Venice / Venedig / Venezia

A Week in Venice Italy

After researching various destinations, we decided to spend a week in Venice as it would allow us to drive to it within one day.  As we all are aware, Venice is an international destination and hotels are priced accordingly.  We did find a website that allows vacation renters and vacationers to hook up and rent a little more affordably, plus the additional option of having your own kitchen, which can help moderate the food bill a bit as well.

Our Venice apartment. - link to the apartment we rented

With our accommodation arrangements made, we discovered that driving was a bit problematic as you need to park your car off the island as there are absolutely no cars in Venice proper and therefore daily parking rates are at a premium.  We then decided that the train was just as economical and we would have the comfort of moving about and enjoying the scenery.  Travel by train in Europe is just such a humane travel experience.  The trains are comfortable, fast, and provide a very scenic ride. The food available in the train stations is just amazing and the costs for both the train and the food are very reasonable indeed.



Venice Bound!!!



High Speed Train called 'ICE'



Jayne and ICE in the Munich Hauptbahnhof.



Yes, this is the speed that the train was going!





Food Offerings at Munich Train Station

 

 


More food....

  


....and more!!!

 




Northern Italy (from train)
- I believe the Valpolicella Region






Northern Italy (Sud Tirol)
- Views from the train








We arrived in Venice in the late afternoon, where we jumped on a Sea Bus (Vaporetto) and after a 20 minute boat ride we arrived at the Arsenault stop, where we were met by the rental agent, who walked us to our apartment, took the cash, gave some great food advice, and left us to discover Venice.




Our first view of Venice - from the train station

 



Ahhhh, Venice!

 





Vaporetto
There are around 24 routes and runs just like a bus system - Euro 6.50 one way.
We bought a weekly pass prior to our arrival for Euro 37.50 (reg. price Euro 50.00).
The route down the Grand Canal, is 3.5 km and takes around 40 minutes from start to finish.
(In case you are wondering, right now Euro 1 = $1.31Cdn
- when we first arrived in Germany the exchange rate was around $1.41 - but that is another story)







Our apartment for the week, in the Castello Sestieri (district)!





Look at the key.  To get in you have to turn the key four times
as there are four locks.  I don't know why, as there is very little crime
in Venice.  You felt very comfortable and safe walking around
day and night.  Although, in the crowds, we kept an eye on our
knapsacks, etc.  there are always pick pockets around.

 


Our apartment from the back (and our laundry!!)



Our first evening was a quick shop for some morning staples then out for dinner.  One’s first dinner in Italy must be pizza, and I must say that it was the best I have ever eaten.  The cost of my pizza was about Euro 8,00 so not too bad in a restaurant just off of the Piazza San Marco in Venice.



Tim's first real Italian pizza (pronounced 'pittsa')!

Pizza capricciosa: mozzarella, tomato, mushrooms, artichokes, cooked ham, olives, oil

Yes, that is wine on our table  :)





Our second day Jayne decided that she would wear a pedometer to see how much walking we would do.  Having kept this up for the week, we clocked in at just under 130kms.  Not bad for old folks, but we must admit that there was a lot of sore feet and stiff joints each morning.  Venice stretches across 117 small islands and has 150 channels and  409 bridges.  The surprise to us was the fact that the bridges appear in pictures as if they are nice rolling walking paths, when in fact “every” bridge is a set of stairs up and down.  My guess is that makes for about 12 thousand steps, and our bodies felt we walked up and down every one of them.




Bridges,

 



Bridges,

  


and more Bridges.

 

Every bridge and every step was worthwhile.















There is something to see of interest at every twist and turn as you “get lost in Venice”.  Which we did a number of times.  They say that GPS's don't even work in Venice.  Every now again, when you are lost, if you look up you will see signs like....




this, that can help guide your way back to a landmark and then you can
set out again (and get lost).

The sites of Venice are everything from towering cathedrals to humble dwellings, each with their own character that keeps you snapping photos all week long.

We took nearly 600 photos.

Don’t worry we won’t make you sit thru the presentation of each and every one.  Here are some of the sights we saw......

