New Newport News News: Venice edition
Venice is simply amazing. We got a waterbus at the airport and had a grand tour of the many islands of Venice, as we made our way to St. Zaccharia’s square, near where our hotel was located. Pulling our wheeled suitcases [that are big enough for a moderate sized human], we crossed on 2 arched pedestrian bridges to the tiny alley we needed.
When I say tiny, I mean we could have stretched out our arms and touched the buildings looming on either side. Following written directions from the hotel, we then turned left into a really tiny alley, which gave onto a tiny alcove, in which were set up several outdoor dining sets and umbrellas. There were 3 doors, none labeled. However, the desk clerk saw us and buzzed the door open. The Ca’ dei Doge [it means “the Doge’s House” NOT the Dog House] has an absolutely charming tiny lobby, with steps leading up to our room; the restaurant led off the lobby, where we had a lavish breakfast each morning. Our room had a balcony, large French windows leading to it, and a Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom. Pronounce the zz as you would for pizza.
Just another church in Venice
There are no cars in Venice. There are limestone streets of varying widths, but no logic whatsoever. Foot traffic is daunting, especially if you walk with a cane. People are so busy taking selfies everywhere that you can’t use the handrails on the bridges. The charm is palpable, but so many frantic people!! Goods are moved through the streets on large hand-carts, fitted with bicycle bells and courteous men saying "coming through" in polite Italian.
I had wanted to visit St. Mark’s Cathedral because the actual body of the apostle was there. He had originally been buried in Egypt, but the Venetians hated him to be in the land of the Muslims, so they stole the body in 828 AD, hiding it in pork so the inspectors would not search their cargo. But, as we were deciding whether the long wait to get in was worth it, I read in the guidebook that the body had been burned in the fire of 922 AD. When they rebuilt the church, they miraculously “found” Mark’s ashes. I snorted at this concept, but Ron said, “All they had to do was sniff around for the smell of pork rinds.” Still, there were so many people waiting to get in to the Doge’s Palace and St. Marks that we decided it was not worth the wait. Pork rinds notwithstanding.
In addition to museums, we had an agenda of steeple-chasing. Literally. There are more churches in Venice that in Newport News! Many have fine art. There is no rhyme or reason to what they charge for entry; so we decided based on what we knew was inside. The Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari was arguably the best and a bargain at €3. “The Assumption [of the Virgin]” by Titian is an enormous and gorgeous work, and the numerous chapels within the basilica were all rich in art.
Massive fish die-off in Venice lagoon!
We have less stamina than we used to, so by lunchtime, we were usually dragging. One day, we made it to the Rialto Bridge, one of 4 remaining bridges in the world that have shops all the way across. Ron had the day planned beautifully and chose for us a canal-side café, right at the foot of the bridge, and where we ordered salads and cokes. Even at €18 for the salad and €4 for each coke, it was flat out worth it! 4
Rialto Bridge
We took many pictures and the waiter took ours, all the while the foaming crowds were breaking like waves over the walkways. We watched as a man on the cell phone gestured wildly with his free hand to make a point. We listened as the bells of the churches rang the changes [this means actual human ringers] with no perceptible reason or timing. We admired the gondolas gliding by, and even the water taxis, making little noise. We explained to the ducks that we would not share our food. We were impressed that the notoriously stinky canals have been cleaned up despite rain run-off from the streets and gasoline from all the boats. And we regretted sleeping with our balcony doors open because, despite the screening, we were eaten alive by mosquitos.
But Venice, from its beginnings was a city-state of free men who governed themselves and thrived by capitalism, albeit with a taste for conquest thrown in. Venice is unique.
If you are planning to travel, here are some lessons we learned: