Day 10 Drive to Venice, Italy

Gruss gott! This morning we woke up after a good, long night of sleep. I was still feeling a little achy but feeling much more revived than yesterday. Breakfast was filling and welcome. Shortly after breakfast we were, once again, standing outside the hotel with our luggage in our hands waiting for "Little Ricky" to load them up in his bus. We were all settled in and driving out of the parking lot by 8. Tschuss, Austria! Tschuss, Reutte and Hotel Maximilian!
Austria is a lovely country. I hope to go back someday and explore it more. The drive through this country was certainly something to see. I tried very hard to stay awake, although I think I might have dozed off at some point because the next thing I knew I was hearing Dimitri's voice overhead saying, "Wakey wakey." 

Our first stop of the day was a rest stop. As we approached Dimitri told us about the place we were going to be stopping at. "There is a McDonalds at this stop. This is the one McDonalds I urge you all to go into. It has a beautiful view." Sure enough, it really did! There were walls that were windows so that the view could be experienced from every seat. Beyond the view the set-up of the restaurant was different from in the states. There are two registers and two separate areas. There is the area where you order your meal and another area which is much more like a cafe. I found that to be interesting. I really did love the view though.

"This is the one McDonalds I urge you all to go into. It has a beautiful view."
​
​- Dimitri
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View from the McDonalds, so beautiful!
Buon giorno, Italy! There is nothing like the rolling countryside of Italy: the lush green landscape, fields of grape vineyards, lemon yellow villas with orange brick roofs surrounded by pointed Cyprus trees, and multitudes of fortified cities snuggled tightly on hill tops. It is all so charming in so many ways!  This view is so different from the mountains of the alps of Austria and even the rosy pink Dolomite mountains of northern Italy. The Dolomites are similar to Austria and Germany in that they house castles hidden within the cracks of the great mountains. The Dolomites do seem to have a particular pink blush to them that I did not see until we entered Italy. It is charming. 

As we descend down into Italy the castles in the cracks of the mountains are replaced with picturesque towns dotting the vast valleys. We stopped in a Italian-Tyrolean village for lunch. It was a cute little town, but much warmer than we had previously experienced. I believe it was about 80ºF in this town. The village is located close to the Italian and Austrian border. Therefore the people of this town speak both Italian and German. This is common in the area.

We made our way through the town toward the restaurant where we were going to have lunch. Our lunch consisted of bread, which was waiting for us on the table, a lovely salad and three different sandwiches. For the bread we had olive oil. This meal also came with a special surprise, free gelato at the end! I got black cherry and stracciatella. Stracciatella literally translates to "rags" or "shards". In this case it is shards of chocolate that has been drizzled into churning gelato. This creates a delectable combination of vanilla gelato and chocolate which delightfully melts in your mouth. It was quite the treat after a tasty lunch! I highly recommend this combination. Both flavors were truly incredible!
We had one more stop just before we would arrive at Venice. This was our first autogrill which was more like a rest stop/grocery store. They had lots of candy, some books, lots of meat and cheese and pasta. It was a neat stop. I found lots of interesting things that made me giggle: monument pasta, Italian books, gummy pizza! It was amusing to say the least. It was fun to get up and stretch our legs after being on the bus for a couple hours.
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We watched as the land became flatter and soon we started seeing signs of the ocean. Just outside Venice they have a cruise ship factory. Dimitri warned us that the number of cruise ships in the bay would indicate how crowded Venice should be. At this point we could not see them, however a couple minutes later we could. Dimitri's voice over the loud speaker said, "Oh dear." We counted three, but as we got closer another couple came into view totaling five. The word on the street is that the best times to venture around Venice are in the evenings and in the early morning. This is the time when the people on the cruise ships have gone back and many of the tourists have left too. Venice is an expensive place to stay. Therefore many of the people working in the city live on nearby islands and many of the tourists get hotels outside of the city. We used a WC before boarding the Vaporetto and it cost 1,00 euro! That is the most expensive run to the restroom I have ever had!
The vaporetto was pretty full when we hopped on. We scattered around trying to find a spot where we could sit and hold our luggage without being in the way. Dimitri had warned us about taking lots of luggage into Venice. He advised that we try and leave as much as we could on the bus. I was able to make it into the city with my backpack, and my tripod. This made getting around a whole lot easier! We rode the vaporetto down to the stop near the Rialto Bridge. From there we walked through windy streets, past gondolas, over bridges and canals until we squeezed through a narrow alley which led to the front door of our hotel, The Mercurio. We made our way up to our room, which was smaller than some of the other rooms we had gotten. It was quite warm and stuffy in the room when we arrived. We tried to turn on the AC, but that did not seem to do a whole lot so we opened the two windows in the room to let some air in. The view was of a wall and below you could hear the sounds of people moving by. We noticed that our chandelier in the room was likely made of Murano glass and matched the decoration on the closet. It was a snug room, but it would work for our two nights in Venice. We packed up a day bag and returned to the streets so that we could get an orientation walk of Venice.
We met at a nearby square where Dimitri pointed out some signs on the corners of a couple buildings indicating which direction certain landmarks are, such as Rialto and St. Mark's. While we were waiting for everyone to show up we spotted a little dog sitting in front of a nearby building. It was very cute and made me miss my Bella. He looked like a very sweet dog, but I did not want to take any chances. First of all Dimitri led us through a maze of streets, pointing out landmarks on the way (landmarks included purse shops, a bank and I think one was a bra shop). Finally we came out into St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco). Up ahead we saw St. Mark's Basilica shimmering in the sunlight. Unfortunately it has some scaffolding on it, but they have to keep it nice for everyone to see, so I guess it is forgivable. From there we walked toward the water where there was a line-up of beautiful gondolas parked and waiting for someone to take them for a ride. As I walked along with the group toward the water I could imagine hundreds of people (thousands even) crowded in this square dressed from head to toe in elegant costumes and masks. The thought of it all filled me with excitement. I wished that I could have seen someone walking through the street as if it were Carnivale. Perhaps someday that opportunity will present itself. 

