Verona and Venice
Our following destinations while in Italy are Verona and Venice. We left a little late from our Bologna place and had to hurry to the train station. A time crunch is never fun, but it's even worse when we have all our bags. Thankfully, we got to the train station in time to catch the one we needed. We only take it a few stops and get off at a larger station for another train to Verona. The train for the more extended travel has comfortable seats and power outlets. However, since it's only an hour to get to Verona, the kids aren't concerned about using their laptops to pass the time. The scenery is beautiful, and I don't tire of seeing small villages and green hills.
We pull into Verona and need to catch a couple of buses to our place. Our first bus takes us to the city's central piazza, and we see the Verona colosseum. It's older and much better preserved than the Colosseum in Rome. Trailers and equipment are just outside because an opera will be performed inside, for which we have tickets. We hop on the bus we need and go to our place. Our host has allowed us to drop off our bags since we are a couple of hours early for check-in. The cleaning crew is there and tells us they are nearly done, but the floors need to dry. A park is around the corner from our building, and we go there to pass the time. We head back after a while and settle into our new place.
One of our favorite grocery stores is Aldi, but we needed to take a bus to get to the closest one. All of us except the oldest went to the store. The kids love seeing if there are different types of snacks and candies at new stores. Tanya and I get enough to fill up our bag and backpack, which is a few day's worth. The kids get a couple of things for themselves, which always makes them happy. We catch our bus back to our place and unpack groceries. It's too soon for dinner, so I get caught up on this blog and relax before starting dinner. This area still has good prices on fresh pasta, so we got that for dinner. Even though I love cooking, I still appreciate an easy dinner. Our meal is pasta mixed with sauce and meat. I also made a caprese salad, which we all love.
The next morning, we planned on exploring Verona. The city has a popular overlook, so that's our first stop. We take a couple of buses to get to our starting point. Since the lookout is on a hill, we immediately start walking uphill. We are walking through a very charming residential area. Vines grow over windows and doors, and flowers randomly adorn doorways and window sills. We arrive at a nice green park with benches and pretty views. The walkway continues past the entrance, but we decide to explore the park. It had large trees, which provided a shaded walk for a while. The path winds up, and we try to see if we can get to the overlook this way. We walked as far as we could and realized it didn't go as far as we hoped.
We went back to the main walkway and continued up. There are more and more steps, and we get closer to the top. It wasn't too steep, but it was a little tiring. For anyone who couldn't make the walk, there is a funicular, a gondola on an incline railway. We get to the top and have several places to choose for a beautiful view. The place is called Castel San Pietro. It faces Verona, and behind it are gorgeous green hills dotted with buildings. We go to either end of the place to get different panoramic pictures of the city below. This a nice place to relax and enjoy our surroundings. There is an eatery on one end that is closed. We borrowed a table and sat down to eat our lunch. After this, we head back down to walk through the old town.
We walked across Ponte Pietra and admired the view from here. There is a shopping district nearby, which we walked through and stopped at a Starbucks for a bathroom break. We continue to take in the charm and feel of the streets and buildings. Since Verona is the setting for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, there is a place called Juliet's balcony. We make our way over to it and join the hordes of people flowing into the small courtyard. It would definitely be a more pleasant experience without the crowd, but it's still a neat place. There is a Juliet statue where people gather to take pictures. Apparently, there is a tradition of touching the breast of the statue to either bring good luck or good luck in love. We didn't find out until later why people were doing it, but the breasts of the statue were polished bronze compared to the rest of it. We get pictures of and with the balcony and head out.
The next logical stop for a new city in Italy is gelato. We walked down the street and found an excellent gelateria we saved. After we get two cups with various flavors, we go around the corner to sit and eat. It's so good that these two cups won't be enough. We get another two cups with more flavors and indulge ourselves. Feeling satisfied from our gelato, we walk further down the street toward the main piazza. When we got there, we saw a large, elegant sculpture of a heart made of metal. We took some pictures with it, walked more into the square, and took pictures of the stadium and the buildings surrounding the piazza. With our exploring done for the day, we catch a bus home. It's early enough in the afternoon that we don't have to get started on dinner when we arrive home. So we have time to relax, do our own thing, and prepare for tomorrow.
Today we are going to Venice. Tanya and I have talked to the kids about it since she and I went eight years prior. We catch an early bus to the train station and hop on a train there. It was best to start early to make the most of the day and get there before large tourist groups. We also came on a Wednesday, hoping the tourist crowds would be smaller. Walking out of the central terminal into Venice with the whole family was surreal. The view made a big impression on me when my wife and I were first there together. Now, I see it with my entire family. We all stop and take it in for a minute, and Tanya checks our directions from here to our first stop.
The first place we are going is Ponte dell Accademia. It's a popular spot for photos since you can see the Basilica Santa Maria della Salute at the end of a canal lined with beautiful buildings. Tanya and I took a selfie here on our first trip, and we wanted to recreate the picture and have a family photo. Along the way, we navigate the skinny streets with the crowds. Despite the people, we can still appreciate the look of Venice as we go. When we arrived at the bridge, several people were taking pictures, so we waited our turn. Tanya and I step up to take our selfie and then bring the kids in. The girls want to take more pictures, so the boys and I go down the bridge to sit and wait.
