MANTOVA to VENICE by Bike

Thank you for looking at my photos of Italy.

Almost to Dulles

The alarm rings and we get ready and try to find the breakfast in EuroHotel.

Jump in Hotel Van to drive us back to airport. Wait in Traffic. 

Hot airport, interminable lines. Can't remember how many times we showed our passport and went through a multitude of Security Checks.

11 hour flight but we had empty seats next to us. I watched 4 movies including one about the Colisseum in Rome and THE YOUNG AND PRODIGIOUS T. S. SPIVET - a very odd movie but the little boy reminded me of Carol when he packed his suitcase with all kinds of things he might need - including a metal tape measure just like the one in Carol's pocket that set off the Security Alarm!

And we are waiting for Jim at Dulles.

Bike and Barge so worth the trip.

Laundromat in Favaro

We did a load of laundry in Rome, next to our favorite restaurant. It is Sunday and we arrive home on Tuesday and both Carol and I are desperate to wash clothes. Carol washed clothes in our cabin on the barge and barely got them dry by the end of the week. The humidity is so high! We were invited to hang them on the deck of the barge to dry ..... for all of Italy to see. Of course we saw all of Italy's laundry so I don't know why I care . . . But I could not hang my underwear, like flags, from the railing of the barge.

We asked the woman at our hotel where to do laundry. Walk into town (Tessera), take Bus 45 to the Commercial Center of the next town (Favaro), and find the Lavatrici.

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This morning we eat breakfast with Robin and Bjarne and walk them to their airport bus stop. They are on their way home to Sisters, Oregon. They moved to Sisters from Anchorage a week before we moved to Leesburg, Va.

On the way to the bus to Favaro I decide to approach the desk of the Best Western Hotel and plead for the privilege of using a washing machine. Nice try but no success. A nice man at the desk tells us to walk to the church in Tessera and turn down the narrow street next to the church to the Laundromat. We realize it may not be open on Sunday but we can easily walk back tomorrow. Of course, Italians have off most of Monday too. . . , 

We follow those directions and find no laundromat in Tessera. A resident tells us how to go to the Commercial Center in Favaro. We wait about 45 minutes for Bus 45. We get off the bus in Favaro but do not see much open on Sunday and do not see a laundromat. I ask a woman walking by. She motions to follow her and she leads us to the laundromat. Everything is in Italian and the coin changer does not work. Carol has baggies of detergent. We load 2 washers and enter every possible combination of coin in the slots with no results. A nice man tries to help but he mainly shakes his head 'no' at our coins. He speaks to another man who disappears and reappears with silver tokens. No one speaks English. We trade lots of money for silver tokens. Three silver tokens start the washing machine. Three silver tokens start the dryer.

And we wait while the dryer is going.

My Advice if you want to be an Independent Traveler

RECONSIDER BEING AN INDEPENDENT TRAVELER

 

MOST ITALIANS ARE FRIENLY AND VERY EAGER TO HELP

MOST ITALIANS DO NOT SPEAK ENGLISH

WATER DOES NOT COME WITH A MEAL IN RESTAURANTS. YOU PURCHASE YOUR WATER. 

WIFI - WHEN A HOTEL PROMISES WIFI DON T COUNT ON IT UNLESS YOU CLIMB ON THE ROOF

       OF THE HOTEL

AIR-CONDITIONING - WHEN A HOTEL PROMISES AIR CONDITIONED ROOMS, KNOW THAT YOU      

       MAY HAVE TO REQUEST THE CONTROL FOR THE AIR-CONDITIONER AND IN SEPTEMBER 

       SOME HOTELS TURN OFF ALL AIR CONDITIONING. BATHROOMS GENERALLY DO NOT HAVE     

       FANS OR AIR CONDITIONING.

A Fitting Last Day in Italy

On Saturday we paid 15 Euros (about $20) to visit the Doge Palace in Venice. When I bought my ticket and when I left the Palace I asked "How many days is this ticket valid?" Both times the answer was "Three months". Wow, what a deal! And Carol and I will be in Venice until Monday night so I will study up, return, and rent the Audio-guide. Awesome.

