Day 6 - Mantova 5/12/14

P9:20am - sitting on the train waiting for it to depart for the 45min trip to Mantova. Excited to go there for a few reasons, most notably because the food is supposed to be great as well as because Rick Steves doesn't write about it so it should be blissfully untouristy.

Woke up around 6:30 to an email from orbitz informing me that my entire return flight has changed. Instead of going through Rome I will leave 90 min earlier (6:45am) and go through Paris on air France. As much as I've heard transfers through CDG are a nightmare (at least I have over 2 hours for the transfer), I'm most annoyed that I've lost my aisle seat assignments for the transatlantic flight. And that you pay a shitload of money for specific flights and they can just do whatever the hell they want anyway. 

Anyway, Alessandro was kind enough to get me breakfast a little earlier to be able to catch my train. Didn't seem like anyone else stand at the b&b last night. He and I had a chat about differences in our cultures - how good waiters and cooks in Italy make enough money to support their whole families, how they don't have to worry about retirement or education savings, health insurance etc. how nice that must all be. He also said how his parents bought the apartment where the b&b is 20 years ago as an investment and how great that has been. Owning property is a very different animal in Italy. Also, I saw he had a menu from a sushi restaurant so I asked if it was popular. He said it was especially among younger Italian females trying to watch their weight. I found that hysterically funny for some reason. 

He called me a taxi and helped carry my bag downstairs. He said he was impressed at my packing and that I'm the first American he's ever met who packed so well. I took that as a huge compliment!!!! He, like Stefania in Venice, was so kind and said it was great getting to know me. I wonder, do other guests just not talk to b&b owners? I mean there are other good reasons to stay in little b&bs - less expensive, often better located, etc. but getting to know the owners is just as important and how sad if most others don't take advantage of that. 

I remembered something else from my restaurant rant yesterday.  All it takes is one table of Americans in a place and they are the ones you hear, even from across the restaurant. Happened in both Venice and Verona so far. Are we really that much louder??? Also places tend to give you hooks to hang your jacket, they would simply never hang them over their chairs. 

7:00pm - people-watching on a lovely evening in a little park til it's time for dinner. Arrived in Mantova with no problems and walked from the station to the b&b. It wasn't far but took me about 20 min since i had no idea where I was going. My room is large and has a separate private bathroom next door. Bathtub!!!!!!! Oh what a beautiful thing. 

Realized a lot of sights are closed on Mondays so I wandered around and got my bearings as well as saw a couple of the main churches, which are very ornate inside as this used to be an important and rich city. 

Walked down a bit outside the center to an out of the way trattoria, Due Cavallini, where I sat outside on a lovely shaded patio and was for sure the only English-speaking person there. Had "stinco," which is a roast pork something or other. Delicious. Also had mixed vegetables, and i don't know why I bothered, and a quarter liter of the house white, which was sparkling. Very nice relaxed lunch. 

Kept walking south of the center to palazzo Te, one of the only things open. This one room, the room of the giants, is incredible. It's an architectural optical illusion and painted in one scene all around and up the ceiling. Never seen anything like it. And the one picture I snuck on my iPad doesn't even begin to do it justice. 

Stopped in another smaller palace that houses the city museum on the walk back. I was the only person inside. Sad. 

Came back, got a gelato from Rosa, dangerously down the street from my b&b, got a delicious dark chocolate/caramel biscotti combo, and went to the b&b for a rest. I was sitting in the common area where the wifi is better and Giuseppe the owner came and started having problems with his computer and windows 8. I tried to help him but had no idea what was wrong. Poor guy, hope he can fix it!

Around 6 I went out and wandered around town again and down to the water. Mantova is surrounded by three lakes and there are parks and path along the way. Lots of people running, biking, and enjoying the nice evening. It felt well into the 70s before but has cooled down now and feels quite lovely. I think tomorrow I'll do a boat tour on the water, hopefully the weather stays ok!

10:00pm - back after wandering and a delicious dinner at ochina Bianca. Had agnoli (like ravioli) filled with beef, which were delicious fresh pasta in a ton of melted butter. The pasta was so yellow from the eggs. Followed that with the local sbrisolona crumbly cornmeal almond cake/cookie dessert.  After dinner, walked in the main squares and took some night pictures. 

Total walking today: 25,342 steps, 10.08 miles! 

