Early evening, we go looking for a non-touristy place to drink some wine. We find such a place but unfortunately the owners don�t want tourists any more than we do so they basically just ignore us and never take our order even when we ask them to. We get the message and move on down the street to a friendlier venue. In discussing what has just happened, we come to the conclusion that Venice is so over-touristy that the locals resent the tourists even knowing that without them there would be no Venice to visit. A British couple overhears us and basically agree. They are here for the weekend having taken one of Ryanair�s cut rate flights. She is a teacher at Dorton College , the only college in England dedicated solely to teaching blind students. She tells us it is actually funded by the queen. He works as a mechanic which, given the reputation of English automobiles, most likely provides him with a healthy income. We manage to polish off a couple bottles of Soave as we talk.
Feeling no pain, we sort of walk/lurch back to the hotel, stopping on the way to buy salami sandwiches to eat later. We sit in the magnificent lobby bar to have a beer or two and eat our sandwiches. The bartender is an expatriate Argentinean, who has worked all over Europe at many different jobs and has some great stories to tell. Unfortunately, I can�t remember even one of them. Luckily, he closes fairly early allowing us to get to bed before we make complete fools of ourselves.
After a last cappuccino at the now familiar coffee bar, we depart for the train station. We get there early and wander around sampling the scene and enjoying the diversity and cacophony of the hundreds of people there.
The train ride is uneventful as it�s cloudy and the scenery between Florence and Venice is not that interesting. On arrival at Stazione Ferroviaria S. Lucia or Venice Train Station in English, we search for our hotel, The Abbazia. I chose it because it is very near the train station. As usual we can�t find it even with the help of our �Streetwise Venice� map. That�s because it isn�t on a street. It�s down an alley, which sharp-eyed Tom notices has a sign with our hotel�s name on it. We are delighted to discover the Abbazia is a converted abbey with an astounding lobby, that was, at one time, the monk�s dining room including a raised pulpit, from which scriptures were read during meal time. We also notice a beautiful garden and breakfast site that we can see from our window.
After unpacking, we walk to Piazza San Marco via the Rialto Bridge - a long walk. The crowds are horrendous. I can now see what I missed in December, that Venice is over-touristed. At the square we note the long line to visit the Cathedral so we take some pictures of the tourists interacting with the pigeons. You can find them along with other pictures at my Venice photo site
I remember a really friendly place Pam and I visited in December, Planet Dream, a pizzeria and bar. We struggle to find it but finally do. It�s crowded with young people. I am shocked to discover the place now has a cover charge. I learn that during the high tourist season most restaurants have such a charge whether you eat there or not. The pizza is very good and the beer is refreshing but the aftertaste is disappointing. This is the first disappointment. There will be others. After eating, we take a Vaparetto to the Train Station and after a quick drink in the lobby, call it a night.
This morning I realize my Achilles tendon must be healing. I have gone from four Celebrex on heavy walking days to only one in the morning.
I arrive in the breakfast room a little late. Tom looks terrible. He tells me his back went out and he had not slept much the previous night. I commiserate and offer advice. First, take Ibuprofen. Second, I quickly explain a few exercises my chiropractor recommended I do when my back goes out. I know they work. Third, I suggested ways to use a pillow between or under your knees to minimize back stress when you are in bed. Personally, I�ve learned the hard way to wear a back brace when visiting museums and galleries. I used to get horrible back spasms sometimes when I was traveling as a tourist, especially in museums. I suspect it�s the combination of standing with minimal movement for two or three hours, straining to see the exhibits and, oh yes, carrying 40 or 50 extra pounds around. Tom is slender but being a tourist is stressful and makes different demands on the body.
Since Tom is out of action for at least the morning, I opt for laundry duty. I find a nearby launderette. It has the most complicated self-service system I have ever seen. It's almost impossible to figure out the connection between the coin insertion device and specific machines. Fortunately, a bright computer genius from Denmark helps me figure it out. I get my laundry going and spend my waiting time tutoring others who are as confused as I was. At first, I think language may be an issue but an Italian couple has a harder time than anyone using the process. As an additional bonus, I meet a very attractive, delightful Indian-American woman from San Jose. She�s traveling solo through Italy and assures me that she has had no problems, not even from Italian men. Another urban legend shot down.
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This morning the food served at breakfast is mundane but eating it in the garden is terrific. After breakfast we decide to visit San Marco Basilica so we head for Piazza San Marco. The crowds along the way are horrific but we enjoy making snide comments about the �other� tourists as we go. I suspect we garnered a few snide comments ourselves. Fortunately, we couldn�t hear them.
We get to the square only to find that it is a two hour wait to get in the Cathedral. We pass.Instead we visit the Correr Museum which is opposite the Basilica. I had been there in December and I enjoyed the visit just as much this time. It is a superb museum in terms of its artistic treasures, incredibly restored library and archeological exhibits which go back to Roman times, when Venice was just a collection of mud huts in a marsh. The murals in the library are worth the trip by themselves.
Next we visit the The Palazzo Ducale, (Doge's Palace) also on the piazza. This is also a fine museum but more importantly a repository for the history of Venice, architecturally, artistically and historically. We love wandering around, visiting the dungeons and the Bridge of Sighs, the throne room, the armory, etc., etc, etc. We realize we could spend the rest of the day here but we are already thirsty, hungry and weary, a common state when one gets caught up in the beauty and history of a place. I was particularly fascinated with the governing system of Venice. It was an oligarchy with some democratic features. For instance, a really incompetent or evil duke would not last very long. He would just happen to die sooner than he should so the leaders could choose a more suitable candidate.