We had another wonderful vacation and I really enjoyed writing the blog much more than ever before. One of our Tauck travel partners, Steve, announced to the group how much he was enjoying my blog and the Tour Director, Gabby, sent everyone the link. I think you know how much I love to see the reader’s “Comments” and “Likes” but traveling along side of some readers made it even more special.
We had a lovely fairwell dinner last night and said goodbye to our new friends. This morning we left for the airport via water taxi at 3:35 AM. Things went very smooth at the airport because it was essentially empty. The short flight from Venice to Munich might have provided us with the highlight of the trip. Shortly after take off we saw a magnificent sight outside the left side windows. I asked the flight attendant and she confirmed we were looking at the Dolomite mountain range of the Italian Alps. The highest peak is a bit under 11,000 feet but extending through the clouds and being covered with snow presented a glorious picture of the Earth. I took some shots but again they don’t replace seeing them for yourself.
Dolotmite Mountains from our flight from Venice to Munich.
As usual, at the end of a trip, I like to post some pictures of interesting things I have seen during our excursion. I hope you enjoy them.
About 35% of adults in Croatia smoke (compared with about 11% in the USA). Hopefully warnings like this will help get their numbers closer to ours.Messages like this might have the opposite effect. Especially in Alabama.Lots of signs in English here to attract tourist customers. Sometimes they get creative with their spelling. In addition to the creative spelling (exhibition) they have allowed HBO access to the monastery on Lokrum Island. I know I have shown you this before but with my legs looking like they belong to Patrice still cracks me up.Apparently the Croatians can only count to 55? After that they add the appropriate digits?Is a Bloody Mary considered a soup in Croatia?In Split, Croatia parking can be hard to find so they often park on the side walk.All the important rooms are listed on this sign from the Hotel Esplanade in Zagreb.This looked interesting but we didn’t get a chance to go. Next time.
And lastly, a picture of my real travel buddy. Looking relaxed while having lunch in Split, I caught this shot under the table.
We left Rovinj at a reasonable time and took the long bus ride to Venice. Of course we could only take the bus part way. The last part of the trip was via water taxi.
Patrice and Me on the Water Taxi zipping along from the bus drop off area to our hotel
We met our other tour members and our city guides in the hotel lobby, had some appetizers and then headed out on our tour of the Doge’s Palace. Patrice insisted we visited this place when we were in Venice in October of 2022. Unfortunately I had no memory of going inside. A check of my blog posts failed to show any mention of the palace so it looks like I was right for a change. Patrice had been to Venice once without me so she must have confused the two trips (Patrice here: I remember enjoying my visit of the Doge’s palace so Robert definitely wasn’t on that trip).
The palace was okay but I was tired, hot, and my back was aching so this was not a highlight for me. Here are a couple of things I did like. Statues of Hercules and Atlas.
HerculesAtlas.
I think those muscular bodies reminded me of myself when I look in the mirror each morning. (Patrice here again. Did Robert mention he has cataracts?)
After the palace, Gabby took us to a local Murano glass blowing shop. There we saw an amazing demonstration of how these objects are made. Below is a link to a video of what we saw.
They showed us all sorts of beautiful works of art they have for sale. We decided not to buy the serving tray, decanter, and set of glasses for 1,800 Euros in spite of it being discounted down from 2,800 Euros. It was a close call. Patrice elbowed me and said, “Let’s get it”. My intestines started to roar, my heart began to race, and my pores began to pour out sweat. But then I was saved by one of our fellow travelers asking, “Can you put them in a dishwasher?” With the answer being, “No, do not put these items in a dishwasher”, Patrice said, “Forget it” and I could breathe again.
We headed back to the hotel to rest up for dinner and that is when I really began to sweat. I had given my fellow travelers the big build up and now it was time to perform my magic trick. Patrice videoed the event and although I won’t be making anyone forget David Copperfield or Doug Henning, I do think things went pretty well. Check out the video and let me know what you think.
Shortly after this we said goodbye to our 20 new friends and hopefully we will see them again very soon.
Time for me to say goodnight to my followers. Believe it or not we leave for the airport via water taxi at 3:40 AM.
Yes, this trip has finally come to an end. Patrice and I were definitely ready to go home (which we safely did last night) and we both think this was one of our best trips ever. Thank you to all the people who helped make it such a success. Also many thanks to all the people who left comments on the blog. I really enjoy hearing from you and staying connected to our friends and family. Here are a series of photos that I found interesting but didn’t get a chance to send them during the trip. They are in no particular order.