Yesterday we did our laundry in the morning and in the afternoon my body screamed, "It is Sunday and I won't miss another nap." Carol walked to dinner alone and I slept the day and night away but fit in reading two things:1) History of Doge Palace in preparation for today's visit with the Audio-guide.  2) THOUSAND DAYS IN VENICE by Marlena de Blasi which has so much more meaning after we sailed the Grand Canal.

So we get up early, eat breakfast (including homemade warm croissants), pack up and check out (storing our suitcases under the stairs while we go back to Venice). We bought the 7 day transportation passes for 60 Euros - so we use them today to take the bus back over the bridge to Venice and to catch the boat to the Doge Palace. Rain is in the forecast but it is beautiful and cool.

One hour and fifteen minutes later we get off the boat at San Marco and notice the long line for the Palace. But we have tickets and walk through the entrance for 'ticket holders'. The ticket lady scans our tickets and shakes her head "No". I protest, "These tickets are for 3 months!" She answers "No".  No more English words. We walk back outside and Carol remembers that we went in a different way on Saturday. We weave through the crowds, past the lines for St. Mark's Basillica, but there is no other entrance.

We return to the entrance for 'ticket holders', ready to demand an explanation that we can understand.

A man scans our tickets this time. He shakes his head, "No". "Isn't this ticket good for 3 months?" "Of course. Good for 3 months. But one time only." Even though I spent hours reading about the Doge Palace and almost 2 hours getting here, I don't want to pay another $20 to enter and $20 more for the Audio-guide. We are disappointed. . . But decide to walk the Grand Canal on a beautiful day. Well, you can't walk the Grand Canal but you can weave in and out of the very narrow streets until you find the Ferry on the Grand Canal that will take you back to the bus.

We are now at Marco Polo Airport 4 hours before our plane to Istanbul. This is the airport that had a strike the day we were to fly to Italy! Turkish Airlines doesn't even open it's desk for another hour so we sit on a cement bench by the highway. Carol is discovering the treasures inside her iPod. It makes cricket sounds, frog sounds, and loon calls. What else do you do when you are 4 hours early for your plane to Istanbul?

Once again the alarms go off for Carol when she goes through Security. I make it through every time but Carol gets caught every time. This time it was a metal tape measure in her pocket. Don't ask why 

she is carrying a metal tape measure in her pocket.

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We have waited now our 4 hours. Guess what? No Turkish Airline People are at our gate. It is lightning outside. The sign says our plane is now 2 hours late. An alarm goes off and everyone is quiet. The woman makes an urgent announcement . . . in Italian. 

• 
  Da: VENEZIA

  Partenza: 19:20

  Del 22/09/2014
• 
  A: ISTANBUL ATATURK

  Arrivo: 22:40

  Del 22/09/2014

A woman with Turkish Airlines arrives and everyone mobs her.

We are suppose to report to the Turkey Tourism Desk when we get to Istanbul so they can get us to our Hotel. Will anyone be at the Turkey Tourism Desk after midnight? Will we have to spend the night in the airport?

AVOID STOPS, NO MATTER HOW CHEAP THE TICKETS. EACH STOP MEANS MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR GLITCHES.

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Just boarded our plane at Marco Polo Airport and we are leaving 4 hours later than our scheduled departure time.  And remember, we arrived 4 hours before our departure time. First we learned the plane could not land because of the thunderstorm. Evidently it circled above Venice for 2 hours. So many people had connections to make in Istanbul and were frantic about the delay. Then we heard the plane had landed but they could not refuel it when it was raining. Expect delay of 2 more hours.Since these are the same airport workers that went on strike two weeks ago, I wonder if they just didn't want to work in the rain.

Stay tuned.

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We are finally In our hotel room in Istanbul at 4:15 am and we must be ready for the airport shuttle pick up at 10 am for our 1:30 flight to Dulles.  I feel somewhat like a prisoner of war as stern Turkish Airlines officials keep barking one word commands to Carol, me, and forty-five other compliant prisoners.

"Basinger"

"Follow"

"Stand"

"Boarding Pass."

"No. Boarding Pass only."