After they finish, we walk to the Basilica Santa Maria della Salute. It's a neat church and is situated on a point of land. You can walk to that point next with the large canal on one side and the Grand Canal on the other. We decide to hang out here for a while, taking pictures and strolling up and down the walkway. Our plan is to take a gondola water ferry, or traghetto, across the Grand Canal to St. Mark's Square. One eventually arrives, and we climb onboard. Since the traditional gondola rides are so expensive for five of us, this is as close as we will get. However, we enjoyed our ride since it crossed a vast part of the canal. We climbed out and walked a short distance to Piazzo San Marco.
We are here to visit the Basilica di San Marco. There is a long line, which is expected, so we join it. While waiting, Tanya looks up and reads historical facts about the church and Venice. This church has the same rules about clothing, so our youngest puts on her shawl before we go in. There is a booth to pay for entry, something Tanya and I didn't know about. It was free on our last visit, and we didn't check if it had changed. It's 3€ a person, and we feel it's worthwhile. We go in and admire the magnificence of the church. It is beautifully decorated throughout. The domed ceilings are gilded with gold, and intricate geometric designs on the mosaic floor. We walk down one to the front and back up the other. There is a foyer between the church entrance and the entrance from outside. We go in here and notice we can either leave or go up to the second level of the church and the roof. To go up is another 7€ so we pass on it.
Leaving the church, we walk over to the Royal Gardens. It's a beautiful garden area with a vine-covered walkway lined with benches. There is much more greenery than colorful flowers, but it's still gorgeous. We sit on a bench and relax for a while. After all the walking and standing, we needed to rest. We pulled out some snacks and the sandwiches we brought. However, a worker patrolling the garden tells us not to eat the sandwiches because it attracts seagulls, and they don't want them in the garden. So we eat our snacks and chill for a while. Our middle son, always looking for lizards, sees one and goes after it. This turns into him roaming the garden looking for more. The other kids read their Kindles while I sit back and people-watch. I eventually got up to explore the gardens. It's smaller than any other garden we've been to but well-shaded and lovely.
After a nice long rest, we continued our wandering. Cannolis are an Italian invention, so we get a few from a pastry shop. Like the gelato, they are so good we go back for more. Down the street from the pastry shop is a piazza where we stop to enjoy them. We stroll on and go to a bookstore well-known for having a large stack of books people can walk up for a picture. This is another picture to recreate with the family. From here, we go to get more gelato, you know, to maintain our tradition. It's called Venchi, and they had chocolate balls, like Ferrero Rocher and gelato. We each got a little chocolate and shared some wonderful gelato.
Despite the stops for sweets, we still need to have dinner. I've seen several shops with good-sized sandwiches, and I want one. We are walking toward the train station to eat and be close to our destination when the kids spot a McDonald's. They aren't going any further. I walk down the street looking for a sandwich shop. I don't find what I'm looking for, so I will backtrack to see if I missed one. A small cafe that makes fresh sandwiches caught my eye, so I ordered one. I take it back to McDonald's to eat with the family. After we're done, we return to the train station to go home. It has been a fulfilling day in Venice.
We didn't make any plans for the following day. It was a good thing, too. Tanya wasn't feeling well and needed to take it easy. We watched a movie and caught up on things required. I found the closest grocery store and walked over to get groceries for dinner. I'm glad it's a big grocery store, not a smaller "market" kind. The grocery chain is new, so I explore its different brands, types of foods, and prices. I get what we need and walk back to our place. Part of the reason I enjoy cooking is because it takes a load off Tanya when she's busy. I am okay with cooking day after day, especially when I have new things to try. We have a good, simple meal of caprese salad and pasta with sauce and meat.
The next day, the only thing we had planned was to go to the opera. Tanya and I have been looking forward to this for months. Not only is it our first opera, but it's in an ancient Roman amphitheater in Italy. We get ready and catch a bus to the city square. The sky is gray and starts to drizzle as we walk to the colosseum. Thankfully, the stairs to our section are indoors, so we wait there for the rain to quit. It's a brief shower, so we find our seats. I don't know how much restoration was done to the interior, but the seating is all stone. Luckily, Tanya read about bringing cushions to sit on, and there were enough at our place to use.
Our seats are near the top, but it's still a great view. The opera is Turandot with the song Nessun Dorma. Look it up; you'll probably recognize it even if you aren't an opera fan. We get to our seats and take in the arena. On the floor, nice, cushioned seats are set up, and people dressed in formal evening wear filing in. We are dressed nicely but not in tuxedos and evening gowns. The set is huge, with a front section and a larger back section. A wall separates the two, and the back part is more visible from our seats. At the top of the arena on either side of the set are large screens with the opera's text in Italian and English, thank goodness.