Your restauarant server wants to make sure that you know that Europe is no different than the USA. See this copy of one of our dinner checks.
The most common clothing attire I saw on the trip was the NY Yankee baseball cap. I guess they didn’t hear that the Astros eliminated the Yankees from the playoffs 4-0. See below, one of many.
And if you want to buy a Yankee cap they are easy to find.
In Milan, the Galleria had lots of high-end stores. See below.
After all your shopping at the Milan Galleria, you can stop for some fine dining at this location.
We saw a few of these strange devices on the streets of Bologna. No one used them and I am not sure what they are used for.
We saw this boat with an odd name in Venice. Acqua is the Italian word for water. I think you can figure out the rest.
Chocolate Lentils? That is my idea of fiber. See below.
When you gotta go, this is the place to go if you are in the Marco Polo airport in Venice. While you are at it please pick up after yourself. See below.
In Madrid, we saw signs of the USA and Canada. First, we saw little hot dogs from Nebraska. I didn’t realize Nebraska was a hot dog Mecca. See below.
I know you can see Tim Horton’s all over Canada but it looks like they are also attacking Madrid.
Looking to connect with George Washington? Try Budapest. See below.
Budapest had this very unique piece of art in a park (see below). It is also an ecological tool since it encourages people to put their plastic bottle caps inside. See the hole on the right side.
How about a taste of NYC while you are in Budapest? See below.
Did you know that Moses was a techie? See below,
In German the word for jewelry is Schmuck. I know a lot of guys who would say anyone who spends a lot of money on jewelry can be described with the same word. See below.
If you are homesick for Venice Beach in Los Angeles, just get on a tram in Vienna.
But lastly, this is my favorite memory of the trip.
Last night we went to the opera and watched a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Traviata”. The theater was formerly a palace and the work was performed by a very small ensemble. There were three musicians and three singers. The opera has three acts and each was performed in a different room with a 10-minute intermission allowing the audience to move to the next venue. It was very enjoyable and I would consider going to another opera in the future. Does anyone know when “Porgy and Bess” will be performed locally?
Upon entering we were greeted with this warning advice.“Violetta” taking her bows. The room was very hot and unfortunately, we were in the back during every act.
We then had another great dinner, this time at Ristorante Acqua Pazza (S. Marco, 3808, 30124 Venezia VE). We had an appetizer of Parma Prosciutto and Melon, followed by Pasta with Lobster for Patrice and Amberjack for me. For those of you who never heard of Amberjack, join the club. It is a very tasty fish and I was very pleased.
Prosciutto and melon. Sorry, we were almost done eating it before I remembered to take a picture.
Today we left Venice and flew to Madrid. We went to the Venice airport (VCE) via water taxi followed by a standard taxi (if you consider a Mercedes standard). We were accompanied by our guide Anna Lisa who told us some facts about Venice that our previous guides either didn’t tell us or the information went in one ear and out the other. It must have been the former since Patrice didn’t recall these tidbits. If it had just been me I would assume it passed untouched threw my empty head.
Traversing through the Venice airport went smoothly. After making it through security we relaxed in the lounge waiting for our flight. I got a bit of a fright because I dozed off prior to our 11:55 flight only to see this sign when I awoke
I initially thought it was 10 minutes after four but I soon realized it was the 16th of October. Phew!
Leaving the lounge I had a chance to see how far my Italian had progressed. When we left I said “Grazie” (thank you) to the front desk clerk and she immediately replied in English. I guess my Italian needs a little more work.
The flight to Madrid went well, but the highlight of our trip was being greeted at the MAD airport by our favorite driver, our wonderful daughter Erica. She brought us to our hotel and then lead us through a traditional Madrid activity. We did laundry. We still have 2 weeks left on our vacation so it was either do laundry or pay the tour company an additional fee for “hazard pay”.
Patrice, Robert, and Erica at the laundromat.
After finishing the laundry, we got ready for dinner. Erica and Patrice went to the hotel gym to work out and I took a nap.
I am looking forward to tomorrow when we do……. Actually, I don’t know what we will be doing.
