, the ladies in the background never caught on.  Someday, maybe this picture will appear on Imagur.  It may be one of those things in which you have to be there to appreciate.

We rode the vaporetti back to Lido as the sun was setting over Venice.  The cool of the approaching night combined with the lights reflecting off the water provided a production that our camera could not portray.  Suffice it to say that dusk in Venice it was a highlight of any day.

The camera can't portray the beauty of the actual view.  Taken in the port between Venice and Lido Island

Our train didn’t leave till 9 pm on Tuesday, so we spent the day crisscrossing the canals of Venice with the unlimited trips afforded us by the 24-hour card we purchased.  We saw much more of the same and I may sound unappreciative or unsophisticated, but I feel that we got the “feel” for the city in the time we were there.  During our stay, we encountered and interacted with some really great people.  At our hotel, we met a professor of philosophy and his wife, on their way to a wedding in France and later, to teach summer seminars.  At a canal-side café, we met a mother and daughter from Australia celebrating their respective birthdays in Venice thanks to the reduced fares available to flight attendants.  Sadly, we left each encounter without a picture of either pair, however we DID leave with a warm feeling of friendship with someone we will probably never see again but who will be remembered fondly.

By the time 7 pm rolled around, we were ready to return to Vienna.  One obstacle remained to overcome.  The trip to Venice had been in 2^nd class seating.  This situation involved sharing a 6-person compartment (3 facing 3).  In this lower priced situation, the seats were spaced too closely for this quasi-claustrophobic, the temperature too high and the air too stuffy for a 10-12 hour return.  My objective was to upgrade to a first-class seat with reclining bus-type seats with more leg room and only the back of the next seat upon which to avoid eye contact for many long hours.  As we were looking for an office to expedite such an upgrade, I noticed a train employee from the OBB that I recognized from the trip from Vienna.  This turned out to be a stoke of good fortune.  I approached him, asking if he worked on the Venice to Vienna train.  His eyes widened in amazement that I recognized him from the earlier trip but told me that he didn’t think any first-class seats were available.  I thanked him and began to leave when he added that they DID have some availability in the sleeper cars (on which he worked).  He beckoned us to follow him and as the train had just arrived, took us aboard to a previously-unoccupied room aboard the car.  It had 3 spacious seats, a sink, closet and 3 bunk bed type berths that folded down for sleeping.  Compared to the experience from Vienna, this was a little piece of heaven!  I had left in my wallet, just enough to pay for the upgrade in cash.  Regrettably, I didn’t have much with which to tip him for his unexpected, welcome extra efforts.  I scraped up 15 euros in notes and coin and sheepishly explained that it was all we had and that he deserved more.  He accepted the 15 euros graciously accepted my reduced financial statu.  Later, he delivered two gift packages with water, wine, fruit, and candy and took our order for breakfast to be served at 7:30 the following morning.   Having spent a hot and sweaty day in the heat and humidity, this part of the trip was an unexpected but extremely welcome conclusion. I appreciate Alex of the OBB for the “extra mile” that he travelled for us.

We arrived at Vienna Wednesday morning, unloaded our 3-wheeled suitcase, and made our way back to the Villa with another stockpile of great memories.  I didn’t mention it to Susan, but I was experiencing the lingering sensation that I was still rising and falling with the waves (as on a boat on the ocean).  Surprisingly, later she happened to mention that she was experiencing the very same sensation.  Even though we were never out of site of the shoreline of Venice, some 12 hours after we disembarked from our last ride on the vaporetti, we landlubbers were still feeling the effects of the Adriatic Sea.  Over the coming years, in the same manner, I expect to bear lingering memories of the great experience that was Venice.

We have only a handful of days left before we return to the states.  This is actually a good thing as my supply of Euros has descended to a level with which to purchase little more than a few last sightseeing trips remain.  As I close this chapter, a thought occurred to me. 

A handful of days left…..hmmm….

Maybe we should live our lives like we are on a once-in-a-lifetime vacation.  Make the most of the time you have, rest a little along the way, and be friendly to the people you meet.  

Ciao.

Sunset on the Grand Canal.
Awesome.