Pictures will have to wait til tomorrow - connection here is rather slow as well :(

Day 5 - Verona 5/11/14 - ALL pictures & videos up to date!

Note: Finally was able to get all the videos up from Day 2 - worth watching master Mauro make some glass for sure: see them here.

Also, video from yesterday is up here.

And pictures from today are here. I feel like some are missing but I am too tired to figure out what right now. 

Now the blog:

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12:50pm - at classy and a bit pricey bottega del vini just to try the risotto made with local Amarone wine. It takes 20 min to cook so most places require min. 2 people and this one is supposed to be very good. Also the waiter is humoring me and speaking Italian, so A+.

Woke up around 7:30 and had breakfast, which was a creme-filled croissant and some bread and butter, just enough to start the day. Cloudy day and it is supposed to rain but it hasn't yet.  Hope it stays away because I plan to be outside all afternoon. 

After breakfast, walked down to the old castle, which I then learned is an art museum. I literally got lost trying to find the exit. Made it back to Piazza Bra, where the arena is, and followed the Rick Steves walking tour through the old town.  The arena is like a mini-Colosseum but is set up inside with real chairs because they have a huge opera seson in the summer in Verona. 

Although Verona is super touristy with all the Juliet stuff, there are tons of locals out and about and it feels more authentic than, say, Venice. Everything is only a 10-15 min walk away, which is nice too. Lots of people going to and from church on Sunday.

After wandering around looking at lots of pretty buildings and churches, I made it back to the center for lunch.

4:30pm - back at the B&B for a rest.  The risotto at lunch was outstanding. Just delicious and creamy and a little chewy.  The picture doesn't do it justice; it was a lovely burgundy/purple color. 

I was going to buy my token souvenir magnet at one of the touristy shops on the main road, but then I walked by a little setup of different crafty stands in the main square and one was selling handmade ceramic stuff so I bought a magnet there instead. Probably more than twice as expensive, but made by the Juliet Club, not in China. 

After eating, walked back over to the duomo, which had opened up after morning masses.  The church is huge and beautiful and has ancient foundations underneath. I was there just in time, because hordes of people were descending on the church for something, it almost looked like a kids' graduation? 

Went over to find Gelateria Ponte Pietra, which had just moved down the street to a shiny new location and had a bacio (chocolate/hazelnut) and cinnamon combination, very good indeed.  Walked across Ponte Pietra and up a long and I mean long (my fitbit counted it as about 16 flights) of stairs up to a vewpoint at the castle above town.  The castle appears closed for maintenance.  I definitely worked off the gelato I'd just eaten. But the views are lovely. I'm sure sunset on a nice night is ridiculous. 

Trekked back down and tried to find the Roman amphitheatre, which I then learned is closed for maintenance until the end of the month.  They still have concerts there.  Kept walking down the street to the Giusti Gardens, which are pretty little manicured hedges and statues.  There is a belvedere castle but it involved more hiking uphill and when I got to the base of the building and saw the circular staircase I was going to have to take, I passed. 

Meandered back to the B&B for an afternoon break and deciding where to eat tonight.

10:00pm - left the B&B shortly before 6pm and wandered more into the main area, which is so lively and fun that you could go back over and over again and experience new things.  In Piazza Erbe, some kind of parade was going on, which ended in guns suddenly being fired up to the sky.  It looked as though it was making its way through the city.  A Venetian flag (Red with a lion) was temporarily put up. 

All day it had looked like it was going to rain, then a little while before I set out again for the evening the sun had come out, so naturally I left my umbrella in the B&B.  After being out for a little while, it was clear a thunderstorm was coming.  The sky was still blue further away, so I went down to Piazza Bra, where the arena is, as it still looked blue there.  The parade had made its way there by then.  

Right around 7:30pm, the skies unloaded, not before some really cool and strange sunlight rays were hitting the arena.  When it started to rain I decided to just go to dinner a little early.  Luckily the restaurant I had picked was just a couple of minutes' walk away.  It's called Locanda 4 Cuochi (the 4 Cooks) and it was supposed to be more modern type of cuisine.  When I got there they were all, cooks included, rushing to get the stuff inside from all the outdoor tables the poor people had probably just set up. 

Essentially I decided after 5 days of pasta and rice and more pasta and polenta and bread, I really needed some meat.  And they had chicken on the menu.  Sold.  The restaurant was mostly booked for the night, but they had a counter looking into the open kitchen.  Dinner and a show? Well if you insist.  