When I left you yesterday we were on our way to the opera. Well, at least I thought we were. Turns out that last night we went to the Chiesa Della Pieta, also referred to as the “Vivaldi Church” to hear a string ensemble play Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”. They also played pieces by Handel and Bach. For an encore, we were treated to “Recomposed: by Max Richter, Vivaldi – The Four Seasons”. The group was excellent. Patrice spoke to one of the musicians after the performance and found out that the group was part of a 40-piece orchestra the musicians rotate playing at the venue. This was a real treat. Interesting to me was that just like at La Scala in Milan, the musicians did not talk to the audience before, during, or after the performance.
Video of the Vivaldi church prior to the concert:
Vivaldi church. All seats are the same price. We just got lucky.
Video of ensemble playing “Recomposed by Max Richter”. I hope this doesn’t break any copyright rule and bring down my site.
Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi The Four Seasons.
After the brief concert (a little over one hour) we went to dinner at Vecia Cavana (Via Tera Santi Apostoli, 4624, 30121 Venezia VE). We have been using Google Maps to get around and when I put in the restaurant as the destination it gave me two estimates, 17 minutes by car (no cars in Venice) or 16 by foot. For obvious reasons, we decided to walk. We could only get a late reservation and since the concert was very short we arrived very early. I spoke to the maître d’ and said we were a little early (about 40 minutes to be more precise). He said we would have to wait, about 5 or 10 minutes. That was great and he asked us to sit outside and that he would send out an “aperitif”. Moments later a server came out with two glasses with a pinkish liquid. Patrice asked what they were and he said, “It’s a secret” but finally fessed up that they were grapefruit juice and ginger. They were delicious and really made us feel wanted by the staff (who doesn’t want to feel wanted?). A few minutes later we were escorted to our table. The server explained that Vecia means old and Cavana is a place to store a boat. The restaurant is located at the site of a 16th-century boathouse, thus the name.
At Vecia Cavana in Venice. Notice two things. The lovely aperitifs sent by the maitre d’ and my reflection in the mirror. I took (and deleted) a photo with me a little further back showing a profile shot I would prefer. to ignore.
We had an excellent meal and really enjoyed the restaurant’s piano player. At one point he started playing “Here Comes the Bride” and they brought out a cake with the number 50 because a couple from Texas was celebrating their 50th anniversary that night. They told us that they were on an anniversary celebration trip lasting the entire month of October and would be meeting their 5 children at the end of the trip in Rome.
We are not far behind them.
Today we had a free day and my tour guide, and wife outdid the professionals. First, we went to the Peggy Guggenheim museum. It was small but very impressive. There were a lot of Picassos, Magrittes, and other famous artists’ works. Max Ernst has a number of pieces and we found out he was married to Peggy Guggenheim from 1942-1946. He also had three other wives spanning from 1918 (when he was 27) until his death in 1978. According to Wikipedia, there was not one year during that time that he didn’t have a wife. I guess he hated having just cereal in the morning.
From there we took the water bus to San Giorgio island where we toured the Basilica Di San Giorgio Maggiore. They had a temporary exhibit beyond belief. It was a huge Murano glass sculpture by artist Ai Wei Wei from China. It’s made of over 2,000 pieces of handcrafted Murano black glass. It is six meters wide and nine meters high. It is the largest hanging sculpture made of Murano glass in the world. Please look at these pictures and keep in mind it is all glass.
Wei Wei’s Murano glass sculptureClose-up view of part of the same piece.
In addition to the atrium glass masterpiece, there were a series of Lego sculptures in the hallway, depicting the various Chinese Zodiac signs. These specialties were also made by Wei Wei.
The Rooster2022 is the year of the Tiger. Sorry, this looks more like a Bear to me.
After that, we paid to go to the top of the Campanile Tower and we were treated to marvelous views from the tower. If you look at this video you will see a number of boats in the Grand Canal. Apparently, there is a regatta tomorrow and these boats will be participating. You will be able to tell (if your sound is turned on) when it is 2:30 because you will hear the bell and see the picture wobble as I almost dropped my camera (and became temporarily deaf).
Now it is off to the opera. Hmmm, I just had a deja vu moment.
We leave Venice tomorrow so I am not sure when I will post next. Tomorrow is a very special day because we will be seeing the most important person on our trip. More about that tomorrow.
