It was a dark and stormy night, they could hear their footsteps echo as they walked through the pavestone tunnel ;-) ok,ok.
But when we arrived yesterday it had started raining 20 minutes prior our driver said. When we went to dinner last night, to a close restaurant, the desk clerk said so we "didn't get lost", we walked through a dark area over a bridge and through 2 tunnels. Wound up at a lively and warm restaurant where a large group of French men and woman were dining. As we walked through the dark,we did kind of wonder tho'.
In all the cities, to alleviate stress, we have had cars pick us up at the stations and take us to our hotels. Until yesterday, we sometimes wondered why we had done that but believe me, having someone pick you up at the Venice train station and take you to your hotel was worth it!!!
Today things were more lively but a cold front has come in and it is 56 degrees and raining (I hear it was 35 degrees in Milan :-(( We walked around all morning, managing to circle the warren of mazes a couple of times. San Marco square was flooded and apparently several cruise ships had come in, it was VERY crowded. On top of my stuffed up nose and cough, it did not make for a pleasant stroll. If the rain clears up perhaps it will be better tomorrow.
We are in a lovely hotel, I know this won't sound like it looks but the walls in our room are covered in a royal blue with gold brocade, it's like being in a little jewelry box. When we checked in the desk clerk, who is a cross between looking like John Malkovich with a Christopher Walken voice and a flair for the dramatic, asked if my name was Italian. I acknowledged it was to which he replied " Ah! You have the blood of Italy flowing in your veins!" He then explained our room normally would have been in the annex, but they had placed us in the main building at no extra charge. Grazie!
We have free Internet here but no way to load pictures yet so it will be a few days. Ciao per ora!
Venice is one of my favorite cities. Except for getting in and out of the water taxi and getting use to the bridges, it was a fun city. I just wish that the weather cooperated more. The last morning the sky was blue and there was no water staying in St. Mark's Square. There was so much potential for photography there: windows, doors, interesting walls. I would have loved to shopped more and compared prices. I saw many of the same things that my parents brought home from their trips to Italy. I am beginning to think in Euros even when I call them dollars. I just stopped comparing to the exchange rate. I am sure I will be surprised when I convert the value. It is definitely a city where you have to pay attention to the map or you get lost. Photos will be uploaded when we return. No USB port on the hotel computer. But it's use is free.
ReplyDelete