Campanile - St. Mark's Basilica's 99 m tall bell tower.
Built in the year 888, but in 1902 it suddenly collapsed
and was completely rebuilt, brick by brick

Piazza San Marco

Details of Basilica Di San Marco

Basilica Di San Marco - the line ups to get in are hours.  We can't
imagine how long it would take to get in during the summer months.

In front of Basilica Di San Marco - only a few people there - OMG
We thought that we were going in off season, the week before Easter.
What do we know - it is Easter Break for all the schools.



Do  you see, in the foreground, of this picture and one above, the items
that look like benchs?  Between autumn and spring, when the acque alte (high tides)
come, it causes partial flooding.  When this happens these benchs become temporary
boardwalks (called passarelle) in which the locals and visitors must use.
"Very intense" events warrant alerting the whole population,
which is accomplished by sounding a dedicated system of sirens
located throughout the city.




Entrance to Basilica Di San Marco





Promenade south of Piazza San Marco





We can't imagine how busy it is in the summer months.
Not a place to be!





There was a cruise ship in port nearly every day.
Venice's canals must be regularly dredged to accomodate, tankers
and cruise ships by pumping
water out of canals and removing pungent sludge
(they say that is very smelly in the summer time
and the humidity makes it feel like 40 C).
But by doing this it allows more seawater into the lagoon
changing the aquaculture and elevating the
acque alte (high tide).



The Arsenale - founded in 1104, it was the greatest medieval shipyard
in Europe, home to 300 shipping companies employing up to 16,000 people.
It is now used by the Italian Military.







The Arsenale was right behind our apartment.



Giardini Pubblici - large leafy public gardens at the east (south?) end of Venice,
established under Napoleon.  What is nice about it is that it is a
great place to escape the hords of tourists.



Our favourite local bakery.
The strudel looking item with the E 1.00 price tag on it, is to die for.
It is a solid 'christmas' fruit cake like (with liquor in it) strudel - OMG.
The other favourites were the rum balls (also E 1,00) and the
'krafts' (light cream filled donuts).  See photo below!



Yup - that is Tim eating one of those gorgeous krafts!

Laundry Day!

Venice Architecture!

Narrow Alleyways!

Pescaria - Venice's 600 year old fish market, located at the
base of the Ponte Rialto (Rialto Bridge).

Right next to the fish market is the Rialto Market offering superb
local produce to the locals, tourists and shop owners.

Rialto Market

Tim enjoying an orange.



Easter Window!





The nearby backstreets (behind the markets) are lined with
bakeries, bacari (bars) and gourmet shops.



We visited the market early in the morning and by 1030am we were hungry.
We past this one bar and had to back peddle as we noticed this
absolutely gorgeous looking pizza type thing in the window.
Well, we had to try it!

Yes, that is Jayne, the gorgeous thing from the window and a glass of Prosecco
(and yes, it is only 10:30 in the morning - shh, don't tell Jayne's Mum).

When we went to pay, we asked what the name was - 'special toast',
that is only made at his bar.
It certainly was special - the taste and the cost.  It cost E 15,00
plus the prosecco (E 7,00 - I think he saw us coming).
What do you expect, two back streets back from the Rialto Bridge.
It was good though and we would have it again.



View from the Rialto Bridge





Narrow canals that are navigated by the gondaliers and
small motorized boats.





A wonderful site seen in various canals around Venice.





Wow!



Always need a sunset view!

Piazza San Marco at night (and in the rain)!

Piazza San Marco....

An orchestra playing at a restaurant in Piazza San Marco!

A Dancing Couple!

They're still dancing!

Finding a public toilet in Venice is a challenge and an expensive venture.  It costs E 1,50 and there only a handful.  Prior to arriving in Venice you can buy a 'toilet card' that provides a discount on the 'entrance' fee.  We thought it would be better use of our money to go into a bar buy an aperitv (or two) for E 3,00 each and then use their facilities.  Worked for us.  Except once, when we were near the train station we popped into a cafe and ordered two coffees and paid E 6,00 ($9.00 Cdn).  An expensive washroom break and obviously not the place to get a coffee.

The gondolas add to the charm although they can look a little overdone when there are 20 in a row with camera laden tourists riding along as if they were the first ones to ever take the ride.  With a city that dates back to the 1100s, I highly suspect that this is just a very expensive boat ride (ranging from E 80,00 during the day to E 100,00 at night - for 40 minutes), but having said that, each to his own!