After leaving the Ferrari museum we stopped for a pleasant but overpriced lunch at the nearby Ristorante Montana (Via XX Settembre, 3, 41042 Fiorano Modenese MO). The food was good as was the service but not nearly the quality we had at Donatello or Osteria Romagnola but we paid close to the same amount for our lunch as we did for dinner at the other places.
After lunch, we had about a two-hour drive to Venice. The city is only accessible by foot or boat so we were met at the outskirts by Federica a petite-looking woman who runs the tour company we are using in Venice. Much to my surprise she insisted on taking BOTH of our suitcases and wanted us to hand her our backpacks too. Oh well, for petite-looking, I wouldn’t dare mess with this lady.
The boat ride brought us to Londra Palace (https://www.londrapalace.com/it/hotel.html) and this place really is a palace. The hotel first opened in 1853 and has evolved through a variety of names and renovations to be the facility we are staying at today. We were welcomed by a front desk person who took the usual information and then personally escorted us to our 3rd-floor room. The room is very spacious (similar to our hotel in Milan) with a lovely view of the Grand Canal.
View from our room at the Londra Palace. My photography skills do not do it justice.
This is a major change from our hotel in Bologna (Hotel Touring) where we were very disappointed in the accommodations. The Hotel Touring staff was great but our room was small, the breakfast was only adequate, and the shower was microscopic. The shower measured 27.5 inches by 35 inches.
Touring Hotel shower. Each tile measures 2.5 inches, you do the math.
In contrast, the Londra Palace is in a class by itself. The staff is amazing. I already told you about the front desk clerk escorting us to our 3rd-floor room. Another clerk took us into a separate room and showed us on the map where we were located and some interesting spots to hear classical music (yes, that was Patrice who was asking about classical music. I am not that cultured). The room is fantastic and the shower is beyond any comparison. Not only is the shower large, but it also has a separate sitting area for your partner with its own water source.
The main portion of the Londra Palace room shower.Sitting area for your partner with its own water source.
In addition to the room, there is a rooftop deck with a wonderful view of the city and the Grand Canal. The Touring Hotel also had a very nice rooftop view but not compared to this one. Breakfast this morning was great. We could get eggs prepared as we wished. The pastries were fresh and delicious. They gave us freshly squeezed orange juice. We each had a cappuccino with a design that showed pride in workmanship. I also ordered salmon and was embarrassed when it arrived because it was even too much for the two of us, yet for me alone. It was the best meal of the day. I am looking forward to breakfast tomorrow and we haven’t even had dinner tonight.
Patrice’s omlette.Salmon for one?Cappucino with a heart.
Speaking of dinner we had a wonderful meal last night at Bancogiro (Campo San Giacometto, Ponte di Rialto, 122, 30125 Venezia VE) where we sat outside by the Grand Canal. This place was recommended by our friend Karen and when I looked at David and Robyn’s pictures from their summer trip to Venice we saw they had been there too. I mostly mentioned dinner because I had to post a picture of the Zuppa (soup).
Happy Face soup with barley, monkfish, and other goodies.
Today we had a wonderful walking tour from our guide, Mauro. He was full of all sorts of interesting facts about Venice and Italy. He showed us the main sights and since he is a guide we got to bypass some very long lines.
After a brief rest at the hotel, we were taught how to row a gondola by our guide, Elena. It was fun and not as difficult as I thought it would be (especially with Elena doing most of the paddling). During the “lesson” we stopped for some snacks (cicchetti) and a drink. I had an Aperol Spritz (my son, David, and his wife, Robyn talked about them during their visit so I had to give it a try). I really liked the drink but since my alcohol consumption is about 1 every 2-3 years I was ready to go to bed soon after. Speaking of bed I better either have dinner or go to sleep soon because I am fading quickly. Before I leave you please check out this video of Patrice paddling and me relaxing. https://youtube.com/shorts/YYP3qjGRsjU
Lots of fun things are planned for tomorrow. See you then.
For our last night in Bologna, we had a very special dinner at Antica Osteria Romagnola (Via Rialto, 13a, 40124 Bologna BO). This place was recommended by our friend, Dominic, who had also recommended Donatello where we dined the previous night, and had a fantastic meal.
