Venice, Italy

Venice...bucket list...CHECK. They advertise it as, and many people believe, it's one of the most romantic cities in the world. I guess it's just a function of personal definition & perspective. While true, Venice has some beautiful churches, picturesque scenery, some stunning, amazing architecture and classic artwork, neither of us would classify it as overly romantic. I think had we visited 40 years ago, the romantic 'wow' factor would've been higher on the scale. Now in my early 60's...(ok MID 60's)...romantic to me is defined not only by scenery, but serenity, peace, quiet & relaxation. According to our guide, Venice has an average of 50,000 tourists a day. There were only two other cruise ships in port with us, and the larger of the two left shortly after we docked, so I had to ask, where the devil are these people coming from?? Most are who the locals refer to as day-trippers. They fly in early, fly out late...or maybe stay a couple days. Some are wedding parties - some are corporate business trips - some are school field trips - the majority are just the average tourist like you & me in for a day or two, maybe a week. It's a combination of the unique atmosphere, environment, mystic, architecture, and yes, the romantic flavor that lures folks here. It's definitely one-of-a-kind. They said as recent as 2012, Venice was the world's 28th most internationally visited city, with 2.9 million international arrivals that year. They claim the number has continued to rise, but don't have updated specifics. Again, it's unlike any other city or destination in the world. Would we return or make a special trip back? The short answer is no . I wouldn't discourage anyone from visiting - but for us, once you've seen and experienced the sights, the sounds, the crowds, the mayhem...a return trip just doesn't appeal to us. We're probably the minority with this one. Take a good look at some of the last pictures during our sailaway - it was 4:30pm on a Wednesday afternoon - you can see the absolute smothering crowds - definitely for the more young at heart.

But you say...what about the charm of the gondola rides through the winding canals?? Stay tuned for more on that.

Our sail-in Tuesday midday was a bust, and entirely my fault. The Captain opened the bow of the ship for massive passenger viewing, but I was only able to find a small space on the port (left) side of the ship - WRONG SIDE. As first time visitors, I should've asked beforehand what the best side would be for photos. We couldn't see too much as the Grand Canal and all the activity was on the starboard or righthand side of the ship. It was really crowded...several hundred folks actually, so we decided to return to our cabin and by the time we did, we were already past most of the high points of interest.

We were docked by 11:30am & wasted no time getting off the ship. There were several water taxis adjacent to the ship terminal, so we bought a two-day, unlimited pass for a very reasonable price and were off. We decided to do the entire route first to give us a good feel for the area. The weather was perfect - a little above 70. We needed to be back to the ship by 6:30 for a Holland America tour...and yes you guessed it...a gondola ride. Well, it's Venice...you have to...right?!

What an interesting, very educational afternoon. The buildings of Venice are constructed on closely spaced wooden piles. Most of these piles are still intact after centuries of submersion. The foundations rest on plates of Istrian limestone placed on top of the piles, and buildings of brick or stone sit above these footings. The piles penetrate a softer layer of sand and mud until they reach a much harder layer of compressed clay. Submerged by water, in oxygen-poor conditions, wood does not decay as rapidly as on the surface. Most of these piles were made from trunks of alder trees, a wood noted for its water resistance. The alder came from the westernmost part of today's Slovenia (resulting in the barren land of the Kras region), in two regions of Croatia, Lika and Gorski Kotar (resulting in the barren slopes of Velebit) and south of Montenegro. So,Venice is basically built on an archipelago of 117 islands formed by 177 canals in a shallow lagoon, connected by 409 bridges. In the old center, the canals serve the function of roads, and almost every form of transport is on water or on foot. Have a heart attack? You'll be transported to the hospital in a boat! Restaurant food deliveries are made by boat, as is routine garbage collection. It was very interesting to watch. In the 19th century, a causeway to the mainland brought the Venezia Santa Lucia railway station to Venice, and the Ponte della Libertà road causeway and parking facilities (in Tronchetto island and in piazzale Roma) were built during the 20th century. Beyond the road and rail land entrances at the northern edge of the city, transportation within the city remains (as it was in centuries past) entirely on water or on foot. Venice is Europe's largest urban car-free area...and is unique in Europe, in having remained a sizable functioning city in the 21st century entirely without motorcars or trucks.

The most recent census numbers: there are 270,00 folks residing in Venice's comune (the population estimate of 270K inhabitants includes the population of the whole Comune of Venezia; around 60,000 in the historic city of Venice; 176,000 in Terraferma (the Mainland); and 31,000 live on other islands in the lagoon), of whom 47% are male and 52% female. Minors (children ages 18 and younger) are 14% of the population compared to pensioners like me who number 26%.

