Author's Note: When I started writing this entry, I started thinking I would keep it short, but then I decided that I was thinking too much in work mode ... how to write an effective executive summary ... and not in blog mode ... my space to say as much as I want! I expect multiple and long entries about my weekend in Venice.Venice has been a city since 421 AD and was ruled by Doge [mayors] until 1797. Venice, an important centre of trade for centuries, has been around over 1500 years. After the last doge abdicated, the Council voted to Republic out of existence, and the French, then the Austrians moved in and ruled until 1866 when Venice was handed over to the newly formed united Italy.
Venice is split into six sestieri, or wards. Part of it has to do with the Grand Canal and part of it is just history of the city. The first two hours after arriving at the airport is literally just getting your bearings. I landed at Marco Polo airport. Took a taxi to the Piazzale Roma, a big [water] bus depot. From the
re, I took a vaporetti [large water bus] run by the ACTV [Azeinda del Consorizio Tranporti Veneziano]. It's a good thing that the ride was slow, or that my stop was further down the line because I figured out that my hotel was located in Dorsoduro [one of the wards], even though it didn't say that ANYWHERE in the address in my confirmation. I got off at the Accademia stop, walked into the first hotel I saw and asked for directions. I was only a block away. Ha! My travel was fairly uneventful, but it was then that I realised that Italy is one-hour ahead of the UK, so it wasn't 1030 where I might still have a chance for some food, but rather 1130 where restaurants were shutting down. I wasn't feeling adventurous enough to hit the Piazza's for the night life, so I crashed for the night.
re, I took a vaporetti [large water bus] run by the ACTV [Azeinda del Consorizio Tranporti Veneziano]. It's a good thing that the ride was slow, or that my stop was further down the line because I figured out that my hotel was located in Dorsoduro [one of the wards], even though it didn't say that ANYWHERE in the address in my confirmation. I got off at the Accademia stop, walked into the first hotel I saw and asked for directions. I was only a block away. Ha! My travel was fairly uneventful, but it was then that I realised that Italy is one-hour ahead of the UK, so it wasn't 1030 where I might still have a chance for some food, but rather 1130 where restaurants were shutting down. I wasn't feeling adventurous enough to hit the Piazza's for the night life, so I crashed for the night.I started on 
Saturday in San Marco, which contains Piazza San Marco [St. Mark's plaza], the Campanile [bell tower], the Basilica di San Marco, the Palazzo Ducale [Doge's Palace]. This is the hub of Venice and is by far the most crowded. It is where the Grand Canal, the Mercerie [shopping streets] and many of Venice's campi [squ
ares] all come together. Venice gets 13-14 million visitors a year and more than 80% are there for less the eight hours spending less than 15 Euros. I did my part to bring a little more balance to the economy.
Saturday in San Marco, which contains Piazza San Marco [St. Mark's plaza], the Campanile [bell tower], the Basilica di San Marco, the Palazzo Ducale [Doge's Palace]. This is the hub of Venice and is by far the most crowded. It is where the Grand Canal, the Mercerie [shopping streets] and many of Venice's campi [squ
ares] all come together. Venice gets 13-14 million visitors a year and more than 80% are there for less the eight hours spending less than 15 Euros. I did my part to bring a little more balance to the economy.On this day, I got the Piazza early, only to find that I had missed a big concert the night before. There were still thousands of chairs set up. I'm not sure who the artist was [I didn't recognize it in Italian], but on nove luglio [9th of July], Elton John was there.
