I've made it there and back safely, smoothly and happily. What a perfect trip. We had the most fabulous weather; sunny and mid 70's to low 80's with one half-day of rain that came at the end of one of our tours. The food on ship was nothing less than gourmet and elegant. The wine was leggy and rich in bouquet as well as full bodied. I was truly a Contessa; pampered, spoiled and catered to.
Day 1-2: Venice, Italy
Customs, our flight and embarkation were flawless and quick. We were on board by 11:30a and were drinking our first bottle of wine in the Venetian sun by 12:15p. I was so happy I could have cried. After a leisurely lunch of cheeses, meats, selected breads, we ventured in. We were told it was a brief twenty minute walk (approx. 1/2 mile). Feeling giddy, we decided to try it. After the fact and one horribly ugly blister we realized they meant it was a brief twenty minute walk to the WATERTAXI that would take us into town. CRAP! But it was our first day and we were new; exhausted to the situation. We still saw some amazing things. One of my favorites was a bunch of boat builders (that had to give us directions) nestled away in the city wall with huge ancient support beams and strong stark iron work. Regardless, we got our bearings, setting our agenda for the next day. The night was capped off early with a spinach salad and an elegant fillet of fresh sea bass (delicately flavored with garlic, rosemary and oregano)accompanied by a bottle of wine and polished off with a pistachio croquant (kind of like pistachio pudding with a graham cracker crust drizzled with chocolate....yeah, I know.) We wandered up top and watched the sun set over Venice. The pinks, blues and oranges seemed more like richly colored flags draping the horizon giving way to the most velvety midnight blue I've ever seen. I think it was the biggest sigh I ever had....
Suffering from body-clock issues, I was awake at 1:30a. Insomnia knows no limits. But I forced myself back to sleep and began again around 8a. We executed our plan, caught a water taxi and headed for St Marc's square and Rialto ( a magnificent shopping mecca stuffed into lurching ancient walls and surrounded by influences of ALL the ages. We wandered the grande canal, bought beautiful burnt velvet wraps with traditional Venetian beading (although I'm not sure what that means...it could mean it has Mighty Mouse bedazzled all over it and I would have swooned) We bought beautiful Murano glass (sadly we did not make it to the island) We were intoxicated by the smells (not what you'd think...not a Baby Ruth in sight in that water). The produce markets were fragrant with fresh peppers and tomatoes, herbs and beautiful flowers. After many hours my friend had to make a "pit stop" . She dashed into a restaurant and we waited outside looking like starved orphans. They discovered her and gave her lip about not purchasing anything...we were supportive friends and ran away, leaving her high and dry (no pun intended) to pay her Euro to pee. Sorry.
On the way back, there was a battle for a much desired spot on an overly crowded taxi. Two native women were hissing back and forth about who should get the spot. Of course the loser got the advantage of volume and apparently an historically vicious barrage of words to the victor who said it all with one simple gesture....."You're number one!" Flipping the bird looks the same in Italian, by the way. I thought it was hilarious and it did become a grand joke for the entire trip.
Upon returning to ship, we hopped up to the ninth deck to watch our sail away. We glided by the entrance of the Grande Canal, floating passed Piazza de San Marco with its dark moping tile roofs, the bright dripping flowers and vines. It's a little melancholy to see the rising water lines and know this is a beautiful treasure slowly disappearing. The gondoliers still slip along the alleyways, sometimes singing along with accordion music; almost bawdy with black velvet or blood red faux fur. We saw a beautiful bride and groom being whisked away down the grande Canal. It was truly romantic.
Enjoy the pictures and thanks for stopping in to share my vacation with me. We have only just begun.
Next stop: Dubrovnik and Cavtat, Croatia.