Not looking very special or romantic.
After these two gondolas, there were five more behind them.





THE GRAND CANAL - see all the gondolas!



Gondalier in authentic shirt and scarf - he is just missing his hat!

Gondolas and the Rialto Bridge

Gondolas just waiting for all the tourists to come this summer!
Did you know that Venice gets 22 million tourists a year!
The population is only 61,500 - can you imagine.




We bought matching outfits!   NOT!





We did pass on the gondolas but we were glad to have our week long Vaporetto pass which allowed us to go anywhere we wanted.

One way of getting a ride in a gondola is by taking a traghetto, a gondola service locals use to cross the Grand Canal (between its widely spaced bridges).  It only cost around E 0,80 and it isn't very romantic, but you can say you were in a gondola.



Traghetto - if you don't have good balance you might not want
to do this as you may end up standing!




Traghetto crossing the Grand Canal.



We did take the opportunity to Visit Murano, Lido, and Burano.  Murano is known for the Glass factories, Lido for the long beach with its wealthy European inhabiting the palatial like homes for vacationing, and Burano for its lace making industry.  Every island has its own flavor and there it would take several weeks to discover them all.

MURANO





Murano - gorgeous glass art in one of the piazza's

 


Murano - glass blowing demonstration





Jayne's Mum told us that she would like to buy us a Murano glass plate.
So we had a great time wandering the streets of Murano and Venice,
thinking of her and looking for just the right one
Here it is!



 LIDO




Lido Beach

 



A little bit of action on Lido Beach.

  

Every Tuesday there is a wonderful market on Lido.
It has everything from fruit and veggies to clothing to
kitchenware.  You name it, it was there.  And so was Jayne.






Lido Market - an amazing cheese trailer

 

Lido Market - Fresh bread and dried fruit.

BURANO




Burano - beautifully coloured houses.

 

Burano

Burano - Beautiful and Quaint!



Most houses on Burano had these lovely curtains hanging
in front of their doors, floating in the breeze.
Likely to keep the house cool and
to keep the curious tourist from peaking in.


The food and wine was, let’s just say, divine.  We discovered a new meal.  Spaghetti with garlic and hot pepper oil, topped with black olives.  We had to make this in our apartment as it is so easy and good.  The spaghetti is interesting as it takes nearly 30 minutes to cook.  So good we brought some back to Germany to be able to indulge in a few more meals.




Tim - cooking with wine

 

Ahhh!  Pure Italian

The best thing about the wine is the price.  Extremely good wine runs around $5.00 Cdn a bottle.  At that price, I must admit to imbibing just a bit.  How can you eat pasta without wine?

I made sure I brought a cork screw as you never know when you will want to break into a bottle of wine.  One day at the supermarket there was a group of young ladies who bought wine only to discover that they had no way of opening it.  ‘McGyver’ to the rescue!  I opened all of the wine for the price of a big smile, hugs and a photo.  They were all Americans teaching English as a Second Language in Spain, visiting Venice on their Easter Break.  Had I known that all I ever needed to pick up chicks was a cork screw, I would have been certain to never be without one.  I carry one every where I go now, (don’t tell Jayne).



Tim and 'the Girls'



One afternoon I was hungry, so we stopped to get a slice of pizza.  We tried ordering in half Italian and half English and the young man behind the counter, kept saying 'What the f--k!  Pick one f--king language.  Do you want a f--king pizza'.  He was so funny.  Jayne decided that we should have a picture of him, but he insisted that Jayne get in the picture too!

We call him our f--king pizza guy.

One other custom is to have a pre dinner drink called a “Spritz”.  The Aperol Spritz is made with Prosecco (Italian sparkling wine), Aperol and a splash of soda water, a slice of orange and a olive.  As an aperitivo, it's a great way to start a meal because the Aperol is low in alcohol (11%) and tastes light and refreshing. It doesn't ruin your appetite, it stimulates it.  Like you need to stimulate your appetite in Italy, but as they say “When in Rome”.



