November 10 – 16, 2012
Floods in Venice, Overcast in Florence and Gorgeous Sunshine
in Cinque Terra
We said goodbye to Mike and Gail at the train station and
started on the next leg of our trip. I had been to Venice twice before, once as
a child with my parents and again with Michelle on a high school class trip.
Jeff had never been. I was excited to share this magical city with him.
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| Our first view of the Grand Canal |
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| Old one handed clock in Rialto Square |
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| Random canal view |
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| University graduation at St. Marks Square |
When we first got there we took the vaporetto (water bus)
down the Grande Canal to our hotel.
The
sun was peeking behind an overcast sky as we explored all the unique alleys,
bridges over canals and into “Piazza San Marco”, St. Mark’s square. As we
approached the famous square it was clear something unique was going on as it
was packed with people. We quickly realized that it was a university graduation
that had just concluded and all the graduates in cap and gown were having their
photos taken with family and friends. Many wore wreaths of laurel on their
heads or around their necks and several donned crazy costumes to parade around
in.
All the streets were filled with singing
graduates, carrying bottles of wine and the whole town took on the atmosphere
of one big party.
We found a great restaurant and enjoyed another amazing
Italian meal with the tastiest tiramisu and more great local wine. Our hotel
room overlooked a plaza that had two bars where the patrons get their drinks
but sit or stand in the plaza. I think every graduate made their way to that
plaza at about 11:00 PM and they stayed and partied into the morning!! Ah
youth!!!!!
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| Rialto Square in the mormning |
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| Railto Square at night without the water |
The next morning we looked out our window only to discover
that the plaza was flooded with over a meter of water and more coming in. Apparently, along with an unusually high tide,
the winds were blowing half a gale in from the south, the Syroccan Winds they
are called, and this was pushing the sea into the city. We were trapped in our
hotel until noon when the water began to recede enough for us to get out and
explore some of the alleyways. Everywhere we went there were shopkeepers, many
in hip boots, sweeping out the water from their shops and trying to dry out so
they could open their doors for the tourists. The hottest selling item was a
pair of “boots” made up of a hard plastic sole and colored plastic that came up
to your thighs; secured with plastic ties at the foot and a large shoelace at
the thigh. We each bought a pair as St. Marks and the alleys close to it were
still flooded. We were told that when the water was at its highest, people were
swimming in the famous square.
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| Beth in St. Mark's Square |
So wearing our new boots, we made our way to” Palazzo
Ducale”, the Doge’s Palace, a magnificent
combination of Byzantine, Gothic and Renaissance architecture and once the
center of the Venetian Empire and government.
This was once the residence of the Doge, the elected ruler of the city.
The palace was made up of many lavish chambers with masterpieces on display by
Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese and Bellini to name a few. There were gorgeous frescos and gold leaf
everywhere. In one the rooms there were huge maps painted on the walls and two
giant globes on display. There were also eerie narrow passageways leading
towards the prison cells and over the Bridge of Sighs. The famous Casanova was
imprisoned there.
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| Doges Palace - view from the Vaporetto |
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| Doges Palace courtyard |
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| One Handed Clock Tower |
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| Water flooding into St. Marks Square as high tide approaches |
Once we could take off our boots, we continued to explore
the city, enjoying in particular the Rialto Bridge where many an Italian couple
spent the time kissing, and watching the gondolas navigate the canals along
with the boats hauling the trash, laundry and anything else that needed moving
in a city without cars and trucks. The gondolas were a little too touristy for
Mr. Pinkus so we decided to hop back on the water taxi for a tour of the Grand
Canal and to catch sunset along the water.
Along the canal, we saw one extraordinary architectural master piece
after another.
This was the perfect way
to see the beauty, charm and color of this unique city built on water. Both of
us had our cameras in overdrive and it could not have been a more perfect end
to the afternoon.
