While in the air, we had the pleasure of some great mountain scenery outside of the window of our EasyJet A320. I'm not exactly sure what I managed to get a picture of, but I presume it to be somewhere in the Alps.
Having made our way from Paris Orly to Venice Marco Polo aboard the aforementioned A320, we disembarked and sought to get our bus tickets for the ride from the Italian mainland to Venice proper. After some confusing interactions with the automated kiosk (not just with language but also with chip vs stripe credit cards), we got our tickets. We then asked the helpful lady at the Tourist Info desk about the location of our apartment since addresses in Venice make no sense to anyone not from Venice. Where Google Maps and even the mini map provided with the Air Bnb reservation failed, Info Lady came through. I'm so glad we asked before leaving the airport because we would've been pretty screwed if we hadn't. We also learned from the lady that the Vaporettos (aka water buses) would be on strike during our stay, which jeopardized (and ultimately 86'd) our plans to visit the island of Murano to see the glass blowing. Next time I suppose.
A view from the street just below our apartment. We got to thoroughly enjoy this view of the Canale di Cannaregio since we had to wait about an hour for someone from the property management group to bring a key to the apartment. Not the best start for a bunch of weary travelers.
A view up our apartment building, with our rental being the unit on the top (with the colorful laundry).
I had a little mishap when I initially lay down to take a nap on the fold out bed. Being that our day started so early, we welcomed a short break before heading out to explore.
After that nap (which ran a little longer than planned), we hit the road to walk around the city of Venice. Much to our luck, we happened to be in the city during la Biennale di Venezia (Venice Biennial) contemporary art exhibition. Many artists from several countries come and exhibit art installations throughout the city (much for free) or at a large central pavilion (paid entry). With so many of the free exhibits scattered throughout the city, we had the freedom to see exhibits fairly frequently and spontaneously decide whether or not to visit them.
We saw Huang Hsin-Chien's mechanically shaped flowers on display at the "Culture•Mind•Becoming" exhibition showcasing Chinese artists at the Palazzo Mora.
After a bit more walking, we came up to our first landmark: the Rialto Bridge! This pic taken from the north east shows the less crowded side of the oldest bridge crossing the Grand Canal.
As we kept winding through the narrow, crowded streets of Venice, we wandered on over to Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square or Facebook's top "Check-in" site in Italy for 2013). On the left, you can see the base of the Campanile (Belltower) and on the right, you can see the Clock Tower. Click the pic to see a bigger version of the panoramic I took.
Beside the square and beside St. Mark's Basilica, sits the Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace) where the former ruler of the Republic of Venice once lived. More on this when we tour the inside on our second day in Venice.
Parked gondolas and a view of the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore from across the lagoon. Such a photogenic city.
Another chance finding, the Museo della Musica, housed within the restored Church of San Maurizio, displayed many old musical instruments (including the cello shown above) which detailed the musical history of the city. The museum had a particular focus on instrument building too, which showcased the techniques and tools craftsmen used.
After quite a bit of aimless wandering, we headed to Antica Trattoria Poste Vecie ready for a hearty meal (hat tip to Claudia for the recommendation having eaten there not much more than a week before we arrived). This restaurant, over a tiny bridge tucked away behind the Fish Market, would've been hard to find if not for impeccable directions from Claudia. Double thanks!
A pic of the Seafood risotto we had. Just the right texture and taste, it really hit the spot!
Since we hadn't taken enough group pics, we lined up this shot while crossing the Rialto Bridge on the way back to the apartment.
Also on the way back, we stopped for gelato at the Italian gelato chain Grom. I can't even remember what flavor I got (though I do recall Lauren got "apple" which tasted just sweet enough and had real bits of apple in it) but the smiles on our faces expressed more than just satisfaction at getting some gelato. While we waited to order, a group of Japanese tourists attempted to cut in front of us (knowingly, since they made eye contact with our group as they did so). Not to be so easily pushed out of the way, we engaged in a war of passive aggressiveness by standing beside them in line and keeping alive our chance of being served before them. When the "conista" (aka server) looked to be having a frustrating time communicating with the Spanish tourists in front of us, I took the opportunity to attempt to help by pointing at pictures (since I certainly couldn't provide help speaking Spanish). The Italian "conista" clearly appreciated my attempt to help and I had a nice side conversation with him (he spoke perfect, British-accented English) which helped to clinch our spot as next in line! Petty I know, but I'm glad I made a "conista" friend (who I further ingratiated myself to by practicing my rudimentary Italian while ordering) and have a gelato story to tell.
Side story, after gelato we stopped at the supermarket for snacks and some laundry detergent just before returning to the apartment. They didn't sell small packs of detergent (surprise, surprise) nor did they sell any detergents that had clearly identifiable descriptions for differentiating them from others (the exception being the kind for whites vs colors). Furthermore, when we made it back to the apartment, we didn't realize that the "high efficiency", side loading washer that we had the fortune of using took what seemed like 2 hours per load (I suspect there may have been some sort of water flow restriction which severely lengthened each filling step). What the washer lacked in time efficiency, it did seem to make up for in actual cleaning (and spin) efficiency. At least it did something right.
