Breakfast and Frari Church

The hotel provided a buffet breakfast for it's guests. It's a small hotel of 26 rooms therefore the buffet is small by many American hotel standards but what they have-cold meats, cheeses, breads, cereals, scrambled eggs, fruit and most importantly coffee, of a quality not found in the USA no matter how many Starbucks they build, is enough to get you moving on another day of sightseeing.

The room itself was small and cosy and we heard French and British voices at neighboring tables.

Frari church is notable for being the tomb of Titian the great artist and is to home to some of his works. It is forbidden however to take photos and videos inside the church-athough some did with indiscrete foot-long Nikon lenses. Not I, as I respect the rules.

Here are some photos from our short excursion- one stop via Vaparetto to the other side of the Grand Canal, then a pleasant 10 minute easy stroll through narrow alleys where people live.

Frari bell tower in Campo di Frari

Yet another canal

A narrow alleyway where residents have left their trash out for pickup

The Frari was well worth the visit and I wish I had photos to show you the interior. Maybe you have to see it for yourself?

We walked back to the Grand Canal to catch a Vaparetto and Carol had the urge to sail all the way up the canal to Piazzale Roma where our adventure began just the day before. Our pass allowed us unlimited rides so there and back again seemed like a good idea.

We strolled along a quiet canal to the Vaparetto stop...

Just another beautiful quiet street in Venice.

Here's the video of our morning so far....

Vaparetto ride continued

On my way back to Hotel Palazzo Sant' Angelo for breakfast....

An interesting metal sculpture...

Very little traffic on the water this early but in a couple of hours....

Accademia Bridge and Vaparetto stop

Good restaurant location but not enough time this trip to sample their food and hospitality.

Another Vaparetto overtaking us while we stop

That Vaparetto trip saved me a long walk and I had already worked up an appetite but breakfast would happen in an hour or so as we had planned to meet in the breakfast room at 7.30 a.m (not 9 as I may have said previously)

Once back at the hotel I met the man who was setting up the room for breakfast and asked if there was any coffee to be had- Si ! was the answer and he told me I could go outside and sit by the canal and he would bring it to me. Excellent service and he brought me an excellent double espresso which I sipped while watching the trash boats and delivery boats preparing the city for another day of pleasing and thrilling the tourists, of which I proudly counted myself one.

If the hotel had had a restaurant I might never have left it all day. Just watching the canal traffic was better than television.

We had an excursion planned after breakfast- to the Frari church, one Vaparetto stop and a short walk away. We had seen it on a Rick Steves show on PBS television in the USA. If you don't know who Rick is just Google his name and learn. He is the best traveler/writer on Europe in our experience and we take his advice and tips seriously. Check him out!

Here's the video portion of my early morning in Venice.....

Venice at dawn

Once I had finished my first cup of espresso for the day it was time to walk back towards the sea.

Great location for a Hard Rock Cafe!

And across the canal a Best Western Hotel....

I passed through St Mark's Square again on my way to the banks of the Guideca canal.

This is a 5 masted cruise ship called the Wind Surf returning to Venice.

The promenade along the Guideca canal. People are now out and about as Venice wakes.

The pricey and overly ornate hotel Danieli (see the interior on their website)

Newspaper stand at S. Marco Vaparetto station. There is a manned kiosk here where we validated our tickets the night before.

We had a few things planned for today. Breakfast in the hotel at 9 a.m was #1, followed by a visit to the Frari church nearby. At some point there would be lunch followed by the Opera at 3.30 after which we would join our ship at San Basilio dock on the Guideca canal.

So around 7.30 I thought I'd catch a Vaparetto back to the hotel.

While waiting at the station I caught sight of a German cruise ship coming into port-the Aida Aura I believe it was. I took some photos on the journey back to the hotel....

Vaparetto station Giglio

more to follow........

Venice before dawn

Despite being jet-lagged I woke on the morning of September 20 at 4.30 a.m after 5 hours sleep.
I usually get up early, even when on vacation and once I opened the metal shutters that kept canal noise out while we slept and stepped out onto the balcony there was no chance that I would go back to bed and sleep some more. Further up the canal stood the Rialto Bridge in the dark and without one person on it (they were all asleep!).

