After my walk I needed to sit and have a glass of beer-Nastro Azzuro (Blue Ribbon) before tackling the task of unpacking. Bobby brought me a beer from the bar......
and some salty snacks
This would help sustain me until our 7 pm dinner reservation. The hotel had called the restaurant to reserve a seat for us outdoors, right on the canal so we could see the Gondoliers who sail there.
Our rooms were right above the patio at the front of the hotel. We had the three balconies on the right.
I enjoyed seeing boats go by while I sipped my beer....
This is a Vaparetto-a public water bus which is how most Venetians move around the city. We had bought a 24 hour pass while in the USA. The pass needs to be converted into tickets that fit their machines as you get on the boat. We had tried to do this at the airport baggage claim but the machines there were out of order (doh!). We didn't need a Vaparetto ride at the moment but we would have to find another machine or a ticket booth to convert our pass. A single ride costs 7 Euro and a pass saved time and money. If you are found riding without a ticket (there is a conductor on board) you pay a 50 E fine. Cough up the money!!
An ambulance races by. It has a musical siren-we're in Italy so that is only to be expected!
With a few hours to pass before dinner I did my unpacking and followed that up with a deep one-hour nap in the quiet bedroom. We were jet-lagged but one hour is all we can have otherwise we'll end up missing dinner and wake up in the middle of the night.
After a refreshing nap we could look forward to our first real meal of the day. We were going to dine at a touristy restaurant which has made a living for the past 60 years so we figured the food had to be at least edible. The hotel concierge gave us a map and highlighted the route to the hotel.
Somehow, sitting outside, relaxing some more watching the boat traffic over some drinks we found we were running slightly late by 10 minutes and so the hotel called the restaurant and told them to hold the table.
This proved to be a very good idea on the hotel's part.
The forecast was for a thunderstorm that evening. We had been watching the weather before we left the USA and saw rain forecast almost every day- just our luck but we had to be in Venice come rain or shine.
We set off on our walk and the streets were busy with tourists going out for dinner. The sky turned a dark blue and it was only a matter of time before the rain would come. It came at 7.10 p.m just as we arrived at the restaurant. The waiters were rushing to bring in tables that weren't covered by the awning so no one was paying attention to the newly arrived guests for the first minute or two. Wet people soon followed us under cover and would no doubt want a table just to get out of the rain so I had to speak up and called over to the Maitre 'd who had just moved the last table. In my best Italian I told him that we had a reservation booked by Palazzo Sant' Angelo and he welcomed us and pointed us to our table-the only one outside that was empty. What a relief to get seated! The canopy kept us dry as the noise of the rain beat down in a deafening roar. Rain this heavy can't last long I thought and indeed it was over within 10 minutes or so, by which time our waiter had come to introduce himself and take drinks orders to get us started.
Carol at the table, making notes on her phone. Gondolas came down the Canal next to us.
Our first meal in Venice and we were hungry. All the tables in the restaurant were busy. English accents to our right. Some French heard too. The waiter spoke English after we ordered in Italian, which was fine by us as at least we got some practice when ordering. He was friendly and witty which goes a long way with us.
My favorite pasta dish-spaghetti ala carbonara (spaghetti with ham and egg) with a generous helping of parmesan cheese. I bought a very good bottle of Pinot Grigio to wash it down. It cost about $20 US and was so good that Carol even enjoyed a glass.
Prosciutto and melon for Carol and it was delicious.
Our entrees only appear on the video which will follow soon as I was too busy eating to remember to take photos. This is my after-dinner Sambuca and espresso which was served in a cup with a lid to keep it hot. Nice touch!
We enjoyed the food but it was pricey considering how basic it was- cost with tip was $180 for two including wine and Sambuca. Great location though and there was no doubt we were in venice thanks to the canal and the passing Gondoliers.
Here's the video......
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