After a full night's rest (minus the extra time it took to do laundry), we set out early to explore the city. We started at the Mercato del Pesce (the Fish market). The Winged Lion depicted in the flag references the colors and symbols of the historical Venetian flag, but the words Rialto no se toca (Don't touch the Rialto) protest the city council attempt to move the market (fish and produce) from its current, historical location.
Me, Mari & Brendan and some fresh seafood in the Fish Market.
An example of the what you can buy at the market, this monkfish, while looking rather off-putting, did appear to be quite fresh.
We then visited the Basilica di San Marco (St Mark's Basilica) and did a quick tour of the interior. Being an older church and of the Byzantine-esque architecture, it looked quite different than any of the other churches we had visited so far. We saw many of these signs throughout the church being disregarded by pretty much all the visitors and none of the guards seemed to really be enforcing it, so we took a picture of taking a picture beside the no pictures sign.
After our visit to the basilica, we went next door to tour the Doge's Palace.
The ceilings looked like this. So fancy. How might the perspective have been achieved for this photo you might ask?
By lying on the floor and taking the picture of course.
Group picture in the Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri). This bridge connects the Palace proper with the adjacent prison. The name, coined by Lord Byron, references how prisoners would sigh as they passed over the bridge en route to their cells and caught a view of Venice (in all its beauty and freedom) out of the windows on the covered bridge.
Another group picture, this time within a prison cell. I don't think I sighed while walking over the bridge and into this cell, but that likely had to do with the fact that I didn't have to remain in the cell against my wishes and could leave when I chose.
A pic of the Campanile in all its glory. We didn't have the time to trek to the top, but it sure looked pretty from the bottom. In my opinion, much more impressive than the replicas they have at the Venetian (Vegas and Macau).
A simple lunch from the Le Chat Qui Rit. This self-service, cafeteria-style establishment appeared in a couple of our guidebooks so we gave it a try. Nothing outstanding to report here, but we got in and out quickly and left feeling full.
After lunch, Mari & I split off to wander about a bit. Since we couldn't catch the Vaporettos to Murano (thanks Italian labor strike), we opted to explore more Biennale exhibitions. We found this very cool exhibition called "Imago Mundi", which featured a collection of these mini works from many artists all across the world. Organized by regions or themes, you can see that each small frame can stylistically differ significantly.
We kept walking east as we attempted to make our way towards the main exhibition area of the Biennale. We finally got to the Arsenale di Venezia (Venetian Arsenal). This shipyard represented Venice's past naval dominance. You can also click this image to see the larger version of this panoramic.
While we didn't end up going into the main Biennale exhibition, we saw many more of the smaller exhibitions including ones by artists from Macau, Hong Kong, Kenya and, of course, New Zealand.
As you walk into the NZ exhibition and look up, you'll see tables and chairs in various orientations with a fluorescent tube running through them. The image above shows "Two Drop" in the foreground and both "Bebop" and "Drop" in the distant background. As it mentions in the exhibit and the accompanying guide, the artist Bill Culbert has adopted light as a focus of his works despite a background in painting.
"Strait"shows a series of NZ Anchor milk bottles speared by a single fluorescent bulb. The word 'strait', for me, conjures thoughts of the Cook Strait (body of water between the North & Sound Islands in NZ). Quite neat how the light fills the gap between the bottles like how the Cook Strait fills the space between the Tasman Sea and the South Pacific Ocean.
"Daylight Flotsam Venice" scatters about 150 fluorescent tubes amongst multi colored plastic bottles. The brightness and general smattering of color really create a visual spectacle. It doesn't quite come out in the picture, but I'm holding my Nalgene with a NZ flag sticker on the side.
I chose Mari's picture of "Level" because I liked how the random people contributed to the image (my photos didn't have any folks with the piece...well, besides us). You can also see the light refracting through the fluid in the bottles better in this image (clear enough to see the image of the windows in fact). Finally, the framing of everything within the opening, with the building and canal outside complete the image and show how it all works together with the surrounding space.
"HUT, Made in Christchurch" reflects on the human habit of creating shelter while referencing Christchurch (the town affected by the massive earthquake that destroyed many buildings). The simple outline of the light recalls that familiar shape of a home, even more so when you frame it over a person (in this case, Mari).
"Walk Reflection" on the left and "Walk Blue" on the right. Pretty neat to see them in tandem and ponder their similarities and differences. And of course, another guest appearance by Mari in the frame.
When we met back up with Lauren & Brendan, Lauren again brought up her desire to do the stereotypical Venetian activity of hopping into a gondola and cruising down the Grand Canal. The rest of us didn't quite feel as strongly but expressed our willingness to go for the right price. After a long period of time walking around (and shopping) and seemingly giving up hope of a gondola cruise, we found a lone gondolier willing to negotiate on price and offered us a nice discount. So we pulled the trigger and hopped onto the gondola.