I decided to go walking while I had Venice to myself and by 5 a.m I was ready. I was of course wearing my money belt but took only 20 Euros with me. I wore my camera bag so it couldn't be snatched if I met the wrong person in the dark.

Once out on the streets and away from the canal, where the streets are very narrow and dark, I wondered if what I was doing was wise. The streets looked deserted but I could hear footsteps in the distance and would turn a corner to see someone disappearing down an alley up ahead which I was going to pass. It was a little creepy to begin but I pressed on knowing I might never get this chance again. I was very aware of my surroundings with each step, relying on my ears as much as my eyes.

After 5 minutes of walking in the general direction of Rialto (walking parallel to the canal) I began to see people going to work and felt less insecure. They saw a tourist walking without a map. I only spoke to one person-a street cleaner. I asked him where Rialto was  and he responded in rapid Italian with turn by turn directions which I luckily understood and soon found myself at the foot of the bridge.

From my room I had seen boats with lights by Rialto. These were boats making deliveries to restaurants and bars. Soon they would be joined by boats picking up the trash from the day before.

As it was after 5 a.m now the Vaparetto would be running and I decided I would take one back to St Mark's Square rather than walk. I was now on the opposite side of the canal from our hotel. I checked the timetable at the nearest Vaparetto stop and there was one due in 7 minutes. I took a couple of photos while waiting for the boat.

The Vaparettos run on time and the time of each sailing is displayed. If you miss one there will only be a ten minute wait or so.

I was the only tourist on the boat. The few other people were making their way to work. The Vaparetto has a small open deck at the bow and at the stern which is where I liked to sit and take photos and videos without windows in the way. A recorded  voice over the PA will announce the stop you are approaching.

Within 15 minutes or so we were on the Guideca canal and approaching St. Mark's Square.

At this time of the morning-before 6 a.m there were few people in the Square. I saw 5 street sweepers using old fashioned brooms. Some people coming to work in the restaurants. A mother and her child out walking.

I hadn't yet had coffee and was hoping to find a cafe to fix that major problem. There aren't Starbucks coffee houses on each street corner in Venice-if there are any at all- so I had to go searching in the streets off the square.

My nose was working overtime, hoping to smell coffee in the air...

I finally found a cafe open. It was the only source of light in a very narrow dark alley but the air was full of the smell of rich, dark espresso. There was only one small table in it and two older Italian gentlemen were sitting there with a small dog at their feet. I ordered an espresso and once I had my cup of life-giving elixir I took it outside to the street and found a doorstep to sit on. A gentleman next to me was reading a local newspaper and sipping a cappuccino . He was reading by the light from the cafe. The coffee was better than anything you can buy in a Starbucks. The beans were Lavazza.

Suitably refreshed I could now head back to St Mark's as I wanted to be on the Guideca canal at dawn to see if any ships were coming in. My ship would be coming in today. She might already be here even though it wasn't yet 7 a.m.

To be continued....

St Mark's Square by night

The heavy downpour in Venice was short-lived and once we had paid for our meal we set off on our walk to St Mark's Square, maybe 15 minutes at a slow strolling pace, stopping now and then to look in the colorful tourist shop windows.

We had planned to visit the square after dinner and imagined ourselves sitting outside the famous Cafe Florian, having a drink while listening to the band who plays there. The square was still wet though and the crowds that would have added to the atmosphere on a warm September night were back in their hotels or sitting inside the restaurants and bars. So we just walked though the square and out to the Guideca canal where we found an attendant at the Vaparetto ticket booth who could create tickets for us from our 24 Hour Pass print-out.

With a 24 hour Vaparetto pass issued late in the evening we now had unlimited water-travel for the rest of our time in Venice. It would prove to be worth the money....

Here's a video of our visit to the square and our first Vaparetto ride.....

Dinner at da Raffaele

We were only in Venice for 20 hours before transferring to the ship but during that brief time I found my favorite place to relax- on the stone patio outside the door to our hotel. This was the place to have a beer, served by Bobby the cheerful Philippino bartender who has worked that bar for 12 years.

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......