Most cafes serve the Spritz with chips, peanuts or other types of snacks.
Tim bought this lovely little prosciutto and chesse bun to hold him over until dinner.



In Venice, of course, everything has to come and go via boats.  Just think about what has to come and go.  Here are a few photos to remind you....




DHL - Packages and mail.

 


The sick.





Construction materials.

 




People - this is a typical Venice taxi.

 


ALL stock for all the stores!

 


Refrigerated and frozen goods.

 



Fresh fruit and veggies.

 

City and Regional Services

And then, of course, there is furniture, garbage, equipment.  The list goes on.

Talking about garbage, it is picked up daily (recycling every other day).  You just put it in a plastic bag and place it outside your door.

So after seven days of eating, drinking, walking off the eating and drinking, it was time to depart back to Germany.  We loaded a bottle of wine into our knap sacks, okay it was two, and hopped on the train all the way back to Erlangen, sipping on wine, eating cheese and olives watching the Italian countryside, and then the Austrian Alps pass by us.

We are off to Tuscany for a couple of weeks in June, for some cycling, eating, and drinking.  I wonder how much I will weigh when I get back to Canada?  Oh well, we will enjoy our Italian Spring, and worry about the weight this summer!



Arrivederci! (nice smile Tim)



Travel Safe!

Tim and Jayne

For those who are interested, here are a few more photos.....











Spring Is Here!

The first real sign of summer approaching arrived last weekend with sunny days and 20 degree temperatures.  Having travelled on business on Friday, along with Jayne as navigator, somehow we ended up at a Pension for the night (lost on purpose) in the Bavarian Village of Kallmünz.

Medieval Village of Kallmunz



Early Morning View From Our Pension Balcony

 

Situated at the River Naab, about 25 km north of Regensburg, Kallmünz has conserved a beautiful medieval center.  There are many cafés and biergartens, where, on their south facing patios, you can watch the ducks and white swans floating merrily past in the current.

Kallmunz And The River Naab

The village is known to be an artist’s colony, but we found that they are open seasonally, and therefore will require a summer’s return visit.   We did hike up to  the ruins of the Kallmünz Castle above the town  perched high on a cliff still which overlooks the river valley where you can see for several kilometers in every direction.

Hallo!

View From The Castle

After our long hike up to the Castle Ruins and a return hike to the town via the long route, we perched ourselves at a small café on the main street.  When I say on the street, I mean on the street. 

Our Cafe - We Said It Was On The Street

Our Lovely Cafe!

The café owner (who used to be a designer from Baden-Baden) prepared fresh coffee and the most amazing homemade lemon cheese cake fresh for us.  We lounged in the sun for an hour and watched the traffic pound past us on the cobblestone lane. 



Our Freshly Made 'Kaffee' And
THE Most Gorgeous Lemon Cheese Cake



 We toured the café, as it had a spectacular garden and the proprietor took such pride in every detail.  She did not have change when we paid the bill, so she asked if we could come back later to pay when we had smaller bills, as we were her first customer of the day.  Now that is trust!

Cafe Garden

Again - Her Gorgeous Garden

We shared a plate of schnitzel for lunch and found the wonderful Italian eatery for yet another pizza  for dinner.  Wow all of this walking requires a lot of food to keep up the pace. J

Here are a number of other gorgeous sights we saw here in Kallmunz........

House With No Roof - Built Into The Cliff

Kallmunz Church Clock

Love The Colours

AiringThe House (the pillows)
Airing the house is something that is done everyday
by the Germans.  It's an obsession.  It is done as their houses/apartments
are so well built (walls can be up to a foot thick) that there are no
draughts and the air in the buildings can become stale.  Summer and winter
our neighbours do this religiously.

Leaning Spire

We have kicked off the start of the European spring weather with our first weekend away.  We are off to Venice for a week, next weekend, and can’t wait for yet more food, more walking, and more sun.  Stay Tuned!

Jayne's Trip To The UK

Soooo sorry it has taken us so long to up-date our Blog, but Jayne's Mum was very very sick and both of us had to return to Canada, Tim for a couple of weeks and Jayne for over a month to help Mum with her recovery. Mum is on the mend with good and not so good days,  but we are now both back and settling into a  German routine.