The city is often threatened by flood tides pushing in from the Adriatic between autumn and early spring. Six hundred years ago, Venetians protected themselves from land-based attacks by diverting all the major rivers flowing into the lagoon and thus preventing sediment from filling the area around the city. This created an ever-deeper lagoon environment. During the 20th century, when many artesian wells were sunk into the periphery of the lagoon to draw water for local industry, Venice began to subside. It was realized that extraction of water from the aquifer was the cause. The sinking has slowed markedly since artesian wells were banned in the 1960s. However, the city is still threatened by more frequent low-level floods (called Acqua alta, "high water") that creep to a height of several centimetres over its quays, regularly following certain tides. In many old houses, the former staircases used to unload merchandise/goods are now flooded, rendering the former ground floor uninhabitable. Studies indicate that the city continues sinking at a relatively slow rate each year - therefore, the state of alert has not been revoked. In May 2003, the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi inaugurated the MOSE project (Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico), an experimental model for evaluating the performance of hollow floatable gates; the idea is to fix a series of 78 hollow pontoons to the sea bed across the three entrances to the lagoon. When tides are predicted to rise above 110 centimeters, the pontoons will be filled with air, causing them to float and block the incoming water from the Adriatic Sea. The engineering work was completed just this year.

As you all know, the classical Venetian boat is the gondola, although it is now mostly used for tourists like us, or for weddings, funerals, or other ceremonies. I used to think these were just oversized canoes, and to an extent, they are. But...most of them are lushly appointed with crushed velvet seats and Persian rugs. Less well-known is the smaller sandolo. At the front of each gondola, there's a large piece of metal called the fero (iron). Its shape has evolved through the centuries, as documented in many well-known paintings. Its form, topped by a likeness of the Doge's hat, became gradually standardized, and was then fixed by local law. It consists of six bars pointing forward representing the Sestieri of the city, and one that points backward representing the Giudecca. If you've ever been in a taxi line at the Las Vegas airport or any real busy airport, waiting your turn for a gondola is no different. They churn and crank those oversize canoes through the stalls as quickly as they can. As one fills, there's a supervisor literally yelling for the next one to pull in for passengers. Cha-ching!! That kinda takes the 'romantic' feel out of the experience! Our gondola tour group was divided in two - those choosing to share their ride with two or more couples, and those wishing to be alone. We chose the latter, though the gondolas navigate the channels like a train, each in close succession. None of our evening pictures came out good enough to publish. Cheryl decided to use her cell phone camera, and mine was set incorrectly. It was definitely a unique experience, but we also felt like herded cattle. Our gondolier never greeted us...never engaged us in any conversation the entire 45 minutes...yet he was constantly jabbering with one of his buddies on a neighboring gondola. There was a singer and guitarist placed in one of the tour boats, and they were both actually very good. One had a very deep, resounding voice, echoing off the walls of the narrow canals...and then there was me...sneezing, coughing, hacking...also echoing off the walls - NOT GOOD TIMING BOB! After the ride, we spent some time in the square and even on a Tuesday evening, it was quite crowded. There were a number of sidewalk bands and small orchestras playing throughout...all quite talented. We caught our sponsored water taxi and were back on the ship by 9:30.

Up bright and early Wednesday, Cheryl and I were among the first out the door to catch a water taxi back to the square. The first order of business for me was finding a pharmacy (Farmacia) to buy drugs. Typical for me, what started as a slight sore throat & head cold went straight to my chest. Normally, our family doctor will load me up with all my respiratory medications before a trip, but I've been feeling so good in recent months I completely overlooked it. Huge mistake. I was really struggling and by noon, had a pretty high fever going. We were able to buy some meds, but not the prescriptions I needed.

We spent the next few hours walking & exploring as much as we could. Some advice for future visitors - we found that if you walk perpendicular to the boardwalk attractions, you can find peace & solitude very quickly, and can cover significant ground. It worked every time for us - walk perpendicular. The alleys are narrow, but very lightly traveled - you'll run into an ocassional cat, a few birds, some sidewalk cafes and a few folks. We never once felt unsafe or threatened in any manner.

I was really dragging by 2:00 and we were scheduled to set sail at 4:30. We'd earlier invited some friends to join us outside our cabin for a sailaway party, because the best viewing would now be on the port side of the ship. We set up a nice table with cheese, fruit, crackers, chocolate strawberrys, and chilled champagne. Waiting inside for the guests to arrive, we notice a flurry of activity outside only to find a family of seagulls stalking our table! Had we been another minute or two, they would've consumed everything but the alcohol! Cheryl assumed the guard post outside while I waited indoors. She was able to get some pretty good shots (photos) as you'll see below :)

By Wednesday night, my fever was continuing to climb so decided it was best to make an appointment. I knew I'd be confined to our cabin for at least 24-hours if the medical staff discovered I had a fever, but I really didn't have a choice. My appointment was 9am Thursday morning - a sea day for us. By the grace of God, my fever broke overnight, but I was still one sick puppy. I think my flare-up was caused by all the gas & diesel fumes from the hundreds of water taxis. To digress for a moment, Venice does NOT smell, much to our surprise. The canals were clean - no floating litter or visible sewage - very impressed. The only areas with stale air are around the docking areas, but that's to be expected. Hat's off!

So the ship MD...a relatively young fella...probably in his 40's, and makes his home in Amsterdam. What a wonderful doctor. He spent about 30 minutes with us - took his time to understand my history, gave me a very thorough exam, and I left awhile later with five prescriptions and an order to stay in bed the rest of the day. Only a few hours later, I started feeling better and as I write this on Friday morning, I'm not 100% yet but infinitely better. From the receptionist, to the nurse, to the doctor...everyone was extremely helpful & friendly. Cheryl and I were remarking...we sure don't get that kind of great treatment & hospitality under Obama Care.

That's it for now...