I had panissa fritta, which I knew was fried chickpea flour/puree, and "sqacquerone," which I learned to be a soft cheese. I had no idea what I was getting, and it turned out to be a salad! Fresh vegetables! with tomatoes! even better! and OLIVES! The best of all! Topped with the little cubes of fried panissa and dollops of cheese (like cream cheese I guess). Delicious! Then I had what was on the menu as "pollo e patate" (quote marks included), which just means chicken and potatoes. When I ordered, the waitress told me they weren't roasted potatoes but they were "creamed potatoes" - OK fine mashed potatoes it is. No, they were creamed as in put through one of those aerators with the gas cartridge.  So they were very creamy that's for sure and 100% delicious.  It was great fun to watch the four cooks (hence the name) cook in the open kitchen, carefully finish off each dish to perfection, all while chatting and having fun with each other.  Although busy, it was a fairly quiet kitchen unlike what you think of in American restaurants with hysteria and yelling.  Anyway, it was a highly memorable meal. 

Came outside and not only was the rain gone, but the post-storm clouds at sunset looked pretty awesome above the arena. 

I followed the gourmet trend with a small gelato at Pretto, started by michelin-starred chefs. I tested it out by trying a dark chocolate and coffee combination.  The coffee was awesome, with ground coffee beans inside, but I've had better dark chocolates, like the one a few days ago at Suso in Venice. Still quite good.

I've realized a few things about Italian restaurants besides the no tipping thing.  You never ever drink out of a bottle or can, even beer and soda get served with a glass. In very popular restaurants it must be hard to get a table because they only seem to have one reservation per table.  when you get a table in italy, it is yours for the night because the waiters don't care about turnover because they do not get tips.  Hygiene is not the same hysteria it is in the US. That is not to say it's not clean, but they are not obsessed with stupid stuff that doesn't make anyone cleaner (for example, I've almost never seen toilet seat covers here).  Tonight at this pretty upscale trendy restaurant, a couple guys walked in with a dog. Not a service dog.  Instead of kicking them out, the waitress brought the dog a bowl of freaking water.  I've read sometimes people think the service in Italy is bad because they don't come check on you all the time, but the good places truly care that you enjoyed your meal (I was asked three times tonight, once at the end of each course and once when they brought the bill), but they do not bug you while you are EATING. That's when you should be focused on EATING, not befriending your server.  I think they just assume (and rightfully so?) if something is wrong with the meal, you will just tell them.  What a shocking concept. 

So that is my rant for the night.  Total walking information from the fitbit for today: 28,638 steps, 44 staircases (thank you Castle of San Pietro), and 11.39 miles.

Tomorrow it is off to Mantova!

Pictures- Day 4 Padova and verona

Pictures HERE...the order is messed up again but this is the best I can do

Day 4 - Padova and Verona 5/10/14

4:00pm - on the train to Verona. Got a discount first class seat so it's nice and comfy, with a drink and snack no less. 

 Woke up shortly after six, had breakfast, and set out to catch the vaporetto to the station in Venice in plenty of time. Caught the 8:50 train to Padova that I had pre-booked. Only took 25 minutes. The ease of putting my little suitcase between the seats is a reminder of why packing light is so great.  Left my bag at the baggage office but couldn't find the info desk at the Padova station, so I walked to the scrovegni chapel ticket office to get my ticket for 11:15 and my Padova card. Walked a few more min to the center sand scoped out the enormous market that takes up the ground floor of a palace and two surrounding squares. Gorgeous.

 Wandered a bit, got a cappuccino at the famous cafe pedrocchi and made it back to the chapel. They only let 25 people in at a time. You have to get there early, then at your scheduled time you sit in a climate controlled room and watch a 15 min video about the chapel then you are transferred into the chapel, which is also climate controlled. The video explained that destruction of surrounding buildings, removal of plaster, etc. shame that so much damage has been caused. You get 15 min in the chapel. I brought my iPad in to read Rick Steves's description and snuck a few surreptitious pictures off it. Not the best quality but better than nothing. No photo would do this chapel justice. Though not as well preserved, it rivals the Sistine chapel and because the number of people are limited you enjoy it more. 

Gorgeous!!

Walked down to the enormous basilica of st. Anthony, and wandered around for a while. Very beautiful. I'll never understand the tradition of displaying saints' body parts, though. Like, why st. Anthony's tongue??