As soon as I 
arrived, bells in the Torre dell'Orogio started to ring. There are figures on
top of the tower that hammer the bells. In this tower is a Renaissance clock. As soon as that was finished, the bells in the Campanile started to ring. It was amazing how loud they were. There has been a Campanile since the 9th century, but I learned that the original one collapsed into a heap of brick on 1902. It was rebuilt. I promptly took at elevator to the top to see if I could see the Alps. No mountains, but great views of the city and the crowds coming in! Yikes.
arrived, bells in the Torre dell'Orogio started to ring. There are figures on
top of the tower that hammer the bells. In this tower is a Renaissance clock. As soon as that was finished, the bells in the Campanile started to ring. It was amazing how loud they were. There has been a Campanile since the 9th century, but I learned that the original one collapsed into a heap of brick on 1902. It was rebuilt. I promptly took at elevator to the top to see if I could see the Alps. No mountains, but great views of the city and the crowds coming in! Yikes.By the time I came down, the lines for the Basilica di San Marco were 300
+ deep. I decided to save th
at tour for another visit, and instead I got in line to visit Palazzo Ducale [Doge's Palace]. The water facade on the outside dates back to the 14th century. It faces the Grand Canal. It is defined by a series of columns. Pink Verona marble was used for the main part of the castle. The main entrance, Porta della Carta, is right next to the basilica and leads into a courtyard opposite the Scala dei Giganti [Giant's Staircase], built in 1484-1501. Inside I saw the Scala d'Oro [Golden Staircase], the doge's apartments, and one room, the Sala dello Scudo, that's decorated wi
th 16th century maps. On the map I saw Isola Lunga [Long Island] and Boston!
+ deep. I decided to save th
at tour for another visit, and instead I got in line to visit Palazzo Ducale [Doge's Palace]. The water facade on the outside dates back to the 14th century. It faces the Grand Canal. It is defined by a series of columns. Pink Verona marble was used for the main part of the castle. The main entrance, Porta della Carta, is right next to the basilica and leads into a courtyard opposite the Scala dei Giganti [Giant's Staircase], built in 1484-1501. Inside I saw the Scala d'Oro [Golden Staircase], the doge's apartments, and one room, the Sala dello Scudo, that's decorated wi
th 16th century maps. On the map I saw Isola Lunga [Long Island] and Boston! As you might imagine, there are lavish rooms, priceless paintings, and insights into Venice's long history. Themes for the city are repeated, with homage to the Goddess, Venus, the founding Saint Theod
ore, the patron saint, Mark, the Church, the trade that defined the city over and over, and of course, the Doge's and their struggles against the Turks, pirates, etc. 
I walked through the entire palace, including the prisons and dungeon, and only then realised that a photo I had take earlier ... with hundreds of other tourists ... of the Gondolas going into the city from the Grand Canal, was missing the most important focal point, Ponte dei Sospiri [the Bridge of Sighs], referring to the sighs of the condemned crossing the bridge to the prisons beyond. I went back and re-shot the picture.
ore, the patron saint, Mark, the Church, the trade that defined the city over and over, and of course, the Doge's and their struggles against the Turks, pirates, etc. 
I walked through the entire palace, including the prisons and dungeon, and only then realised that a photo I had take earlier ... with hundreds of other tourists ... of the Gondolas going into the city from the Grand Canal, was missing the most important focal point, Ponte dei Sospiri [the Bridge of Sighs], referring to the sighs of the condemned crossing the bridge to the prisons beyond. I went back and re-shot the picture.I stopped for lunch along one of the canals. It might very well have been one of the most expensive lunches I've had, but it fell into one of my all time favorite meals and reminded why I love I
taly so much. The food! I had no idea what I ordered, honestly. I insisted on ordering from the Italian menu. In Italy, because of the tourists, they set up menus not just so you can read what they have, but rather, they know the Americans are looking for pizza or spaghetti, for example. But it's not only reading pizza or spaghetti, but rather how they prepare it. They have learned it is easier to give the customer what they expect [pizza like Dominoes] rather than argue over how it's prepared. I always feel like I would be missing out on a local experience if I go with the American menu, so I always try to order from the local / Italian. I was not disappointed. I got veal with shavings of black truffles! It was to DIE for! Black Truffles, by the way, can go for as much as $2500 [no, this is not how much my lunch cost!]. It was to understand why they were shaved and why the food was so good! I had to top that off with some ice cream. The feature for that day was allegedly the favorite in Sicily. It was a sort of ice cream on a graham cracker crust, drizzles with nuts and chocolate and there was mint. I have no idea what it was. I nearly licked the plate!
