VENICE
ourlodging
Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo
distancewalked
4.1 Miles
I don’t know what it is about Venice, but we always seem to be late and lost, or lost and late! We missed our connection flight to Venice in 2014 expecting to arrive early on Day 1 of our Best of Venice, Florence & Rome Tour. By the time we arrived at the hotel, we had missed the orientation and the first few courses of the group dinner! We never seemed to catch our bearings the entire time we were in Venice and were constantly lost. Late and lost!
We were determined this time to arrive early and be on time for the group orientation meeting. We arrived in Italy a day early and were armed with live maps for goodness sake. What could possibly go wrong?
day1
Our Milan miscues caused us to arrive in Venice at 3:15 pm, but we were confident we would be at our hotel in a short 15 minutes. We would not be late for the 4:00 pm group orientation!
After exiting the train, we both plugged in the hotel address and followed the Google prompts. "You have arrived." Really? We stood in an empty square with no Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo in sight. It was 3:35 pm. Hey, Google Maps...please explain!
So, then we tried Apple Maps which did take us to our destination. Kevin and I walked through the hotel door at exactly 4:00 pm. Lost, but technically not late!
As usual, our first impression of the RSE guide, Sarah, and our fellow travelers was positive. Everyone seemed excited and engaged. There were some first timers as well as other Rick Steves' alumni and you could tell it was going to be a fun gang. We headed out on an orientation walk and then to a group dinner.
today'shighlight
Old friend encounters
distancewalked
10.8 Miles
day2
Breakfast at the hotel began at 7:30 am and was the typical European buffet of meat, eggs, veggies, pastries and drinks. We always fill up so we can skip lunch if we want. Our group met up afterward with local guide, Elizabeth, for a fact-filled walking tour along the narrow Venetian streets and over emerald hued canals. We enjoyed a fascinating demonstration by a local artisan who makes wooden fórcola's (the fulcrum) and oars for traditional Venetian gondolas. Kevin is a talented woodworker and this was of special interest to him.
Venetian Reflections
.jpeg)
The
first
leaning
tower
we
saw
on
this
trip.
Our morning group tour ended in St. Mark's Square and, for the two of us, a wonderful surprise awaited!
Friends, though absent, are still present.
Marcus Tullius Cicero
Kevin and I stood in St. Mark's Square with hundreds of other tourists and as I glanced through the crowd I spotted a familiar face approaching . . .
Stephanie, Ciao Bella!
Stephanie was our wonderful RSE guide on our Best of Sicily Tour last year. We've stayed in touch and she knew we were on this tour. Unknown to us, she was leading one of Rick's Best of Europe tours that was also in Venice. In fact, four RSE tours were in Venice at the same time! We excitedly made plans to have a drink with Stephanie that evening.
Our free afternoon was spent with a walk along the Grand Canal and taking in some sites including the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. The Frari has many notable works of art, including pieces by Titian, Donatello and Bellini.
We managed to get lost again but made the best of it by enjoying a calzone and gelato along our meandering way.
While our search for Michelangelo turned up empty in Venice, he is believed to have spent time there during his lifetime. He was considered for the design of the new stone Rialto Bridge but Antonia da Ponte was chosen instead.
Time for a sunset gondola ride with friends!
You can't leave Venice without enjoying a relaxing ride in a gondola, guided by a striped shirt wearing gondolier. Be sure to take a close-up look at the fórcola'. Perhaps it was crafted by the artisan we met earlier in the day!
Before our ride through the lagoons, we had our meet-up with Stephanie for drinks and conversation. It was so good to see her and she gave us a recommendation for dinner later. Arrivederci, my friend!
Off we went to the Servizio Gondole where Sarah had reserved boats for the group. We shared a ride with three of our new tour friends, including my buddy and her husband. We were close enough to be serenaded by the musicians in another boat and I got some sunset photos of other tour mates on the Grand Canal.
Dinner + Surprise #2
Dinner at the Al Gobbo di Rialto restaurant per Stephanie's recommendation proved to be our 2nd "it's a small world" surprise of the day. We were treated to delicious food and pleasant service, but the unexpected treat was running into one of Kevin's former co-workers he hasn't seen in 30 years! We still marvel that Kevin recognized him. :-)