From this area we could see San Giorgio Maggiore across the canal from us. Off to our right we could see the lovely Salute as well. Venice is a charming town. According to Dimitri it was not very crowded. Compared to home it sure felt crowded I thought. Still, it was nice to be near the ocean, and to be able to smell it so close. Dimitri pointed out a couple areas that he recommended that we visit tomorrow after our tour of Venice with the local guide when we are released to explore on our own. 
After our walk through the city we went to a nearby restaurant for dinner. It was a nice little place. They had blocked off the back of the restaurant for our group. We moved on in and took up our seats. Our first dish was tomatoes with chunks of mozzarella and a leaf of basil called Caprese Salad. It was very tasty, just as tasty as it was beautiful. The next course was seafood pasta (vegetarian was an option but I wanted seafood!). They provided us with another plate to put the shells on once we were done with them. It was very artfully done and very delicious. Dessert was also a very tasty treat, Tiramisu. To finish up the meal they brought out limoncello. I had a sip but decided it was too much alcohol and too much lemon. Mom and Emily enjoyed the little bit they had gotten. Some of the people in our group had a bit too much as they opted for seconds. 
After dinner we made our way down to the canal where we were going to be catching a gondola for a night ride. We hooked up with a couple who had not been drinking through dinner to join us on the gondola. We had a fifth person jump in with us. We were also the first boat to board. The gondolier asked me to get on first. I was anxious as I had my camera in my hands and the boats felt a little unsteady. I think I was making the poor gondolier really nervous. Maybe that is why he had me sit in the seat closest to him! I tried reaching out to a nearby pole to steady the boat while the rest of the group was boarding. He did not like that. He told me to just sit and not touch anything. I tried to keep my hands in my lap, but I still reacted when the boat would shift. I just didn't want to end up in the drink!
Once everyone was inside the gondolas it was better. It still rocked as it moved, and I moved along as if trying to correct the gondolas movement (maybe that is why they gave us the limoncello?). I tried to relax, but I was worried about the boat tipping and my baby getting wet. Once everyone was in their gondolas we began moving along down the canals. Soon the singers began to serenade us and the accordion began to play, lights playfully dancing over the water's surface. It was very lovely as we floated through the canals which were still and silent, the words of our gondoliers echoed delicately off the brick work of the surrounding buildings. We weaved through canal after canal until we emerged out on the Grand Canal. Even here we had the water all to ourselves. There was no moon in sight, but it was still very beautiful and romantic. I took a video while we were there. I hope that this gives you an idea of what the experience was like. It was truly lovely.
When we arrived back at the dock area Dimitri was waiting for us. He helped us to get out of the gondolas. I was very thankful for that. While it was a lovely experience I was still glad to be back on land. 

Some of the group followed Dimitri back to the hotel whereas others, the three of us included, decided to go and explore the city. With Emily as our guide there was no way we could get lost. Although, Emily later explained her ability to get around the town as you are lost until you see something you know. But you know, it worked for her. She led us to the Rialto so I could get some pictures of the bridge as it was lit by night. After that we made our way back to St. Mark's Square. We walked through the center of the square, which was surprisingly clear of people. 
Many of the crowds in the square were centered around various restaurants where musical voices could be heard floating on the air. Peddlers situated themselves all across the square shooting up little lighted toys into the air like fireworks, trying to catch a potential customer's eye. Individuals walked around with bouquets of roses trying to sell them to happy couples. We tried to avoid them as much as we could. The smells of food carried on the slight breeze in the air. It was a nice place to be though. It was finally starting to cool off. It was just all over a pleasant time. 

From St. Mark's Square we made our way, once again, to the water's edge where we could see both San Giorgio Maggiore across the canal and Salute off to the right. After this stop across the water from Salute we decided that it would be best to head back to the hotel and get some sleep in preparation for our adventures tomorrow. For now I bid you all a buona notte (good night)! Arrivederci!