"Sit"

"Go"

"Passport now"

"Room 208"

A large bus fills quickly with the 'prisoners' and luggage. No one says a word, just obeys orders. The bus drives quite a way to the EuroHotel. The man at the hotel desk is overwhelmed,barks more orders to us, and takes our Passports to keep overnight.

Rooms are nice.  Carol turns on the air conditioner because it is as hot and humid as Italy.

Good Byes and Murano and George Clooney

Venice, Italy

Saturday 9:00 PM

Mostly Cloudy

70

°F | °C

Precipitation: 60%

Humidity: 88%

Wind: 4 mph

Wake up to sprinkles and clouds. George CLOONEY is suppose to marry Amal in Venice in a few days and we wonder if the large sailboat with a crew of 8, next to our barge, is waiting for him.

"What else do we know? THR and Corriere della Sera say the three-day-long wedding festivities will culminate in a ceremony at Ca'Farsetti, a 14th-century palace on the Grand Canal. Guests are rumored to be staying at the Hotel Aman, Venice's new seven-star luxury hotel (where rooms are in the thousands per night). Just for kicks, you can tour the hotel here.

And the bride? She'll likely be wearing Oscar de la Renta. Although Amal was spottedexiting Alexander McQueen's studio recently, too. Decisions!"

Murano is known for glass-making.

We are on the boat returning from the island of Murano to the Ave Maria (barge) docked at Certosa to pick up our luggage. Then back on the boat to the bus station in Venice. Then to Agriturismo Ca' Danieli, our hotel near the airport. Easier said than done, especially when we drag our luggage from dock to boat to dock to bus station, up the stairs in the bus and finally off the bus and down the road to Agriturismo Ca' Danieli.

In Murano we walk along the canals looking at the wonderful shops, from kiche to art. We visit an ancient church Church of Santa Maria e San Donato and a service is in progress. We watch as they pass the peace, all men in business suits and very well dressed women! They must be executives who work on the island because no tourist wears a suit and tie. The tile floor dates from 1141.

We tour the Glass Museum.

We are now in the hotel on the mainland near the airport, next to Hertz and across the street from a large parking lot for people getting on a cruise ship or going to Venice by bus.

Quick nap. Walk to a nice restaurant about a mile away. Robin and Bjarne fly home tomorrow. So very very nice to travel with them.

Location

Murano is composed of seven islands, linked by bridges, separated by eight channels.

History

Murano was initially settled by the Romans then, from the sixth century, by people from Altinum and Oderzo. At first, the island prospered as a fishing port and through its production of salt. It was also a centre for trade through the port it controlled on Sant'Erasmo. From the eleventh century, it began to decline as islanders moved to Dorsoduro. It had a Grand Council, like that of Venice, but from the thirteenth century, Murano was ultimately governed by a podestà from Venice. Unlike the other islands in the Lagoon, Murano minted its own coins.
Early in the second millennium hermits of the Camaldolese Order occupied one of the islands, seeking a place of solitude for their way of life. There they founded the Monastery of St. Michael (). This monastery became a great center of learning and printing. The famous cartographer, Fra Mauro, whose maps were crucial to the European exploration of the world, was a monk of this community. The monastery was suppressed in 1810 by French forces under Napoleon, in the course of their conquest of the Italian peninsula, and the monks were expelled in 1814. The grounds then became Venice's major cemetery.
In 1291, all the glassmakers in Venice were forced to move to Murano due to the risk of fires. In the following century, exports began, and the island became famous, initially for glass beads and mirrors. Aventurine glass was invented on the island, and for a while Murano was the main producer of glass in Europe. The island later became known for chandeliers. Although decline set in during the eighteenth century, glassmaking is still the island's main industry.
In the fifteenth century, the island became popular as a resort for Venetians, and palaces were built, but this later declined. The countryside of the island was known for its orchards and vegetable gardens until the nineteenth century, when more housing was built.
Attractions on the island include the    (known for its twelfth-century Byzantine mosaic pavement and said to house the bones of the dragon slain by Saint Donatus), the church of San Pietro Martire with the chapel of the Ballarin family built in 1506 and artworks by Giovanni Bellini, and the Palazzo da Mula. Glass-related attractions include the many glassworks, some Mediaeval and most open to the public, and the Murano Glass Museum, housed in the large Palazzo Giustinian.