Took the tram back up to the center and got a slice of pizza for lunch. The guy tried to speak English to me and I kept replying in Italian and he finally relented. He asked me if there were a lot of somethings in LA and I'm not sure what but he was laughing so I just said no. 

Went back to cafe pedrocchi and got a marocchino, which was delicious but I'm not exactly sure what it was (it's a coffee drink) and a tiramisu that was delicious. Went into the duomo baptistery and the palace above the market before taking the tram back to the station to give myself plenty of time to collect my bag and find the train platform.

And in less than 45 min I'll be in Verona. Yay fast trains. 

10:45pm - wow long day. Arrived in Verona at about 4:30pm and took a taxi to the B&B. Alessandro, the owner, greeted me warmly and showed me some stuff on the map. He asked me if a traditional Italian breakfast (aka sweets) was OK or if I wanted something else. I said I would be a bad B&B owner  because I would only offer guests the traditional food.  He specifically mentioned German and English tourists expect and request salty things for breakfast.  He accommodates them because he wants good reviews on TripAdvisor.  So sad.  

Anyway, went around and took a walk - very impressed how close the B&B is to everything - there are two main squares in Verona and it is about halfway in between.  Also the room is big, clean, and modern.  Wandered around for about an hour, came back and rested for a few, then went out to dinner. Ended up at Taverna via Stelle, which was on my list, because they had many things I wanted to try.  I had their special "spicy spaghetti" that reminded me of an Amatriciana dish you might find in Rome, interestingly enough. And I had polenta, a specialty of the region, with a local salami on top.  Way too much food but worth the small splurge.  When people say eating in Italy is so expensive I ask where in the US you would find two courses of top-quality homemade food, a glass of wine, a bottle of fancy water, a nice bread basket, including tax AND tip, for about $30 in a good restaurant????  Anyway this place was adorable and the food was delicious.  I skipped a gelato because I had my moro pastry from Venice.

Wandered around again - the main streets here are all pedestrianized so they are full of people doing their evening strolls all dressed up, which is always much fun to partake in.  Took some pictures at night in the squares and caught some kind of wedding celebration where people were singing in the streets.  

Came back to the B&B and did a bit of laundry.  

Unfortunately, the internet connection here is just as weak so I do not know when I'll get my pictures up and the rest of the videos :(  Soon I hope! 

Walking total today: 29,134 steps and 11.59 miles. Yikes! Not sure how the train rides affected that, though. I don't feel like I walked that much today...

Day 3 - Venice 5/9/14 blog and pics - now with some videos too!!

NOTE: I have figured out how to get the videos uploaded.  See the following links for some videos from each day so far.  Also, I have discovered that using diorama/tilt-shift mode in video takes awesome stop-motion videos. OMG. See today's set for a couple.

Videos are at the end of each day's set, day two will be up ASAP but I have a bunch of videos from the glassmaking demo that I really want to make and this connection is just too slow.

Day 1 Pictures and now Videos
Day 3 Pictures and Videos - all new today

And now onto the blog:

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2:00pm - sitting outside in the Jewish ghetto waiting for my 2:30 tour.  Woke up earlier than I wanted and did a bit of laundry to stay on top of things. Had breakfast and got a cappuccino and set out to wander the San Polo and Dorsoduro neighborhoods. Another perfect cloudless day, warm with a breeze.

Basically just wandered around for a few hours and went into the Ca' Rezzonico, a palace of 18th century Venetian art and furniture. Very pretty. First place I've been in where they actually had guards in most of the rooms to prevent photos. I basically was the only person inside and it felt like the palace was mine. As if!

Continued wandering and enjoyed the views from the accademia bridge. Pondered going into the museum but at 15€ I couldn't bring myself to spend that much on an art museum that I wouldn't appreciate anyway. 

Wandered around a bit more and found the zattere, a broad promenade on the back of Venice that overlooks giudecca island. Observed a gondola-making place for a few minutes and had an early two-course cichetti lunch at highly-recommended gli schiavi that cost about 10 euros for six snacks and two glasses of wine. An interesting highlight was bread topped with pistachio cream, and I have no idea what it was but it did in fact taste like creamy pistachio.  I'll challenge you to find anywhere in the US where you can get two glasses of good wine and six appetizers for just over ten bucks. 