Enjoy my update from the trip I took to the UK

As Tim was going to Moscow on business, I decided to take a train trip to the UK. Some of you know, both my parents are from England and as I have a number of relatives living there that I hadn’t seen in a while I thought it would be a great opportunity to catch up.

It was a 9 hour train ride on three different trains.  I travelled on the DBahn (Germany's train) through Germany and Belgium.  Then in Brussels, I went through a border control check and boarded the Eurostar which took me through France, through the 'Chunnel’ and on into England where I got off at Ebbsfleet International Station in Kent (one stop before London) where I was met by my half-brother Tony.

The Eurostar

Tony and Suzanne

Tony and Jayne

After spending the first night with Tony and Suzanne in Offam, Kent (southeast of London), I headed over to my Cousin Jennie’s place in Holyport, Berkshire, thanks to Tony’s wonderful and reliable Ford Fiesta.

My 'wheels' while I was in England

I was a bit nervous at first, driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road, but I only received one honk and one rude gesture along the way.

Jennie and I toured Windsor Castle, had tea in Windsor, and walked around Eton College.   We also had a chance to tour the 2012 Olympic Rowing site, located about 2 miles from Jennie and Malcolm’s home.

Windsor Castle



Windsor Castle at sunset



Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world and the Official Residence of Her Majesty Queen II. Its rich history spans almost 1000 years. The Castle covers an area of about 5 hectares (13 acres) and contains

St George's Chapel which is one of the most beautiful buildings in England and is the burial place of 10 monarchs.

And now, a little history lesson......Over a period of nearly 1,000 years it has been inhabited continuously, and altered and refurbished by successive monarchs. Some were great builders, strengthening the Castle against uprising and rebellion; others, living in more peaceful times, created a palatial Royal residence.

William the Conqueror chose the site, high above the river Thames and on the edge of a Saxon hunting ground. It was a day's march from the Tower of London and intended to guard the western approaches to the capital.

It has endured alot over the past 1,000 years, including a major fire in 1992 which took five years and US $60 million to restore.

The Queen spends most of her weekends at Windsor Castle.

Private Grounds of Windsor Castle

Gardens of Windsor Castle



My cousin Jennie at Windsor Castle



The gargoyles of Windsor Castle

St George's Chapel



Typical English Post Box!!





Market Cross House 1718 AD - Windsor



I then drove up to Cheltenham, Gloucestershire to meet up with my other cousin Charlie, at his office (he is the proprietor of his father’s business – Apperley Honing).  I engaged in window shopping in Montpellier (‘the’ shopping district in Cheltenham) while waiting for Charlie.

Typical Architecture of Montpellier in Cheltenham - gorgeous!

At the end of the business day I followed Charlie to his home in Worcester (he only lost me once) where he is living with his wonderful new (May 2011) bride Michelle.  After a night out on the town, we were joined, the next day, by my cousin Annie and John (who came down from Newark, Nottinghamshire) at the Worcester rugby pitch where we watched the Worcester Warriors trample the Italian Banca Monte Crociati club 57-10!

My cousin Charlie and his wife Michelle

My cousin Annie and her husband John

After the rugby game, we headed up to the social club ‘for a few’ and I got to meet (wow!) one of the players that had been talked about throughout the match, mainly because he stood out above everyone else.  Craig Gillies has no hair, no front teeth and stands 6’ 8”!!!  He is taaaaaaallllll!

Worcester Warriors

Craig Gillies

                                                        

I arrived back in Kent at Tony and Suzanne’s, and spent a number of days visiting the sites, and was also treated to a lovely day with Suzanne’s parents driving through the Kent countryside down to Eastbourne (where my Dad went to school and my Mum spent some time during the war).

Near Beachy Head, Eastbourne on the south coast of England

I spent a day with Tony touring Rochester Castle, a walk around Rochester and a drive in Tony’s 1948 Ford West Anglia (sorry Tony, I don’t remember the year, so I made it up.  I know it is old though). 

Ruins of Rochester Castle

Rochester Castle

Tony inside Rochester Castle

One more little history lesson (I promise).....Rochester Castle sits majestically alongside the river Medway in Kent, and was one of the first castles in England to be built entirely from stone in the 11th century by Gundolf, Bishop of Rochester (who was also responsible for the construction of the Tower of London).