Venice - a Feast for the Senses

Day 7: Venice
Free day at disposal. In the morning a local guide will let you discover the capital of the ancient “Serenissima Republic of Venice”, which held sway over much of the Mediterranean (and beyond) for centuries. After that you have a lot of time to soak up its timeless beauty or explore its islands. 
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Today is our day in Venice. We are docked on the island of Certosa and take a boat to Venice at 10:15 am. We meet our Tour Guide for Venice at the 2 Columns by the Palace of Doges at 11 am. He is a resident of Venice with a VERY strong Italian accent. I am sure he is thorough as he leads us though narrow streets and along the canals, but Carol and I cannot understand most of his English. It is hard work and tiring listening to someone like that. At the end of the tour we use our boat ticket to ride the Grand Canal to the train station and bus station. (Robin takes the day off) Then eat our packed lunches at a reasonable cafe in the low rent district where we must buy something to use their bathroom. We take the boat back to the 2 columns where we started. We get in line to see the Basillica Di San Marco  but they want our backpacks so Bjarne goes in and we wait. Then Bjarme suggests the Palace of the Doges. Wait in line again and get our tickets. Wish we had a guide but will return and purchase the audio-guide. The tickets last 3 months! As spectacular as anything we see in Rome.

Confusion catching boat to CERTOSA but I enjoy being a Follower. 

Fabulous dinner of pork cheeks, peas, lasagna, and Tiramasu. Then a song to the staff written by Ellen. Bjarne presents the tips I collected in the decorated "trash" envelope. Kirby presents great drawing she made of Captain Bert.

Off the Ave Maria tomorrow. Eager to read about all I saw today.

Colored Houses & Beach Cabanas

Day 6: Chioggia – Venice
A visit to the fish market at dawn is an absolute "must".  Pedaling along the lagoon, you reach Pellestrina: from here, riding on the cycle path you reach the ferry landing stage. A short ferry-boat ride takes you to Lido island, along the “Murazzi”, with a stop in Malamocco. After the final short ride you reach the boat which takes you to the marina in Venice. 
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We finish our 30k ride tonight on Lido Island. The bikes are loaded on the barge for the last time and we are told to take showers and get ready for dinner before appetizers on the top viewing deck. Usually we have appetizers and beverages immediately after the ride and then get ready for dinner. I might be the only one who doesn't change clothes for dinner. I simply don't have enough clothes with me. 

I arrive on the top deck as the barge is approaching Venice. Cool, clear, and a light breeze. The sun is setting and shining on Venice.

The morning begins with a walk to the fish market of Chioggia. Every imaginable edible thing from the sea is for sale. Then we walk through the street fair on the Main Street and Carol finds an ATM machine. We walk back to the barge to sail to Pallestrina. We leave the 2 sisters behind because they get lost. A water taxi delivers them to our barge eventually. We get our bikes on Pallestrino and ride along a sea wall  to one of the "campos" with a church. It is pretty quiet and residential with colorful houses and lots of fishing boats and fishing houses off the shore. We have some water and explore. I meet 3 older women who are sitting together talking and do not speak English. Bon Giorno, I say. They see my bike helmet which I forgot to take off and I know they would like to be friendly. I say I am from Washington, DC. They look puzzled. I say America and they understand. Then I say Virginia and they look puzzled. So I say Obama and they all shake their heads, Yes. Of course, I am only saying we live near each other!
They want to talk more but I say I don t speak Italian. I ask them where they were born and one woman understands. She was born in Chioggia but the others were born on Pellestrina. I extend my hand and they do the same. A warm handshake. But I have to go because  it is time to get back on the bikes. The Italians have been very open and warm.
Take Ferry with our bikes to Lido, an upscale sophisticated island with fancy homes and lots of beach cabanas. Molly's chain breaks and we stop for quite a while as Martina tries to fix it with a compromised tool in her pack. Bjarne is a big help and it finally connects. We ride to a Gelatto stand and then to the barge.