Conveniently, two doors down was gelateria lo squero, also highly recommended. Had a dark chocolate/hazelnut combo that was unusually large for the price 2.50) and especially creamy. Gelato tip of the day: without fail, I find you always get more of the first flavor you ask for. 

Took the vaporetto #2 from zattere to piazzale Roma and saw motor vehicles for the first time in two days. It's easy to forget what those motors sound like after a couple peaceful days. Was going to go to another Bacaro on my list nearby but even at about 12:45pm they appeared out of food!  Instead kept walking to the train station where I figured it'd be a good idea to buy all the train tickets I need that I couldn't get in advance when i was at a bigger station and not in a rush. 

Made the short walk over to the ghetto. You can tell you arrived because the buildings suddenly get twice as tall and the streets even narrower than the others due to the limited space in the past. Thank you very much to the man at the ticket counter at the Jewish museum who humored me and replied to me in Italian!

An Italian high school group just arrived in the square. I'd say about 85% of them are wearing some version of the same converse high top shoes. Fascinating. 

4:15pm - back at the B&B for a rest.  The ghetto tour was as interesting as I remembered, but the guide not nearly as passionate.  You get to see three synagogues - the German, French/Torinese, and Leventine (Greek/Turkish).  The Italian one is closed and the Spanish one is the one used on a daily basis during the summer.  They were all built in the 1500s and are on top floors of the apartment buildings.  Some are ornate with wood and others with gold carvings.  The German one is like a round theater, and the Leventine one, the richest one, is like a palace because it was designed by the same architect who did Ca Rezzonico, which I saw this morning.

Walked to the vaporetto stop to find it closed for construction this week, so walked in Cannaregio a bit more to the next stop, Ca D'Oro and took it a few stops back to save the feet and since I have a pass I paid for and have not used much. 

I've noticed there are fewer smart phones here, and when people use them, they are actually using their phones to - shock - talk to people rather than aimlessly walk around typing into a screen. 

8:45pm - back from an early bacaro/cichetti pub crawl in the Rialto area.  First I went back to Do Mori from yesterday lunch and had a bunch of snacks and a prosecco.  Then went back to Alla Ciurma for that ridiculous artichoke/speck/cheese croquette and a crostini... and a prosecco.  Then wandered because it was still early, and found Al Marca right near the canal and Rialto Market. It's just a store front with some snacks and drinks and oodles of locals spilling into the square.  Had a couple of mini sandwiches including one with homemade pancetta and a rose sparkling wine.  Yes that makes five glasses of sparkling wine today... oops, is that too many?  But I'm in the land of prosecco!  And it's so cheap. On all of the above, which is about 10 snacks and 3 glasses of wine, I probably spent about $25.  

I feel pity for the souls I see walking on my way sitting in the touristy places with pushy waiters standing outside holding menus in 4 languages :( you're over-spending and getting shit frozen food. I heard one American lady ask a guy on the worst part near the Rialto bridge (my B&B owner made me promise not to eat at any of those places) if the pizza crust was thin. Took everything I had in me not to turn around and tell her they were probably frozen.

Meanwhile, as you have probably noticed in my pictures, some of them have oodles of people in them, and some have absolutely no one.  That's Venice. There's a few main areas where ALL and I do mean ALL of the people are. Walk a few streets either way, and there is literally, and I mean literally, no one.  I also pity the souls who never see that Venice. 

Anyway, after eating and drinking, I crossed the bridge to find Suso again and splurged on two of their more expensive gourmet flavors - dark chocolate and Opera - both of which were ridiculous, but particularly the dark chocolate, which was so dark and not sweet that it was almost bitter.  It rivaled the dark chocolate from a few years ago in Manarola I must say. 

Wandered around a bit more and stopped by the pastry shop where I've been getting my cappuccinos in the morning a few steps from my B&B.  Bought a "moro" pastry for tomorrow, which is like a big round chocolate cookie covered in whole almonds. 

I'm exhausted so decided to have an early night.  Tomorrow it's off to Padova for a day stop off and then a couple nights in Verona.  The Shakespeare tour contiunes. 

Total steps walked today - 23,374, 32 flights of stairs, and 9.30 miles.  Yikes! 

