Category: Travel

Located just off of a small but active piazza  is this  charming little boutique hotel San Samuele.  The first thing to notice is the unusual entry.  Once an open courtyard, the antique well stands center.  The entry is charming and artistic and smells delicious.

The friendly staff serve coffee every morning and answer our many questions with charm, humor and expertise.  We enjoyed our week here so much it was difficult to leave.

Hotel San Samuele!

Our room had very Venician touches like a Murano Glass Chandelier

A Pink and gold feature wall behind the bed.

A mosaic floor wood windows and shutters.

 

Located in a very quiet neighborhood in a convenient location to walk and explore.  A great place to hang one’s hat for a while.

 

Venice to Roma on a speed train through the beautiful Italian countryside (even at 200 MPH)

Why not start with a tour of the Colleso at night complete with an entrance to the underground where the animals were kept and Gladiators walked.

We are standing on the reconstructed stage.  There are only about 20 of us and it is quiet.  No other tourists can get in until we leave.  Our guide is an archeologist who is still digging below and she shows us with fresh excitement!  Looking up at the stands one can hear the roar of the crowd, see the blood on the stage that seeps through the wood to the waiting Gladiators below, hear the roar of the lions… Well maybe after the guy next to me takes his selfie… OK back to the Romans (in my mind). Time to go underground…

The wood above is the new stage platform finished this year.  It is still easy to imagine the terror of this dark place as a Gladiator (the real story not the movie version).   Our guide was extremely descriptive as she had personally unearthed many relics below where we are standing.  She told us of 50 lions against just a few men, the blood of the kills dripping through the wood floor, the smell of the animals, humans, death.  We saw where the water was flooded in and drained out for live ship battles.  She also explained that they have been trying to add another metro line for 30 years but every time they dig  they find more artifacts!  A lot of the exhibitions and museums have been revealed since 1998.

Grand palaces with their marble facades pillaged long ago have been excavated.  For the past 30 years Rome has been trying to put in the 3rd Metro line.  Each shovel full reveals more treasures to our delight as tourists.

• The thing about Venice is creativity.  When Atilla the Hun drove the people off of the mainland, they found a way to make do in the swamp. Then they made the most unique and beautiful city in the world.Below is a map of Venetia.  The thing about Venice is that the map looks like a fish.

The thing about Venice is you might see a pirate. On an I phone.

Or signs that make me laugh. “Dogana, I fell down.”

Or wonder why there aren’t any cats since there are so many birds and then find them in a creepy alley late at night.

 

The thing about Venice is that   they perfected rainwater collection centuries ago.

The wells are located in courtyards of buildings and are cisterns to collect rainwater.  They are still used in some places and are not part of the waterway system

The thing about Venice is there are stories that Venice is sinking.  However there has always been flooding during high tides.  This is the beginning of high tide at Plazzo San Marco.   Later in the darkness we saw it actually running like a river.

The waterways open to the tidal system and are “flushed” daily. The steps going down to the canals often disappear.

The thing about Venice, and perhaps most impressive to me, is how they perform the construction and renovation.  Below are men delivering drywall to a job site which is down a few alleys from their location.

 

Everything is done by boat/foot/hand/cart.  No matter how large or small, construction workers push carts of materials through the narrow passageways to get to their projects.  We saw a lot of use of pullys and ropes.  We also marveled at how careful they are to preserve not only the detail of the buildings but also the flow of the tourists.  The picture above is on a busy shopping street.

The thing about Venice is the music. There are musicians playing everywhere. In restaurants, on the street.    The music museum was beautiful.   Some of the instruments they have on display below;

The thing about Venice and my favorite, the FOOD!  I highly recommend to meander the back alleys to where we saw a lot of local people eating.  Didn’t have a bad meal the entire week.  There is an island across the Grand Canal that the locals call the Vegetable Island.  Most of their produce comes across the Grand Canal from there and is amazingly fresh.

The thing about Venice is that the boats are works of art. Like human faces, similar but not the same.Below is a boat making shop we found. If you look closely you can see the different parts of gondolas.

This door was open so I went in and found where they store some of the boats.  Open any unlocked door (especially is no one is around!)

The thing about Venice is that living without cars, car sounds or smells for a week was relaxing.  Venice relies on the bells.  All night and until about  9am it is quiet.  Once the bells ring the town noise begin.  Footsteps, talking, clinking of dishes, children laughing, a town waking without mechanics. We walked at least 10 miles a day and LOVED IT!

The boats took us where we needed to go when we needed to cross.  Lots of selfie sticks and the boats usually looked like this:

Twenty minutes from Venice by water taxi lies Murano Island and just a short ride from Murano is Burano.  Murano is famous for it’s glass and Burano for lace making.

The trip did not disappoint.  Through the channel by the “fish tail” side of Venice we  bounced through the channel on a water taxi. Once there we were given a quick demonstration then we could explore the island.  We weren’t supposed to take pictures -so here are some pictures.  (I took these  before they stopped us). The shop we weren’t allowed to take pictures of was three floors of the most beautiful glass I have ever seen.

