OT - My Excellent European Adventure Day Eight

For those just joining, this is a chronicle of my trip to Europe May 12th to May 28th 2011. If anyone is interested, I have begun posting some photos to go along with the stories on my expressions page.

Venice in the morning, the early light reflecting off the canal, the gondoliers readying their boats for the day, and a sound different from any other city, the sound of boats on the water and no wheels on the road.

We were sitting in front of the hotel, enjoying the morning view as our water taxi arrived.

Our destination: Across the lagoon to the island of Murano. Murano is famous for Venetian glass. It was in the 13th century that the rulers of Venice, fearing a fire in a city built mostly of wood, ordered all the glass factories to this island.

The island was quaint, we were dropped at a dock shared by the bus, and led down a wide street, filled with small stands selling a variety of tourist goods, until we came to a glass shop (selling it, not made of it). Filled with multi-colored knick knacks, it was kind of fun to explore all the different shapes that could be made with melted sand.

Eventually we were called in for the “tour”. The heat from the ovens was intense, and a group of three men was quickly moving back and forth between them, holding long metal tubes with glowing balls of hot glass glowing red-orange at the end. Each of these guys had a variety of scars and burns from working near these forges for many years.

As we watched they manipulated the melted glass, blowing it through tubes and bending it with pliers, and gradually they made a statuette of glass, a figurine of a girl about a foot tall, with a dress and an umbrella. Each piece made separately, and then combined in order to the final, delicate end. There is no question that this is a craft worthy of being an art form (though I can happily report that none of it is on display in my home).

The demo ended, and we went back to the gift shop for another twenty minutes or so. Then it was back to the docks, catching another taxi, and a trip to the island of Torcello.

No one really lives on Torcello anymore, but at one time the island had a reasonable sized population. Today it is home to a well preserved medieval church, Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, which features on its back wall (covering almost the whole wall) a rather disturbing mosaic of the last judgment.

After some time wandering around the church, we walked back past all of the little vendors to the small canal and bridge where we had been dropped off. On one side of the road was the small entrance to a restaurant/inn called Locanda Cipriani. A yellow, two story building with a red tile roof and green shutters around its windows, this is where we would have lunch.

Very unassuming on the entrance, the interior was a bit larger than I expected, but we walked right through that to the garden in the back, stepping into a whole new world. Lush, green vines and small manicured trees provided a shaded area filled with white tables and beautiful flower beds.

The wait staff wore white dinner jackets, black pants and black bow ties, and poured us fresh Bellini’s. Lunch was a pasta dish (linguini?), followed by small salad, then calamari, then a rib plate and finally finishing off with a wonderful tiramisu. Did I mention that the British Royal family has eaten here?

After lunch it was back to the boat, and back across the lagoon to St. Mark’s Square. It was here that we bid adieu to our hosts and, as a group, were on our own. Some went into the church, others for the tour of the tower. Me, well my leg was telling me that standing in place was not a good idea, so Kathy and I set out for the walk back to the hotel, taking a long, scenic route.

It was a Friday, and getting a bit late in the afternoon, so Venice was crowded. Still, the sheer beauty of this city is overwhelming. We marked the map by the piazza’s, small squares, usually containing a church or a fountain. Along the way we passed many corner lunch stands, each with a variety of gelato prominently displayed to tempt the overheated tourist. Needless to say, we gave in to temptation.

Eventually, after passing canals, hidden shops and small gardens, we arrive back at the hotel, with plenty of time for a nap. Tonight is the last night the group will be together, and we both want to be rested for dinner.

We wake after about an hour, dress, prepare our bags for a quick exit the next day, and head down to the lobby. We are early, so we order bellini’s and sit at the tables facing the grand canal. The sun is setting and, even though we are on the wrong side for the view of Venice, the colors are muted and wonderful. Kathy takes pictures of the water, while I enjoy my drink and watch the dog in the boat parked next to the hotel. He and his owner are waiting patiently for a young couple who must have hired them for the day.

I am in the mood to take some pictures of Kathy, and I rise from the table, or should I say I rise into the table, knocking over my drink, spilling it on my last pair of dress slacks and my best silk shirt. Oops.

I rush up to the room, changed again, and rushed back down. By the time I arrive, the group is waiting, so off we go to dinner. It was a short walk, to a piazza that Kathy and I had been to that afternoon, with a theatre on one end, and our restaurant making up one of the walls of the square. It is very busy, as there is a show about to start at the theatre.

We get seated immediately, as our table was being held, and we start the evening with a couple of bottles of prosecco. From here things get a bit fuzzy, but we laughed and cried, and had the raucous merry time of old friends out for a good time.

At the end we said our good byes, and retired back to our rooms. Our companion’s all had early flights back to the states, while we had a 9:30 train taking us to the city of Florence.