9:45pm - so I heard the B&B owner out in the breakfast room and I went to go pay and say goodbye. Got hugged twice again and had a nice long talk about the tourist problems in Venice and other places in Italy we like. She even gave me a little present of a glass pendant, are you joking?! She also told me to take everything I want from the breakfast room for my journey forward and call her If I have any problems along the way. She told me I am very special - no stefania, YOU are definitely the special one my dear friend. The amenities of the b&b are similar to what I have seen other places but her hospitality is truly unmatched. Reaffirms everything I believe about staying in small family places. It's an irreplaceable experience. 

PICTURES - Day 2 - Venice 5/8/14

Pictures here (over 200): https://www.flickr.com/photos/debstah1/sets/72157644565349201

Unfortunately they're out of order and unfortunately I can't upload videos right now but hopefully later. 

Enjoy! 

PICTURES day 1 - 5/7/14 Venice

Pictures here https://www.flickr.com/photos/debstah1/sets/72157644554545372/

I think the way I figured out to upload them really shrunk the size. But oh well better than nothing!

Enjoy!

Day 2 - Venice - May 8, 2014

5:15pm - phew! Long day, Slept intermittently overnight and finally got up around 8 to a gorgeous cloudless day.  Proceeded to spill orange juice everywhere at breakfast, naturally.  Decided not to make my own coffee since I do that at home so bought a cappuccino on the way out. Interestingly, a cappuccino to go cost 40 cents more than to drink at the bar. But drinking at the bar is half the fun of having coffee in Italy.

Wandered a few minutes to the Rialto market, which is both produce and seafood.  Lively morning scene.  Kept wandering around the San Polo area in back alleys, across bridges, etc.

Had an 11:00am appointment to observe glassmaking with the outstandig Mauro Vianello.  Born and raised on Murano, he told me the story (while making a glass clownfish, naturally) of how his father made him get an accounting degree and he gave it up because he hated it and wanted to make glass instead. He focuses on sea creatures because, he explained, they are colorful and you can't make a realistic yellow dog. I told him he should do that anyway if he wanted.  Anyway, bought a funny glass octopus to cap off a lovely hour with Mauro. He told me he estimates 90% of the glass stuff sold in Venice is from China.  What a freaking travesty.  Makes me so angry when the throngs of tourists go in those shops. 

Made my way back towards the Rialto Market with perfect timing to cobble together a cichetti lunch. Cichetti is Venice's version of tapas, but cheaper and a bit classier.  Went to Do Mori and had a couple of crostini and a baby artichoke and a glass of prosecco, then down the street about 15 steps to alla Ciurma to have two croquettes - one was ham and cheese and the other was an artichoke wrapped with speck and fried. Delicious. And of course another glass of prosecco. And the best part that I was the only person in the place who: 1) spoke english 2) was female and 3) was under the age of about 50.  Locals place for sure! Both stops total cost just over 10 euros. 

Crossed the Rialto Bridge after eating and made my way closer to San Marco for the first time since I arrived.  You know you are getting closer when the people multiply tenfold and the shitty souvenirs multiply accordingly.  Wandered around a bit and went into the church, which was surprisingly not all that busy.  Went up to the museum, which I did not do last time, which has spectacular views of the square below. 

Kept wandering and wandering and had my first gelato of the trip.  A delicious combination of chocolaet and tiramisu at the recommended Suso gelateria.  Wandered some more and found the mask shop where I had bought stuff last time. Bought another one, and a magnet, because I just couldn't resist. 

Literally just kept wandering around more and more, taking pictures, people-watching, etc. Made my way behind St. Mark's towards the Grand Canal and found another glass shop that makes its own items.  Bought a pretty little shot glass type of thing in various shades of turquoise. 

Wandered more and more back in the Rialto direction in and out of little squares and churches and across dozens of little bridges.  Took the vaporetto one stop to assist in crossing the canal (there are only four bridges across) and went to the Scuola di San Rocco, which I had skipped last time. It's a bit pricey for two rooms (10 euros) but has a gorgeous collection of Tintoretto paintings that cover the walls and ceiling.  they put out these weird magnifying mirrors so you can get a closer look, or in my case, a little nauseous. 

And, after that, according to my fitbit, I deserved a break after over 8 miles and 20000 steps! 

Still trying to upload photos but the wifi connection is simply not cooperating. I have so many that I wan to share and will get them posted just as soon as I can! 

10:00pm - went back to cannaregio determined to find the restaurant I couldn't find last night - success! Ai promessi sposi is the name and thank goodness I went early because shortly after they started turning people away. Had a pasta of orecchiette and asparagus sauce that was delicious. But the best part was when an old man just at the bar having a glass of wine could sit at my table. After he finished he gave me a tiny origami hat that he made from his receipt as a thank you. I will keep and cherish it forever. 