Twenty minutes before the start, a guy in Asian-style clothing carrying a large gong walks to center stage. He lightly and quickly taps the gong in a circular motion and taps it harder as he circles it. We can hear the gong getting louder, and the guy hits the gong three times. Everyone applauds, and he bows and walks offstage. He comes out again at ten minutes, hits the gong twice, then again for the two-minute warning, and hits it once more. The same thing happened for the intermission, and he was applauded each time. It was wonderfully entertaining for some reason, and he was my favorite person in the opera. We enjoyed the show, especially when the wall separating the two parts of the set was removed for the second act. The rear set was a Japanese palace and was stunning to see. Tanya and I can now say we've been to an opera together.
The next day, we went to church, which is always great: a new place, a new church, and different types of people. The members are always interested in visitors, especially ones from out of the country. Our kids never have problems talking to other kids despite the language barrier. Lucky for them, most of the children in these countries know English quite well. We meet the missionaries, who are usually from America, and they are always impressed with the kind of trip we are undertaking. As usual, it's a great visit, but we have to catch our bus back to our place. We leave the next morning, so we need to organize our stuff as much as possible. Unless we stay somewhere for over a week, we don't get unpacked too much.
Today we go to Switzerland. Little did we know the fiasco we were about to deal with. We left on time that morning to catch our bus. It took us to the stop we needed to get on a coach bus to take us to our first stop in Milan. We have to get off there and switch to another bus to get to Switzerland. Tanya monitors the trip on her phone to find out where we are and how long it will take until we arrive. For some reason, the driver deviates from the directions and takes two unnecessary detours. We aren't sure if he is lost or what, but it wasted time. The bus makes a stop for more passengers, and they change drivers. After we got on the highway, there was a traffic jam due to an accident. This caused us to get to the station late and miss our connecting bus. The next bus is €500 for the family, which is absurd, so we decided to wait for the next available bus. It isn't for another five hours, though.
There is a walking park next to the station, so I take a couple of the kids for a change of scenery. My middle son is quite happy when he sees a couple of lizards. He eventually catches one, of course, so his day is made. We stroll around for a bit and return to the station. A cleaning lady comes by and needs to mop the seating area so everyone clears out. We sit outside in the shade, and the light breeze feels nice. It's getting close to dinner time, and we're wondering about our options. There is a small cafe around the corner with sandwiches. Tanya looked up the nearest grocery store to see if we could get something there. Those are the two options we have. I go to the cafe to check prices, then take the boys to the store to see if they have anything better. It didn't, but I got a couple of things. When I returned, we got sandwiches and small pizzas from the cafe for dinner.
Finally, it's time for us to leave. The bus arrives, we stow our luggage and board. We have a rental car to pick up in Geneva, and we keep them informed of where we are. We cross the border into Switzerland, and the mountains around us are steep and breathtaking. Tanya is monitoring the drive again, and this driver takes the longer of two routes to get to Geneva. Oddly, it's longer because we go through a very long tunnel through a mountain. On the other side is a small town, and as we leave it, we pull over, not at a bus stop, gas station, or anywhere where anybody is waiting for a bus. On the previous buses we'd ridden between cities, an announced stop at a roadside store lasted twenty minutes. There is no announcement this time. What the heck!?
The driver gets out, and everyone on the bus wonders why we were stopped. People start getting off, so Tanya and I do the same. It seems like all the driver is doing is taking a smoke break. This is angering me because it's making us late more and more. Other people have rides to catch, hotels to check in to, and appointments to keep, but everyone has to wait for this prick to have a cigarette. Clearly, this angers me as well as others. When the driver was asked about it, he said he was also waiting for a colleague. Here?? There wasn't anything where we stopped except a gas station that had been closed for a long time. I walked around to diffuse my frustration and get back on when I saw the driver do so. On the bright side, we discover he took the longer route due to construction and delays on the other road.
We finally get going again, and our new arrival time is midnight. Initially, if we hadn't missed our bus, we would have arrived at 3:30. Before the driver pulled over, we thought our arrival would be 11:30, and we told the car rental place. They were going to be closed, so they moved the car to another location, which added €50 to our cost. This other location closed at noon, so we thought we would make it. Now, we can't get there before they close, and we aren't even sure if the local buses operate at this hour to get us there, even if they waited. This makes us realize we haven't booked a place to stay in Geneva and have nowhere to go for the night. Tanya starts working on finding a hotel. She only finds a few options since it's so last minute. Something went wrong trying to book the room, so she called the hotel directly. At first, the receptionist tells her everything is full, but she explains what she found online. He says he needs to check on something and call us back. Thankfully, he does, and the room is available. We book it and breathe a major sigh of relief.
The next part is getting there. It would have been a long walk with our luggage. That and being late at night would have made it even worse. Tanya is able to find the bus route we need and some buses are still running this late, again, thankfully. We walk toward our bus stop and purchase tickets at the kiosk. To help the kids' mental state of carrying their bags around this late, we tell them how blessed we were to have found a place. We were very close to spending the night on a street corner in Geneva. Our stop is close to our hotel. We walk over to it, get checked in, and go to our room. All we do is drop our bags and go to sleep. Since we have to spend the night, we don't have to get up early to get to the car rental. At least for tonight, we will get the best recovery sleep possible. I hope our stay in Switzerland will compensate for the headache of getting there.
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