The castle has come under attack many times (13th century, in 1264)  After the attack in 1264 it took another 100 years before the damage from this attack was repaired. In between this period the castle fell into disrepair and was subject to the elements of the countries weather. Major reconstruction took place during the reign of Edward III and by 1400 Rochester was, once again, a fully functional castle.  By the 17th century, the castle had once again become neglected. The keep had been ruined by fire and the locals had begun robbing Rochester of its Kentish stone for their own building projects. In 1870, the City of Rochester took out a lease on the castle grounds turning them into a public park.

View of Rochester Cathedral, England's second oldest Cathedral founded in 604 AD by Bishop Justus

House over 500 years old, Rochester - leaning terribly into the laneway.

The day ended indulging in a wonderful Indian 'take away' dinner, with my nephews Bobby and Paul and their mother Gill.

Paul, Tony, Jayne and Bobby

Gill and Paul

My last day was spent with Suzanne shopping and lunching in Maidstone, Kent and a dinner out with Tony and Suzanne’s friends Sue, Wendy and Peter.  We went to a wonderful old pub- The Angel, where we enjoyed a lovely dinner sitting in a converted horse stall.

Dinner in a 'horse stall!'

My train trip home was a bit of a milk run, I had to change trains five times - Ebbsfleet to Brussels, Brussels to Cologne (Koln), Koln to Main, Main to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Nurnberg, then finally Nurnberg to Erlangen - home, safe and sound, where I walked home from the train station.  I left at 11:00 am and got home at 10:30 pm.  Tiring but well worth it.

I found it quite astonishing that I could arrive and depart in England without taking a plane! What a wonderful thing to be able to do and so easy on top of it.

I had such a great time!  I will definitely do it again.  Next time with Tim.

We promise to be more vigilent keeping you all up to date on our adventures.  Next scheduled stop is a week in Venice at the end of March.  Stay Tuned!

25 cents to see the world!



Recently I have received several emails to let me know that Scotia Plaza has been put up for sale for a cool one billion dollars.  The reason for me receiving the emails is that I was part of the project management team that built this project.  It is the Bank of Nova Scotia’s Head Office and is a 69 storey office tower.  I started my career with PCL Constructors on that project, and was the longest serving member of our team as I was there just over 4 years.

I am pointing this out on my blog as it has reminded me of a very special day on the project.  In the fall of 1985 after several months of demolition and excavation we were about to pour the first load of concrete on the project.  This was for the footing of the elevator that takes the CEO of the bank from his secure parking spot onwards into the building for his days’ work. 

Duncan McGregor was the Senior Superintendent on the project at the time.  Duncan was a Scotsman teaming with what seemed like an infinite amount of wisdom to a young man just starting his career.  After all he had been the Project Superintendent on Commerce Court just across the street that stands at 57 storeys.  It was hard to believe that we were going to surpass that as it sure looked a long way up, especially from a footing pour 85 feet deep in the ground.  Duncan generally seemed jovial most of the time, but on this occasion he said that we had to absolutely stop what we were doing as there was something we had forgotten.  With such a serious tone, we were unsure what we had forgotten.  Was the rebar wrong?  Was the footing at the wrong elevation?  NO, it seems that we had missed the most important step for the first pour of the project.  Apparently it was customary in Scotland to place a coin in the first pour and it will bring the person good luck.  Duncan decided that as I was the youngest person there, that I should be, selected to make a wish and place my coin under the first footing.

My wish all those years ago was to have a career that would let me SEE THE WORLD.  I must admit that I was quite skeptical of Duncan’s proclamation of good luck from this gesture, and I really thought I had lost my coin.

So here I sit in Herzogenaurach Germany remembering this storey and realizing that I have traveled some of the world just like my wish I made on that day in 1985.

I pass this storey along so we all realize that we have the opportunity to help some young person in their life to make their wish and it really can come true.

I send a special thanks to Duncan wherever he is today!

I don’t think you should pass this onto the bank as when they realize that they have my 25 cents on deposit and the value that I have received from it, they will be sure to find a way to charge me a user fee for the safe keeping of my coin J