 Followed dinner with a gianduja/coffee gelato combo, which made this a two gelato, three prosecco kinda day. 

Walked back over to st. Marks for sunset and stayed til it got dark. Want to know the worst place in the world to have to go to the bathroom? Venice the place 100% surrounded by water, that's where. 

According to the fitbit, I walked 30617 steps, 33 flights of stairs, and 12.18 miles today. O mio dio!!!!!!

All in all a great long tiring day where lots of money was spent and lots of carbs eaten. Sounds like success to me. 

Pictures as soon as i can figure something out - I took several hundred today!

And we're off!! Day 1 - May 6-7, 2014

6:10pm (Pacific) somewhere over Utah - got to the airport ungodly early thanks to Super Shuttle.   I could not resist having an irony-filled 800 Degrees pizza at the airport before leaving (incidentally, the pizza is about 20% more expensive at the airport than the other locations, and about 20% less good.).

Plane left gate essentially on time but left the ground about 20 min late.  Considering my 80minute layover in Rome, I'm only slightly concerned.  Only just over an hour into the flight and already drinks and a snack of pugliese taralli has been served. There's something to be said about flying on the airline from your destination country, because your vacation has essentially already begun by the time you leave the ground.  

Sitting next to a lovely older couple from Sacramento who are going to Rome and Italy for the first time.  They are taking a Rick Steves tour and are just the blue-book-toting American tourists that can be both endearing and obnoxious at the same time. 

And I love how you can tell who the Italians are on the flight because they're the well-dressed ones. 

11:10am Europe time, approximately over Manchester England - after a bizarre dinner of pasta and couscous and bread and cheesecake (I dare you to find a culture that does carbs on carbs on carbs on carbs better than Italy), I attempted to sleep multiple times. Of course I was about asleep when the lady next to me asked to get out to go to the bathroom.  After which the poor thing fainted or something by the bathroom. She's fine thank goodness and the flight attendants were really great with her. But no sleep for me.  Ended up hopefully cobbling together a couple hours.  

Now the goal is to stay awake.  We still have not picked up any time, so it looks for about an on time arrival and fingers crossed for the connecting flight.  At least I do not have my luggage to worry about.  Because I was able to print my boarding pass before the flight, I did not have to check in at a desk, which meant no one could tell me I couldn't bring on my suitcase. Hurrah! Checked bags be damned! 

Something that will hopefully be fun for this trip is that I just bought a little fitbit, an activity monitor that tracks your steps.  So I will see how much I walk every day, which should be quite interesting. I will post my daily step/mile count in my daily posts, since I am sure all of you (yes, all three of you or so) is just dying to know this information.

I also realized that my first four stops on this trip (Venice, Padova - for a day, Verona, and Mantova) are all important Shakespeare cities. Cool.

2:25pm - sitting on plane to Venice. Although the flight into Rome parked in the middle of nowhere and we had to take a bus to the terminal (can you imagine Americans at major us airports putting up with that? I cannot.), passport control was a breeze, and made it to the gate for the Venice flight with time to spare. Phew! And even made it on with my luggage. Double yay! 

It's amazing how culture seeps so deeply into society. The Italians' refusal to queue is present at the airport when 10 min before boarding there is a "line" to board. And forget the concept of boarding by row numbers, that simply doesn't exist in Italy and as foreign as that concept is to us I freaking love it. It's Italy, it's just how it is here and how it should be. 

I'd say this flight is at least half American. O mio dio. 

So, one more hour (45 mins flight time to be exact) and I'll be back where the obsession began that fateful late august in 2007. 

3:25pm - snacks and drinks even on a 45-minute flight. Ah, international travel.  I think the fasten seat belt sign was turned off for less than ten min. A flight so short almost seems silly. 

4:15pm - sitting on bus in part one of two of the transport adventure to actually get to Venice from the airport. Cloudy and humid here in the 60s. Each time I am able to come off a plane with all my luggage and not have to worry about waiting for my bag and hoping it made it onto my plane is a dream come true and I feel truly sorry for people unwilling to pack light enough to be able to carry on only. 

Found the public transport desk and bought my bus ticket as well as my 72-hour boat pass, which will last me my whole time here. My credit card transaction went through, which is always a relief. I asked for the ticket in Italian and the clerk responded in English :( I tried!

