Sabbatical Leave - Venice, Italy

 I arrived in Venice on Tuesday morning with no difficulties.  I had researched the various ways of getting from the Airport (which is on the mainland) out to the island and it looked like the Alilagoon Water Bus was the most practical.  Following the signs at the airport, I found the ticket office, purchased a ticket, and showed my destination to the ticket agent to ask her which stop to get off.  She told me to get off at stop 2 and gave me directions to the dock.  Those directions ended up being incorrect, but I found it anyway with no problem as it is well marked.  However, that should have clued me in to double check on which stop to get off, but after not having sleep, my brain was not working up to its best ability.

At stop #2, I got off and looking around, realized that I was on Murano Island, not Venice.  So, I waited for the next Alilagoon Water Bus to arrive.  In the meantime, MANY other transport boats came and went each of them having a number.  When the next Alilagoon Water Bus arrived 45 minutes later, I explained that I had just come from the airport, but was told to get off at the wrong stop; I just needed to get to the next stop.  However, the boat steward told me that my ticket was no longer valid and I’d have to wait for the public line - Boat 4.1 - of which at least 4 had already stopped and gone.  So, I walked off the dock to find a ticket counter to buy a new ticket for the “public line Boat 4.1.  Found the ticket office, bought a new ticket, and stood in line at the dock where she told me to go - there are four of them in a row.  While I was standing there, I zoomed in on my final destination port, and realized that the docks all had the same name, but had different letters and that I needed to be at dock C, although the second ticket agent had told me to go to dock B.  Some of these things are trial and error.  It’s difficult to know how an unfamiliar system works when you first encounter it.  By the time I got off at the right dock and followed my Google Map to the AirBnB, I had wasted about two hours.  However, it was perfect timing to be able to check in.  I would have needed to figure out how to waste those two hours anyway.

My AirBnB couldn’t be better!  It is right on a small canal and I get to watch the gondoliers take tourists along the waterways from my windows.  After a short nap, I went out to do some wandering.  Here are a few of the pictures I took.

I was up early Wednesday, walked around, stepped into a few churches - they are quite small compared to the grand cathedrals I was used to seeing in the rest of Europe.  Stopped in a few shops (there are many!) and bought lunch at a small pizza shop along the route.  It was divine.  The crust was more like a Focaccia  crust - dense and crunchy.  I bought two slices.  One was a Vegetarian which had all kinds of vegetables as the topping and a great sauce which was not tomato based.  The other slice was ham and mozzarella cheese with tomatoes and pure crushed tomato sauce and a glass of rose wine - the house blend.  The temperature outside was hotter than I expected it to be and after grabbing tickets for Thursday to tour the large Cathedral - St Mark’s Basilica - headed back for a little nap.

My little nap turned into an all afternoon nap.  I seem to be having more difficulty than usual adjusting to the time difference.  I think I was pretty run down even before coming this time and my allergies were in full swing when I left.  However, by 6pm I was ready to do a little more sightseeing and grab some dinner.

Dinner was pasta - Maccaroni (yes, that’s how it is spelled in Italian and it is not your typical elbow macaroni) with rabbit ragu.  It came in this enormous bowl and therefore looked like a small serving.  But, it was very filling and delicious.  The rabbit ragu was ground meat with celery, onion, carrots, in a vegetable broth with olive oil, of course.  I paired it with a glass of their house red wine.  

I know very little Italian and keep switching back and forth between Spanish, French, and English (I haven’t tried speaking German yet, although I keep thinking about what the word is in German) when I want something.  Several clerks have just smiled at me.  I smile back and roll my eyes, then try the tiny bit of Italian I’m learning as I go.  It is rather humorous, even to me!

Venice is enchanting!  I have completely fallen in love with this city.  And can’t wait to do more exploring tomorrow.