AOR appeared to be more of a restaurant for locals rather than tourists. First of all, Google maps said we had arrived when we were in a dark alley without any sign of a restaurant. Luckily we had the good sense to walk around the corner and realized we were previously behind the place. We were seated in a relatively small room with 5 other parties, all of whom were speaking Italian. Our server greeted us and immediately started talking in Italian. When we identified ourselves as being ignorant of his language he said he would try to tell us about the menu with the little English that he spoke. He then proceeded to tell us all the specials of the day in PERFECT English. We ordered the suckling pig for two which he told us cooks for 8 hours at a low temperature and then at a high temperature just before serving to warm the meat and make the skin crispy. Eight hours is a long time to wait for your meal but lucky for us they started the process long before our arrival. While we waited he suggested an appetizer to satisfy our hunger (Hunger? Something we haven’t experienced since we landed in Milan). The appetizer contained marinated tomatoes, Carmelized onions in balsamic vinegar, chickpeas (of all places you would think they would call them garbanzo beans in Italy) in a spicy marinade, black olives, and a mixture made with tomato, bread, and basil (a recipe from Tuscany). We also received bread, a spread made with ricotta and cream, and mortadella (“Not baloney!” according to our server.)
From front to back Tomato Mixture, Black Olives, Chick Peas, Carmelized Onions, Marinated Tomatoes. To the right of the platter is the ricotta/cream and to the left is the Mortadella (Not Baloney!).
I enjoyed watching the server cut the mortadella which he did repeatedly. The slicing machine was purchased in 1927 and the restaurant opened in the 1600s. The video of the server slicing the mortadella can be found here. https://youtu.be/tlfGqmifPLk
For the main course, Patrice and I shared the Suckling Pig for two. The server brought us the platter and then handed us a canister of sauce saying, “This is what makes the magic happen”. Segovia, Spain is supposed to be the home for this dish but nothing I have eaten in Segovia compared with what we had at AOR.
Suckling pig with a canister of sauce in the background.
After dinner, we asked the server if we could see the dessert menu. He told us “I am the dessert menu” after which he rattled off about 6 dessert descriptions. They all sounded wonderful but we opted to top off the night with “Apple Pie with a scoop of ice cream”. Here is the picture and you will have to tell me where is the pie. All I see is some cake.
Apple pie?
This morning we headed to Venice by private car but first a stop at the Ferrari museum. Apparently, a tour of the factory is only given to car owners so we had to settle for the museum. It has been said that Italian sports cars are magnets for hot women. So if you are looking for a hottie consider buying one of these.
1987 Ferarri F40. Zero to 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds. American-made Tesla Model 3 does it in 3.1 seconds)
I have to confess that it was my Italian sports car that got Patrice interested in going out with me. Here is a picture of my beauty.
1974 Fiat 128 sedan.
I never knew the 0-60 mph time for my Fiat because at 55 mph it would start vibrating as if it was about to collapse. I kept the car for 5 dangerous years. When I finally sold the car we celebrated by going out to the Palm restaurant in Beverly Hills. We almost spent all the proceeds from the sale of the car on that dinner. We saw Kareem Abdul Jabbar there that night. Do you think he would mention seeing us that night on his blog?
The Ferrari museum tour was interesting but I think I disappointed our guide when she asked if I was interested in Formula 1 and I replied, “No my wife breastfed all our children”. She showed us a lot of beautiful cars and talked about the various champion drivers from Ferrari. Unfortunately, I only remembered one of them. When she mentioned Nikki Lauda I asked “Wasn’t he the poor soul who had an accident and was burned beyond recognition?” She didn’t seem pleased.
Nikki Lauda before.Nikki Lauda after.
After the tour, we were given two “Fan Experiences”. First, we got to drive a Ferrari simulation. It was very hard for me to get this old body in and out of the simulator but it was a lot of fun driving close to 200 km/h. I didn’t even get hurt when I drove off the track and almost crashed into the grandstand. I didn’t get hurt but I did get nauseous. Virtual reality rides are not my thing.
Patrice getting ready to ride and showing off her souvenir Ferrari hat.Robert learning how to operate the simulator and showing off his bald head.
The other fan experience was to change a Ferrari tire. Patrice jumped right in and whipped that tire off and with a little help from me (very little) she got that tire back on. The drill used to loosen and tighten the nut was incredibly loud and I hate painfully loud noises. The guide asked if I wanted to change a tire and I told him, “No thank you, that it why I have AAA”.
We are at the hotel in Venezia (Venice) but I will give you an update tomorrow.
Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other Ramblings 