To Venice To Learn Some New Lessons and a Visit With Mady From Cincinnati 

Before I get started with Venice, I need to share the picture of Donnatella and me as well as a picture of Nino’s book on Vincent. (The wifi on my Verizon plan did not work on the cruise ship and the ship’s wifi cost $$$$$ so it took a while to upload the pic’s:

I got to Venice Friday afternoon and the directions to my vaporetto were right on.  These public boats are a great way to get around. They are crowded and cost about $10 per ride but a great way to see the city.  I met my host representative and she showed me to my apartment careful to point out landmarks so I could find the way on my own.

I got directions to the grocery store–which was three minutes from the apartment.  My cell phone battery was low so I left it charging and set off.  I couldn’t find the Co-op store so I went back home and looked it up on google maps.  I took a picture of the route with my phone.  This strategy worked and I found the store and bought staples (coffee cream, Aperol spritz, cheese and wine).  Walking (smugly) back to my place I felt for the keys in my pocket and……no keys.  OMG….if I would not have taken that picture and not brought my phone I would have really been “up the creek”.

I contacted my Host and told him my dilemma.  His text response was: OH.  He would have to get someone to come and let me in….it would be about 1 1/2 hours.  I went to have dinner at a restaurant on my street (all streets in Venice are alleys) and waited for my “savior” (I shared my crisis with a couple next to me–everyone in Venice is next to you- and they tried to comfort me by saying my crisis was an adventure [ha ha]).  Back in my apartment I could relax and realized I learned two lessons: (1) always check before you leave that you have your keys and (2) always always always take your phone with you— no matter what.  I hope I don’t have too many more lessons to learn on this trip.

My niece Mady is studying in Florence for a semester (she goes to Kent State).  She had been in Milan for a school trip but was back in Florence.  I suggested she take the train and come visit me.  My niece Jen was supposed to get to Venice Saturday afternoon but American Airlines changed her arrival to 11:30 pm so she stayed at a hotel at the Marco Polo airport.

Saturday, Mady caught a train (about two hours from Florence) and I met her at the station—-SOOOO nice to see her.  We went back to my place and dropped off her backpack and had lunch– some pizza/focaccia, creamy gorgonzola cheese, and greens.  We then set off again on the vaporetto to go to St. Mark’s square.  So much fun to go by water.  

We took the elevator up to the top of the bell tower and snapped pictures: 

We found out that mass was at 6:45pm so we had time for a break at Cafe Florian where the waiters wear tux’s and they serve your drinks/ snacks on silver trays:

Mass at the Cathedral was beautiful.  The priest read his sermon (in Italian) from his paper–isn’t that cheating?  We lit candles for our loved ones and thanked God for granting us these wonderful opportunities.

After Mass, we had the next adventure finding our restaurant for dinner.  This place (Venice) is one big maze..even with google maps I needed to have Mady take my hand and lead me.  My host had recommended this restaurant: A le Tolle so I mad a reservation.  Good thing I did because they were turning people away.  There was music and we had as Mady put it: “the best meal she has had since she got to Italy”. We started with a shared pizza of mozzarella, eggplant, and spicy pepperoni.  We then shared homemade pasta with mussels and clams.  For dessert we had to have the chocolate mousse. Yummy– I will need to bring Jen here when we come to Rome:

Mady got us back to the Rialto Bridge and I knew the way to the apartment.  We slept in because her train to Florence was not until 11:35.  We stopped at a sandwich shop for her to get something for the train ride and she had my leftover cheese and wine.  (We had asked for the pizza we didn’t eat and of course we left it at the restaurant because we were so distracted by the chocolate mousse).

Mady went back to Florence and I took the bus to the airport to connect with Jen and head back to Venice to get on the Adriatic Cruise.