9:45pm - have absolutely no clue how I am still awake.  Managed to grab a front boat seat on the #1 vaporetto to get to the B&B, which was awesome.  I honestly don't know how it's possible a place this beautiful even exists. And yet signs of its literal crumbling are everywhere. 

Got off at the San Silvestro stop and, using the written directions from the B&B and two maps it took me a solid 10 min to find the B&B, and of course at that time it started to rain.  Anyway, the B&B is stupidly adorable.  While I was checking in, the owner hugged me once but not twice and said that this is her home and while you are a guest here, it is your home too. She seemed genuinely happy that I not only shunned American coffee but also that I actually owned a moka pot. This is why i love this country and these people. I mean, are you serious? 

Anyway, went out to wander a bit more to try to stay awake than anything, but did a lot of camera experimenting (the Flickr app is being a bitch so, not sure when they'll get uploaded).  Luckily the rain had stopped by then.  The location of the B&B is great.  Tried to find a place on my list for dinner in Cannaregio and could not, so I came back and down the street from my B&B is Campo San Polo, which has a place in it where I went last time and had a good meal so I just went back since I was too tired to do anything else. Had a delicious homemade bigoli pasta (very thick spaghetti traditional to the region) with a tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella.  But once again I attempted to speak Italian and got replied to in English. Really? 

And I think that is really more than enough for today (technically almost two I suppose)! Pictures as soon as Flickr cooperates.  

Time Flies When You're Planning a Trip to Northern Italy!

oh mio dio! Ho completamente dimenticato di scrivere per molto tempo!

OK no, I will not be writing in all Italian, but I have been dutifully doing Rosetta Stone in preparation for my upcoming trip to Northern Italy coming up in just over two weeks!  Not to sound like a shill, but that thing really works. If you really want to learn a language, I mean really learn it, I highly recommend Rosetta Stone (just get it on sale!).

So, in just a couple short weeks I will be returning to the scene where it all began, Bella Venezia. I was watching a Smithsonian show this morning about the water problems Venice is having and I have to say it was very bleak and depressing that a place so stunningly amazing is so abused to the point where it is literally sinking and crumbling onto itself. I feel lucky that I am going to return again to a place so special because, frankly, who knows how much longer it will exist in this form. I will never forget the view (seen to the right in a photo that is NOT mine) when you step out of the train station into the insanity and beauty in front of you.  It was that exact moment when I knew I was very much in trouble where Italy was concerned.

So, my itinerary is as follows:

• Venice - 3 nights
• Verona (with a day stop in Padova on the way) - 2 nights
• Mantova - 2 nights
• Milan - 3 nights
• Lake Como/Varenna - 4 nights
• Torino - 4 nights

Although day trips seem to almost never turn out the way I want them to (remember the awesomeness to the right that happened on a day trip on my last trip, to Spain - don't worry, I got a new camera!), I plan a few, most probably to Lugano, Switzerland from Lake Como and one of the Alpine towns from Torino.  If I get "bored" I can always squeak in stops to places like Bergamo and Cremona, too. The nice thing about Northern Italy is that the distances are short, and the trains are extremely frequent.

In my planning on this trip I have broken a few of my cardinal rules.  I am not staying in the same place in Venice as I stayed the first time (which was almost perfect, but right behind all the tourist insanity).  Instead I'm staying across the Rialto Bridge in a less-touristy area because my goal for Venice this time around is to see and experience more of the REAL Venice (and not eat any pizza!).  Another broken rule is that I don't really have an itinerary for my 3 nights/2 full days in Venice, except for a visit to a glassblower that I've booked. Instead, I plan to wander neighborhoods, and do nothing more than eat, shop, and take boatloads of photos.


Next rule I've broken is that in Varenna, I'm staying in a place that has shared bathrooms. But, it's only 50 euros a night, and it has what you see on the left. So I think it will be ok.

I am also trying airbnb for the first time and have rented an apartment in Milan, since the B&Bs were essentially just as expensive. 

I may also make myself take an apparently vertigo-inducing elevator to the top of the cinema museum in Torino. It happens to be open quite late on Saturdays, which happens to be my last night on this trip.  For those who know me, you know what kind of big deal this is.

I will of course be blogging and posting my photos as I go, wifi permitting.

A presto, mia bella Italia!!!