After another terrific dinner, we were making our way back
across St. Mark’s Square around 9:00 PM when we saw the water quickly bubbling
back up through the storm drains. The tide was coming in fast and the streets
were going to be flooded again. We just made it across the square running up
the middle and jumping up on some platforms that were put out for the
pedestrians caught unawares. After being trapped in our room yesterday, we decided
to not take another chance and so the next day we decided to head for Florence
where we heard there was some sunshine and no floods. We talked to a few
tourists who had come from Rome and the streets were flooded there too. Venice should be on everyone’s bucket list, it
really is a most amazing city!
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| Rialto Bridge |
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| Rialto Bridge at night |
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| Sunset on the Grand Canal |
Overcast Florence-
with a little sunshine!
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| David Statue in Florence |
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| Mustachioed Mona Lisa |
Florence
did not
disappoint- we had some sunshine and no rain to speak of. We stayed in a very
nice boutique hotel that was totally done in white!
Since Florence is known for its many museums,
art galleries, palazzos and churches, I knew I had to choose wisely as I used
up most of my museum equity visiting every Buddhist temple and shrine in the
Orient, not to mention the ruins in Greece and Turkey! So the first place we
went to was the Galleria dell’ Accademia which is home to the original “David”
sculpture by Michelangelo.
The gallery
held many outstanding sculptures and other works of art too but the David was
exquisite.
Even though I knew this was
one large piece of beautiful white marble, David was so lifelike- you could
even see the veins in his arms and hands.
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| Depiction of DaVinci's death in oil |
Jeff “neglected” to see the no photo signs again, so he was able to get
in a few shots before everyone was reminded of the “no photos” rule. The museum was connected to the Accademia
Carrara, an art school and so there were also exhibits of modern art throughout
the museum right next to all of the ancient masterpieces. In the same room as
the David sculpture, there was a piece titled “Table with a White Cloth on
Railroad ties”- and that is exactly what it was! Really, next to Michelangelo’s
David!!! Someone has a weird sense of humor!!! Also on display was Marcel Duchamp’s moustached
and bearded “Mona Lisa”, 1919, and Andy Warhol’s colorful interpretation of
“The Last Supper”.
In one area of the
museum there was a room that housed antique musical instruments that had been
owned and played by the powerful de Medici family. There were some amazing
instruments like the hurdy gurdy on display. In an adjoining room there were
computers where you could listen to the music made by these instruments. We both enjoyed this section of the museum. As I said, this museum had a very eclectic
collection- something for everyone!
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| Pink copy of the David Statue |
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| Hurdy Gurdy |
We then walked to the Piazza Del Duomo and saw the St. Maria
Del Fiore Cathedral and then on to the Piazza Della Signoria where there was a
copy of the David and many other excellent sculptures of Roman Gods and Heros.
There was a beautiful fountain and it certainly was the place for hundreds of
tourists to gather as there were lots of photo ops.
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| St. Maria Del Fiore Cathedral |
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| Roman warrior & Centaur |
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| Birth of Venus - Botticelli |
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| View of the Arno River from the Uffizi Museum |
There was also the
Palazzo Vecchio but there was only time for one more museum and so we made for
the Galleria degli Uffizi, considered the most important museum in
Florence.
Jeff was a trooper as we went
from one religious painting gilded in gold of the Madonna and Child to
another.
After about 10 rooms of this
style of painting, we began to see paintings by Italian masters that we were
familiar with. One of the most famous paintings in the gallery was Sandro Botticelli’s”
Birth of Venus”, 1485, showing
Venus
rising from the sea looking like a classical statue floating on a seashell (protected
behind glass- sorry, no photo but we included one from the internet).
One of the unique features of this museum is
it had copies of some of the most famous works done in plaster relief so the
blind could touch it and thus “see” the masterpiece!
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| One of the many Madonna and Child |
Outside the museum there
were several “living” statues; one was a cupid who for a coin would let you “shoot”
his bow.
The museum was huge, two
stories housing works by Duer, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and
Raffaello, to name a few.
