Written by Peter Carmel | 16 November 2009
Posted in Travel Journals - Italy- Venice to Umbria

Flying from SFO (San Francisco) to Venice was not nearly as tiring as I had expected.  Delta had recently acquired AlItalia so there was some overlap in the equipment.  On the flight from SFO to JFK (New York), the plane was outfitted very well.  Ample room in the seating and plenty of free entertainment options. The plane from JFK to Venice was quite another story.  Think reclining passenger's head in your face, and non functioning movie audio.  I can't really complain because the cost was very low (below $800 round trip). 

Since we could not call each other on the cell phone, I had no way of being sure if Carol was going to be on time or even able to meet me at the airport that morning.  Carol had already been in Italy on business with a huge group of travel agents and she wasn't sure they would have a shuttle or anything for her to use.  I was out of baggage claim and sailed through customs before 9AM.   So I began the walk around the terminal to the place where the water taxis and ferry boats are docked.  The airport operates a shuttle bus but its really not needed.  The walkway is covered and paved, and it sure feels good to get some exercise after so many hours being caged. 

I was a bit disappointed when I walked to the pier and Carol was nowhere to be found.  But I was prepared for that since my early arrival might have been a problem for her.  The plan was for me to not wait and take the public transit alilaguna to San Marcos Square.  The next boat was almost immediately ready to sail, but I decided to wait for the next one.  After all, it was only 9AM, and we had planned on taking the 9:30am.  So I patiently waited and had a snack, and took some photos of the water taxis.  About 10 minutes later, I saw Carol about 100 feet away, marching steadily towards me. 

The first two photos below were taken by Carol before my arrival.  I took the photo of the water taxi boats waiting for a fare just outside of the airport.

 

How exciting it was to finally set out on the alilaguna (public transportation) water ferry from the airport to San Marcos Square on the island of Venice.  We has a LOT of luggage and it was difficult boarding the boat using the narrow gangway.  We spent some time waiting for the "gold" line which is an express to San Marcos, which had closed the day before without notice because of the change to the off season.  This was my first introduction to the famed Italian efficiency.  But the price was only 6 euros (a no-brainer compared to a water taxi) so we persisted and began baording the more circuitous  "blue" line.  It did not help that the other passengers were crowding to board at the same time.  Perhaps it would have been better to wait until all the others had boarded before joining the herd. 

 

Upon arriving at St. Marcos Plaza, we took a quick look around San Marco Piazza and began walking the three blocks towards our destination: the Gritti Palace Hotel.  I noticed that these are not really streets as we think of them in the US like for automobiles.  They are more like wide sidewalks with cobblestones and steep bridges with steps over the canals.  I would not advise it for the elderly or handicapped and it's best to walk slowly but steadily, especially when climbing the steps over a bridge.

Venice is a city filled with beauty and culture beyond words.  There is history and adventure around every corner.  The canals and lagoon offer inspirational scenery and romance, while the churches, hotels, and piazzas are breathtaking and relaxing.  We spent countless hours just roaming aimlessly through the winding streets looking for adventure in every nook and cranny.  The very first night after my arrival, the sky became dark and cloudy, and the first large storm of the year came along for the ride.  But Venice is prepared for these occasions of high water.  When the hotel lobby, the streets, and Piazzas were flooded, a small army of workers assembled walkway platforms above the intruding sea.

While we stayed at the beautifully restored 16th century Gritti Palace Hotel, Carol was invited for a "site" tour of another restored Palace, the Hotel Danieli.  While the Gritti Palace Hotel was nice, I was totally blown away by the luxury and beauty of the Hotel Danieli.  

For our second full day in Venice, we decided to visit Murano to see what all the fuss was about the glass products we saw everywhere.  Since the vaporetto stop was about a 60 second walk from the Gritti Palace, we asked the concierge about the trip.  He would hear nothing of that and advised that he would arrange a private tour with free transportation to the island.  We looked at each other and nodded "why not" and within 10 minutes a luxurious private taxi was docked at the hotel.  I was beginning to suspect we were being mistaken for wealthy people with deep pockets but nevertheless we boarded and began sailing towards the exclusive Murano factory.  We were greeted by the owner of the factory and were brought to the glass factory where we watched the artisans demonstrate glass manufacturing in person.   We were permitted to take photos in the factory and the lobby, but the showroom was strictly "no cameras permitted".  This is understandable as the owner explained that these were exclusive collections created for such celebrities as Elizabeth Taylor.  Our excitement was dashed when we were quoted prices for the items that made my wallet cringe.  Our guide's enthusiasm also waned when it became clear we weren't going to buy anything.  So the return trip to the Gritti Palace was a bit awkward, but it was time well spent seeing such magnificent glass art.

 

Coming up next on our itinerary is a vaporetto ride to the train station where we boarded a train for Florence.  More to follow.

 

< Prev