There  was one piece I fell in love with.  It was 9,000 Euro so it is still on their shelf.  It was made by a 45 year old Maestro who is a decedent of a glass family tradition dating back to the 1600’s.   I would love to have shown you but NO Pictures. I will dream about it as I tried to memorize the color and how the light behaved through the glass. G  of course was ready to move on so on we went.

Down the walkway there was an interesting tall brick tower, oh and this big blue glass thing…

I don’t like it but hey it’s big, blue  and all blown so there’s that.

On to Burano.  WOW what a place. It once was a thriving fishing village and while the women waited for their fishermen to return, they perfected a lace making  technique.  It was beautiful but sadly a dying art.  The old woman giving the demonstration started making lace when she was 8 yrs. old.  The items weren’t my taste but I can see the attraction.  The real gem to me  was the village itself:

The fishing and lacemaking industries are no longer so a lot of the village is up for sale.  Here is a real fixer-upper:

Since fishing and lace making are both a dying profession, the islanders rely a lot on the tourists.  However,  we noticed that when the church bells rang at 6 pm EVERYBODY closes up shop as fast as they can.  G bought a coffee at 6:05 which apparently was very inconvenient to the 3 generation “tourist bar”located in  a small stand  that was next to the boat.  We thanked then heartily, well, then we saw it.

Yep, this is coffee served in what can only be described as a communion cup.  (He hasn’t taken a sip yet)

OF COURSE they didn’t want to dirty up their machine for a teaspoon of coffee.  Made perfect sense.

Burano is also famous for their leaning tower, Not the famous tower of Pisa. Nope,  it’s the not so famous leaning tower of Burano. Since I forgot to take a picture of it, here are some pictures of their ambulance and police boats.

Back across the choppy seas to our Venice home. Both islands are worth the trip and have their own personalities.  Well worth the visit.We used Viator to book.

 

 

 

It is estimated that 20,000 people visit the Islands of Venice for the day from the mainland.    They take tours and see the sights which is beautiful of course, but  Venice is so much more than it’s famous gondolas and canals. There are too many museums to see in one week. Too many restaurants, buildings,waterways, churches & the list goes on.

I just wish I could send you the smell of the entry to our Hotel courtyard complete with the old well.  Only way to describe it is ancient wet limestone that smell like you just pulled them from the bottom of the sea, rubbed 100 years of cooking smells in them, and fresh flowers.  It is a wonderful earthy smell unlike any other in the world. We stood here many times just deep breathing trying to make a memory.

Water gathers around the drain on the limestone floor near the well.,  The marble stairs are to the right at the end of the room. An old entry courtyard is  now the interior.  How many years I don’t know.

Once away from the crowds we slow down.  Feel the cobbled streets under our feet, touch the crumbling walls, squint at the sunlight that peeks through open passages.  The city is quiet until the bells ring at 9 am sharp.  Suddenly the street below  come alive.  Shops open, daily life begins. Voices fill the streets.  Tours arrive from the mainland a little later.  We have the morning to ourselves with those of us staying in town.

We take breakfast on the Plaza San Marcos.  Chamber music plays at each little sidewalk cafe, taking turns to ensure the square is never without a soundtrack. Only the sound of the music, footsteps, birds and each other can be heard.

Time to explore and get lost in Venice once again.

 

We soak it in, feel the rhythm of the city. Its a short walk from the higher end shops to the daily life of the Venetians.

Finding textures and beauty everywhere like the mosaic flooring below.

We make a habit of looking up.   It is interesting what one can find by looking up!

Looking up paid off as we discovered a rooftop patio on a hotel that welcomes visitors to take a beer or lunch and enjoy. Below is the view over the rooftops of the island.

 

Sea breeze and warm sun while watching the busy waterways below.

In the evening the day trippers are gone and the pace slows again.  Time to enjoy what can only be described as MAGICAl…

Twenty thousand people daily and Venice returns to what it was centuries ago.  So many faces, so many cultures visiting.  I look in their faces and sometimes I see the same look I had when I was 19 years old.  The knowing that one will return someday…

This is my favorite place in the world.   We took the Alilaguna (fancy word for boat bus) to a dock near the hotel and tried to follow the directions on the map. Tried. We were lost for a while. A man with a wheelbarrow working on a building saw us pass for about the fifth time and took pity on us. In only Italian he directed us to the hotel. (A door we passed several times.)

They were working on this building as well. The white door leads to the original house, the round thing is a stone well.  The poles are scaffolding while they work on the floors above.

Settled in and then meandered down to the Grand Canal….

Following our host Tatiana’s advise we headed out to an outdoor restaurant on the plaza.  The waiter was so abrupt and guessed/told G exactly what he was going to have.  After looking at the menu, well, he was right.  We quickly caught on to his sense of humor and the bantering began.  Soon the local construction worker, waiter, shop keepers all recognize us with a warm smile and hello.Below we are sitting at a table on one of the squares watching the people, enjoying beer and wine for me, and relaxing.

Each shop is artistic and beautiful.  I asked the shopkeeper putting together a wooden Medusa if I could take his picture.  In a loud gruff voice he said “ONE PICTURE ONLY!”