From a window on the second floor we had a
magnificent view of the Arno River and a bridge that has stores and homes built
on it. The courtyard had some impressive statues, stairwells and fountains.
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| Gilded room in the Uffizi Museum |
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| Cupid street statue being shot by oriental tourist |
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| A great street musician we encountered on one of our walks; one of the best we heard on the trip |
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| Beth walking along the Arno River in her new leather jacket |
We were able to hook up with a Taoist Tai Chi class in Florence
on the other side of the river. We took a cab there and were welcomed warmly by
the instructor Lucia and the class participants. There were a good 25-30 in the
class and we felt that we fit right in. After class, we decided to walk back to
the hotel as it would take us along the romantic Arno River. It was a brisk 45
minute walk with great views of the city all in lights.
We had a very memorable meal in Florence. Mike and Gail had
told us that we had to order steak Florentine while we were in the city that
made it famous. This is Italian’s answer
to Kobe beef and it is not a cheap meal; you pay by the gram. So we decided this would be a dinner and asked
for a recommendation from the hotel desk for a restaurant known for its steak
Florentine. We wanted a local
restaurant, not one catering to tourists.
The hotel clerk made reservations at a small restaurant within walking
distance to our hotel and so we were off for a gastronomical treat! The meal was amazing; we started out with a
goose brisket in raspberry sauce that was to die for. The steak was cooked to
perfection, a huge porterhouse style cut seared quickly on both sides and
served rare with the perfect seasoning. It was the most tender and flavorful
piece of beef that we have ever tasted. This massive steak was accompanied by
the best potatoes I have ever had- it was more like a homemade thick potato
chip but very crispy on the outside. We
devoured the meal along with excellent wine and a perfect tiramisu to end the
meal on a sweet note.
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| Goose Brisket with Raspberries |
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| Florentine Steak |
During the course of
the meal we struck up a lively conversation with the two men at the next table.
The one gentleman spoke excellent English and did most of the talking. He was
quite a character and you could tell that he was a frequent diner at this small,
charming restaurant. We talked education and politics- he is a publisher of
textbooks for K-college and is a well traveled man.
At the end of his dinner, he left and paid his
bill and then came back and whispered something in Jeff’s ear and left.
He had paid for our dinner!!!!! We did not
even exchange names!!! Another amazing act of Italian hospitality!!
The waitress had his card so we were able to
send him an email thank you. This is another example of why it is so hard to
describe Italy!!! We were certainly blown away by this man’s generosity to
complete strangers!!!! Who was that masked man?
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| On our walk home, we saw the man building a guitar |
Sunny Cinque Terre
and La Spezia
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| Beth enjoying the view overlooking Riomaggio |
Back on the train in search of sunshine, we ended up staying
at the port town of La Spezia, only a 9 min. train ride from the first of the
picturesque villages that make up Cinque Terre. It is off season and most of
the hotels, restaurants and shops in Cinque Terre are closed. We stayed in a
lovely hillside hotel in the small city of La Spezia. It was a nice town with a
small port and good fish.
We found our
first coin laundry of the trip so we didn’t have to fill our bathroom with
clothes washed out in the sink!!!!
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| Riomaggio - They stack the boats everywhere |
We took the train over to Cinque Terre and
what a lovely slice of paradise it was.
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| Riomaggio - Harbor view |
Cinque Terre is made
up of five very different seaside villages, most of them hugging the steep
cliffs overhanging the Mediterranean Sea.
During season, this place is jammed with European tourists escaping to
the charming seaside villages, which are now part of a National Park and are
protected (no McDonalds or Starbucks in sight!!!) I had not heard of this part
of Italy until my friend Nan told me about this idyllic place that she hopes
(she will) to visit someday. My friend Sandi had been there and shared a
booklet describing the cities so with two great recommendations, we added it to
our itinerary. We were not disappointed!!!
