Venice
If at all possible, don't just continue to know that it is here and not come and see it and smell it and touch it. Cuz it's amazing. No, we did not take a ride in one of them fancy conoes. But the boat ride on "the 82" out to the Piazza San Marco was sheer magic. And then there was the journey on water out to the island of Murano to take in what has to be the most concentrated occurance of beauty in glass ever to occasion this earth. If you have never heard me utter that mysitcal axiom about where we live, then here it is: "Earth is the best planet in the whole world."
If you come to Venice, you will no doubt head out to Murano. When there, do stop in at a shop called "Neropaco." Monica and her brother do the glass and then sell the glass. My sister and I not only scored some lovely keepsakes, we made a friend in Monica (pics to follow).
In terms of friendliness, I am giving Venice a disappointing 6 out of a possible of 10. Yeah, I know---typical American having to quantify. But I just have to say that I was "impressed" by several less-than-friendly interactions with the "staff." The exceptions brought the score up from a 3 or 4. For instance, this was the first place where the lady in the W/C (whizzeria) said, "One Euro" as I entered to get rid of some number one. I replied to her, "One Euro? You want me to pay one Euro to whiz?" She said, "Si." I said, "Well then, Si ya later." True story. I felt like an ugly American. Who still had to whiz. Oh well. I have my standards.
There were some really nice folks. And some great places to enjoy some very fine food served up by some very friendly fellow human beings. I want to come back here. Every year. And stay for a year. Every year. Sigh...
Since I am calling this "the appetizer tour," we are cutting out of Venice and headed for Firenze tomorrow.
Ciao to all!
posted by Jacob @ 12:36 PM
8 Comments
8 Comments:
Firenze...best food ever. Oh, and the sights. Breathtaking. I hope you gave yourself several days to just wander. You'll need all the camera memory you can get!
LOL@ pay to pee. i had to do that in bolivia. but it was worth it to get toilet paper...even if i had to bucket flush when i was done...
Oh yeah. I remember paying to pee in France. Mont St. Michel to be exact. It was an inherited business dating who knows how far back. Since toi-toi's are not public, they can pretty much do what they want. Anyway, find a nice private corner and there is always the canal. "'mI bad!"
...at least there's somewhere to pee. In Tanzania, after drinking at a "bar" for a while, imagine my surprise to be pointed out to the bush when I asked, in my best Kiswahili, where I might relieve myself. You had to take a pal with you to scare off the odd critter. Oh, the memories!
How much did they charge for a number 2?
A buck to whiz.
Gee whiz.
LOL!!
Hopefully things get better from here. Still, some things are worth paying for G, remember that!
xo
Gillian
Miss you!
I couldn't tell: did you like Venice?
I thought Firenze was a centaur.
ANISSA: The FOOD! Si! Si! My sister and I enjoyed a collazio of a hard crusted bread with a little tomato sauce and anchovies, smothered in a fine melted cheese. Awesome. And right under the shadow of the Duomo. We climed the 463 steps to go up into the dome. What a VIEW!!! What a workout, come to think of it.
LIME: I still haven't buckled----peeing for free at all stops. Florence is super. I just called and left you a message. Ciao!
ANNIE FROM TURLOCK: Boy, you sure do learn who has to pay to pee when you do some blogging. Very funny. Hello!
SARAH: HA!!! I can just see it. Before you even got to the part about having to take a friend, I had imagined lions and tigers and who knows what else out there in the dark. Great story. I told you about the Tanzanian monk, Vedasto, yes? Wonderful man.
BAZZA: Okay, now THAT is funny! Dunno. Didn't hang around to ask. But I shall check and see.
BLUE: Yes. Quite odd, I thought. While lots of charm persists in Venice, my sister and I thought that some was lost to the commercialization. Or maybe just the "pitch" they employ to make a buck. Somehow it isn't that way in Rome or Florence or, especially, in Sicily. It just had a sort of feeling like you were in Disneyland or something. But my, oh, MY----the beauty prevails. And lots and lots of folks were friendly. Like everywhere you go...
NESSA: Ok. Well. Let me just say that I am very sensitive about human interaction. When regarded warmly, it adds to the experience. When regarded rudely (like the guy selling the counterfeit purses who charged me in a very threatening manner when I went to take his picture) then it kind of takes one charm out of the bracelet of many more.
I liked Venice. How could one not?
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home