There are many specialty shops that are as amazing to explore as museums.  There are open air fish markets, vegetable stands, homemade toys, masks, and of course closer to St Marks Square lots of designer stores.  Getting lost isn’t so bad now as we can eventually make it back.  Every turn there is something to explore. Chao for now…

It’s hard to say goodbye to this beautiful city.  Staying on the boat was incredible.  We enjoyed the unique wood cabin, the view from the table where we enjoyed our coffee in the morning to the city waking up and cocktails at night to the beautiful lights on the water.

Air B&B has the information on the boat.

‘The boat was all this dark wood. This is the fancy door to the loo.  The feeling lying on the comfortable bed listening to the rain on the roof was quite magical.

Paris.

This city steals your heart away.

I have a video coming as soon of the bus going round the Arc de Triump.  No lanes, just go for it!

There were many unusual ways to get around the crowded city.  Lots of crazy parking and then there was this guy sloshing up several  beer kegs delivering to the restaurant.

Wonderfully helpful locals were on every corner. Parisians are so full of life.  So many kind strangers.  Perhaps the recent bombings, perhaps just the times, but we felt a surge of optimism here.

Viva la France!

 

First of all it looks like a ghost on G’s face. It  must have been a friendly ghost or a woman ghost trying to make out with him. Nice try ghost chicka.

Les Catacombs!

Seeing all those skeletons is  like watching fire. Beautiful, terrifying, destructive, engaging, and hypnotic adventure. It did make me feel like I  had to take a hot bath afterward.  The magnitude and amount of bones is incredible.

There were sayings everywhere, but we don’t read French so they could have been saying “you are cursed” or “There are diseases down here and you people paid for this tour hahaha” and the phrase  “We are all bones in the end” came up a few times (which I  kind of liked).

We had a few questions that weren’t answered on the recorded walking  tour.  1.  If the bodies were so full of disease, and they even dug up many of them, why not just cremate them?  2. How long do the germs stay on them…’cuz we’re walking through thousands of skeletons here!

We took 135 small circular steps down and then walked through a long limestone lined tunnel to get to the tombs.  Knowing there is an entire city above is quite unnerving and the recorded tour seems to delight in letting one know that fact. The city seems so far away as we walk along damp ancient limestone.   They have guards posted at various intersections and they remind me of rats hiding in the dark, scurrying around when they think your purse is going to swing into a skull or something.  (Yep, I got yelled at).

Below is my favorite skull.  He is very smiley.

Being such a macabre place one would think it would be sad, but somehow I felt extremely peaceful down there.  Many souls left their bones as art for us to see.  Many souls with families, lives, talents, and professions we know nothing about.  They are anonymous, they are famous.  Life is short; live large!

WE ARE ALL BONES IN THE END! 

I am not sure what day it is as Paris steals time.  Time speeds up on the Metro as we pack our bodies together and fly through the tunnel.  A menagerie of ethnicities, languages and smells overwhelming the senses.  Hop off and a short walk back in time as we head over to the attraction for the day.

Why not start with the iconic Eiffel Tower, then cruise down th Seine at sunset.

 

 

All along the bank of the River people gather as couples or even groups waving and celebrating… well…LIFE.  Rumba, Samba, Rap and Classical music blasts from some of plaza areas as impromptu dance floors.

A little further and we are back at the Eiffel Tower lit up against the purple sky.

We chose accommodations on the Seine staying in a boat.  Life on this river is full of contrasts.  The morning fog rolls gently in as the city wakes.  Joggers, activity begins.  Each  boat that passes gently rocks us reminding us where we are.

 From the galley we can sit and enjoy a nightcap and the lights on the river.

The first night we awke from a dead sleep to a thump on the boat, then wolves began howling. I was terrified and wondered how wolves got into the city?  The next night our neighbors had a party until 4AM.  Just when the sun was coming up the people at the party disappeared leaving me to speculate that they are vampires and that the wolves last night were just chasing them back to our neighborhood.  No other explanation works as they don’t come out in the daylight at all.

Perhaps my brain is just packed with images so powerful I got chills.  I think visiting the Louvre on more than one day is the best as my brain can’t begin to register thousands of years of art history at once.  We saw the basics and a few surprises.

Then there was this poor guy.

I think the look on his face says it all.

 

 

Cable Street inn at the East end of London is an antique gem.  Once a pub in the 1700s, the charming owner Julian has transformed the building into a cozy inn.We enjoyed meandering through the park next door and St. George Church.  There is an abandoned building behind to explore. Below is a shack that is yet to be renovated on the church grounds with plants growing on the roof.

Shadwell Underground Station is right next door and we had an easy time getting to all of our destinations.  London was easy to navigate this way.  We spent a lot of time  looking around the magical little inn we had chosen.  It was so easy to get swept up by the charm..

The bathroom kept the old feeling while being clean and modern. I appreciated all the light pouring in from the wood framed window.

I think the most wonderful surprise was the rooftop terrace overlooking the park area, the church behind,  and a beautiful modern art mural depicting the famous Cable Street Riot.

Fun place from which to base our London experience!

Want to see more? #Cable Street Inn!