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| Riomaggion - cliff |
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| Riomaggio - Tunnel to train station |
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| Riomaggio |
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| Enjoying and afternoon Grappa in Vernazza |
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| Grandpa fishing with grandson |
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| Vernazza Harbor |
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| Not only the tourists enjoy the view of Manarola evenings |
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| Manarola at dusk |
My
favorite city was Manarola, a crazy beautiful town with the boats all on
rollers parked along the very steep streets.
It has an incredible harbor and the views are magnificent in all
directions. We stayed for sunset in this city. We were not disappointed with
the view of the sun going down to reveal a beautiful crescent moon ascending;
such beauty!!
Our only disappointment
was that the trails that connect each of the cities and run along the cliffs
had been closed due to heavy rains the week before.
We really had hoped to hike the trails and
probably would have spent more time there if they had been open. This is a
place I would love to come back too; not in season, but certainly before Nov. 1
when most of the towns close down for the winter! Thank you Nan and Sandi for
telling us about this part of paradise on earth!
On our last night in
La Spezia, we took the hotel’s recommendation for a restaurant down by the
water that is known for their fish. We each ordered dishes that our waiter
(also one of the owners) recommended and we were not disappointed. I ordered a small glass of the local white
wine and our waiter brings me a carafe- he also brings over appetizers and
house specialties for us to try- no charge. When he sees that I don’t have a
clue how to attack my fish dinner, he comes over and debones the entire fish
and leaves me with tasty morsels of the most delicious fish in a light lemon
and wine sauce. Jeff and I had noticed a
painting on the wall that had to be our waiter’s dad and mom. Also all three
men who were waiting tables or working the front looked alike and were the
spitting images of the man in the painting. After dinner, I asked our waiter
about the painting and he proudly said that yes, this was his parent’s
restaurant and now the brothers ran it. He proceeded to have us get up and go
into the kitchen to meet the chef, the 3rd brother and do a tour of
the place and insisted we try some of their homemade fruit liquors which I
have to say were quite tasty. Now this
was all done in Italian (what little we spoke) and French (what little I could
remember from high school) as no one there spoke much English. So there was a
great deal of smiling, hand gestures and head shaking and it seemed we all communicated
pretty well!!! At the end, he told me he
could not charge us for the wine because I did not drink enough and then he
reduced the bill even further. Again, great hospitality, many acts of kindness and
another wonderful Italian dinner experience. We have loved Italy!!! How does
one explain Italy???
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| Manarola - interesting rock formation |
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| Goodnight Manarola |
From here we venture to Zermatt, Switzerland (home of the
famous Matterhorn) and snowy vistas!!! This should be a fun train ride!
From Italy, we had to take four different trains to get to
Zermatt. Thank goodness we only had the two small suitcases and two backpacks
because Jeff had insisted that I would not lift or carry any luggage so that my
back and neck would survive the adventure.
I am sure everyone wanted to know who the princess was that didn’t lift
a thing while her “man” worked as a pack mule up and down the many steps inside
the train station! The ride was scenic going through the Italian country side
and then into Switzerland. When we changed to the last train that would take us
to Zermatt, we started pulling out the warm coats, hats and gloves. 
We took the highest-altitude cogwheel railway in Europe up
the steep Gornergrat mountainside, about a 50 min. train ride. We traversed snow covered forest areas up to
the peak at 3,089 meters (approx. 9,600
feet. ) There was one amazing view after another and at the top we had a panoramic
view of 29 different peaks all at over 4,000 meters! It was COLD, snowy and slippery; I at least
bundled up!!! Again as it was not the official season, the buildings at the top
were closed. Some of the people had snowshoes and hiking poles ready to hike
down and others had skis or snowboards. Most of us came for the view and took
the train back. We were so fortunate to
have such a crystal clear sunny day and perfect views of the Matterhorn and
other peaks. Last time Jeff was here was 1989 with his brother skiing and they did not see the Matterhorn until the last day of their stay. Often it is cloudy and you can’t see anything!!!
