Today’s Schedule
Note: In Venice be prepared for lots of uneven paving stones, bridges and steps all around the city.
Breakfast: On board.
Morning: After breakfast depart ship and take short walk to vaporetto stop. Go for cruise along the Grand Canal. Then when return to St Mark stop, walk to Saint Mark Square. Thomas gives us a wonderful story about one of the 18 columns on the Doges Place side that faces the square.
For those interested, can pay for optional gondola ride.
Lunch: On our own.
Afternoon: Time for a guided tour of the Doge's Palace, symbol of the glory and power of Venice, the famous Piazza San Marco & Bridge of Sighs.
Dinner: On board. Special entertainment from our younger members of the intergenerational group.
Lodging: CroisiEurope MS Michelangelo
My Observations
I wake up early enough to watch the sun come over the horizon. I can watch it from my cabin window. Awesome.
Before breakfast, have a chance to chat with Ginette & her daughter, Michele. They are part of the French group that is on our ship. Of the maybe 150 tourists on the ship, half are from France, the others from USA. I had met Ginette the evening before on top deck, while our young group members were involved with some type of memory game.
As I was watching the game participants, heard Ginette say aloud – “why aren’t those Americans speaking Italian?” I explained that maybe because the game was so difficult that their Italian skills were insufficient. Ginette goes on to tell me, although she is French, her husband was a US soldier and served in Vietnam. I replied I too served in Vietnam. From there, we chatted more about her experience on the ship. She said she was celebrating her daughter’s 52nd birthday. Not quite parent and grandchild, like most others on the ship, but a chance to share time in pleasant surroundings.
I also found out that Michele had served in the US Air Force from 1983 to 1993. After troop reductions from the fall of the Berlin Wall thought she might need to find another source of employment. I was also told that both Ginette & Michele, along with husband, when he was alive, are active in the American Legion Post # 1 in Paris. They promote many efforts for recognition to the thousands of US servicemen who died during WWII and are buried in France. I told her that was quite commendable.
http://www.amerlegiondeptfrance.org/
https://www.facebook.com/ParisPost1
Who would have thought I would be sharing “war stories “ with 2 French ladies on a ship in Venice Italy. Go figure – small world.
Paola & Thomas get us to vaporetto station for a chance to “cruise the waves” of the Grand Canal. I am always thrilled with a boat ride. When we arrived near the same area we launched from, got off at St Marks Square station. Thomas walks us to the Palazzo Ducale (Doges Palace) and proceeds to tell us a story using the sculpting at the top of one of the columns. The top is hex shaped, so he tied in the 6 different figures into the story of Romeo and Juliet. It was too believable. Later, I took photos of all the columns from various angles to study. I wondered – what stories could I have developed?
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ricksteves/getting-around-venice-by-vaporetto-9029/?no-ist
http://palazzoducale.visitmuve.it/en/the-museum/layout-and-collections/ground-floor/
http://www.google.com/search?q=sculptings+on+columns+doge's+palace&client=safari&rls=en&prmd=ivns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAUQ_AVqFQoTCI-rtZ3PuMcCFQh1PgodZ-8O0Q
From there, a chance to ride in a gondola. Mya and I, with 4 others from our group, go for a ride on the narrow canals. Since our gondolier Gianni, did not sing for us, I decide to entertain the group with a few songs. No, nobody cried and yelled for me to stop. It was fun – at least for me. Carol stayed by launch site to get our photos going and coming.
http://www.reidsitaly.com/destinations/veneto/venice/sights/gondola_ride.html
We had part of the afternoon free, so I decided to return to Hotel Principe we stayed at during our visit a week earlier with Maggie and Dan. I had been exchanging notes with our 2 guides from visit 2 years ago. Cristina was with another group and would not be in Venice until our last night. I did find that Michela would have another RS tour group staying at the hotel. I went for lunch at Gino's Pizzeria I like so much. When taking a break between bites of Pizza and sips of beer see..? Yes, it’s Michela with her group, just returning from a walk to visit some local sites. I go our to greet her and think, how lucky was this (-:
Italy Family Style: Best of Rome, Florence and Venice
http://www.roadscholar.org/n/program/summary.aspx?DId=1-7IMH61
After eating, make my way via vaporetto back to St Marks and study the columns that Thomas had used. I returned to ship and found Mya & Carol taking a nap. The heat was exhausting. We all go for dinner. Michael, one of the group adults, provides some light comedy as he shares a heartfelt thanks for the group to our guides. He then tells us, to stay in the dining area, as the younger members arrange for a talent show for us on the top deck.
Yes, it was a great show. It was so nice to see both, young and old alike, who were strangers just days before, sharing such fun.
Thomas also advised these young travelers that they should take this experience as a chance to continue through their life. Although the world looks big, we need to experience all that is available. Sometimes what we read or see in the news, isn’t always accurate.
It’s off to bed for most of us. But know that some of the younger ones may attempt to go visit a local gelato shop a short way from the ship.
Mysteriously, the internet wi-fi did not work the whole time we were on ship. Everybody had to talk with each other. How wonderful (-:
Photo 1 - See. Meet on friend – Michela, our RS tour guide from prior Italy visit
Photo 2 - Do. Mya & I take a gondola ride with Carol offering to take photos. She & I did ride on prior visit.
Photo 3 - Eat. More great food from chef, Adam.
Click here for today's online photo album.
Video above is Thomas encouraging the young to consider longer travel as a possibility.