taly so much. The food! I had no idea what I ordered, honestly. I insisted on ordering from the Italian menu. In Italy, because of the tourists, they set up menus not just so you can read what they have, but rather, they know the Americans are looking for pizza or spaghetti, for example. But it's not only reading pizza or spaghetti, but rather how they prepare it. They have learned it is easier to give the customer what they expect [pizza like Dominoes] rather than argue over how it's prepared. I always feel like I would be missing out on a local experience if I go with the American menu, so I always try to order from the local / Italian. I was not disappointed. I got veal with shavings of black truffles! It was to DIE for! Black Truffles, by the way, can go for as much as $2500 [no, this is not how much my lunch cost!]. It was to understand why they were shaved and why the food was so good! I had to top that off with some ice cream. The feature for that day was allegedly the favorite in Sicily. It was a sort of ice cream on a graham cracker crust, drizzles with nuts and chocolate and there was mint. I have no idea what it was. I nearly licked the plate!After this, I tried to figure out how to take vaporetti across St. Mark's Basin to the island that has San Giorgio Maggiore [church]. It is supposed to be one of the world's most beautiful. I have lots of photos of the outside of it from various viewpoints, but I could not figure out how to get there. This was a little disturbing, especially since I had magically found my hot
el the night before and 
now it was daylight and I was adjusting to the language and for the life of me, I have no idea where the no.2 vaporetti left one of the THREE San Marco stops that then crossed St. Mark's Basin. I even took a break and sat on the side of the canal and watched for vaporetti stopping on the other side, trying to trace back which they left from. I walked up and down the Riva degli Schiavoni [wide stretch along the waterfront] three times. This was, by the way, like being a salmon returning home to spawn! HUNDREDS of tourists. I finally decided it was not meant to be and went back to my hotel for nap. I was hot and sweaty and clearly, I wasn't supposed to be visiting churches today.
el the night before and 
now it was daylight and I was adjusting to the language and for the life of me, I have no idea where the no.2 vaporetti left one of the THREE San Marco stops that then crossed St. Mark's Basin. I even took a break and sat on the side of the canal and watched for vaporetti stopping on the other side, trying to trace back which they left from. I walked up and down the Riva degli Schiavoni [wide stretch along the waterfront] three times. This was, by the way, like being a salmon returning home to spawn! HUNDREDS of tourists. I finally decided it was not meant to be and went back to my hotel for nap. I was hot and sweaty and clearly, I wasn't supposed to be visiting churches today.I ventured
back out of my hotel around 700 and started to look for a place for dinner. I found a great restaurant with seating on a deck on the Canale della Guidecca. I didn't hear any other Americans around, only locals. Always a sign of a good restaurant. I sat on the deck and watched the variety of boats, barges, vaporetti, gondolas, ferries .. and apparently wedding parties on tall masted ships, ushering in and out of the city whilst I ate my dinner. It was great! It reminded me of being at the Hula Hut on Lake Travis in Austin, TX! First time I was there I told Mary Therese to pack my crap and mail it that I was staying. It was the perfect end to a really long day! I'll end my blog entry here as well.
back out of my hotel around 700 and started to look for a place for dinner. I found a great restaurant with seating on a deck on the Canale della Guidecca. I didn't hear any other Americans around, only locals. Always a sign of a good restaurant. I sat on the deck and watched the variety of boats, barges, vaporetti, gondolas, ferries .. and apparently wedding parties on tall masted ships, ushering in and out of the city whilst I ate my dinner. It was great! It reminded me of being at the Hula Hut on Lake Travis in Austin, TX! First time I was there I told Mary Therese to pack my crap and mail it that I was staying. It was the perfect end to a really long day! I'll end my blog entry here as well. Ciao!