Once we floated out of the small canal and onto the Grand Canal, all of us collectively agreed on the worth of this experience. You can't quite capture that special feeling in the image above nor really describe it other than saying that it feels so amazing.
Group shot with our gondolier. He gave us some nice commentary as he rowed us along and talked about water levels, various historical buildings we passed and growing up in/around gondolas. A worthwhile Venetian experience I'd say, especially if you find a good price and a friendly gondolier!
And the next day, we packed up our luggage and hopped on a Trenitalia high speed train from Venezia Santa Lucia Train Station to Firenze Santa Maria Novella Station.
We even set up Brendan's GoPro to take pics every minute or so on the journey there. I haven't seen the pics yet and am unsure how they all turned out.
Our afternoon arrival in Florence didn't leave us too much time, but after walking from the train station to the hotel, checking in, then grabbing a quick lunch, we headed to the Duomo di Firenze (the main church in Florence). I had noted, prior to the trip, that the view from the top of Brunelleschi's dome must be seen. A long line provided a brief moment of discouragement due to the impending closing time. However, after confirming the opening hours, buying tickets and then seeing officials turn away people at a certain point behind us, we continued our wait without too much anxiety. We got in and after the long hike up many, many steps and spirals, we saw this lovely view (including Giotto's Campanile).
Attempt one at a group picture resulted in an unexpected sneeze (though it made for an entertaining photo).
Attempt two turned out much better. Behind Brendan's right shoulder, you can see the iconic tower of the Palazzo Vecchio (old palace).
After taking in the amazing views from the Duomo, we started walking south towards the restaurant recommended by our hotel owner. Along the way, we walked through the Mercato di San Lorenzo (San Lorenzo Street Market), which offered many stalls of leather goods, assorted clothing, trinkets and souvenirs. Very cool little area, with plenty of hustle and bustle. At the top of the image, you can also see a bit of the Basilica of San Lorenzo (which lends its name to the square and market).
Continuing south, as we walked into the Piazza di Santa Maria Novella. We stopped momentarily to listen to a bit of live music and had some fellow tourists help us take a group shot. I remember the person taking the photo saying something funny (instead of the usual "Cheeeeeese"), but I can't remember what!
Our walk to Trattoria La Casalinga, across the Arno River to the south of the main area, took a little longer than expected based on some very rough sketches on the map from our hotel owner. But after wandering around a bit and passing by the Palazzo Pitti, we found the restaurant and got in the line forming as the restaurant prepared to open. Once seated, we immediately ordered the Florentine Steak and a few other suggestions to help round out the meal. You order this by weight (€/kg), they bring you the raw slice to see before they cook it. Then after a little while, you get this delicious slab of meat. Incredible. I'm not even sure what makes it so special, but it tasted great. Not wanting any to go to waste, it took a concerted effort to finish the whole thing and we got it done in the end. Don't know whether it makes a huge difference where you order this from, but you must certainly try this dish if you ever visit Florence!
A view across the Arno River at the Palazzo Vecchio (old palace) on the left and Ponte Vecchio (old bridge) on the right. A nice, full moon completed the lovely scene as we strolled back to the hotel.
A closer shot of the Palazzo Vecchio which we walked passed on the way back to the hotel. You can see (just right of the bottom middle) the recreation of Michelangelo's David and (on the left side) a small portion of the adjacent Piazza della Signoria. It meant a lot to stand in this piazza due to some key events that took place in the game Assassin's Creed II (which, actually provided some added significance to many other landmarks in the Italian leg of this trip, but none more so than this particular location).
Another night's sleep and we headed out to the Uffizi Gallery (officially, the Galleria degli Uffizi). We dropped the ball by not ordering advance tickets sooner (they showed on the website as being sold out when we checked the previous night) so we had to wait in line with a crowd of tourists. Thankfully the wait didn't take more than an hour (usually delays during the peak season can last a few hours) and we got on with our museum viewing. They didn't allow picture taking in the gallery (and enforced that rule pretty actively), but Mari sneakily got this picture of "The Birth of Venus", one of the classics, and also captured a view of the plaster that they created to allow visually impaired patrons to experience the painting by touch.
A look out of a gallery window provided this lovely view of the Arno River and the Ponte Vecchio on a cloudy morning. We definitely got better weather the day before, but despite forecasts for thunderstorms, it actually stayed dry all day.
After completing our walkthrough of the top floor of the Uffizi, we took a brief break by walking out to the balcony where Lauren and Mari got a pic. The image clearly shows the relative proximity of the Palazzo Vecchio to the Uffizi.
We went through the second floor of the Uffizi a little bit quicker since we started getting rather hungry and after that, walked quickly across the Arno River, past the Palazzo Pitti to Gusta Pizza (which we saw next to our previous night's dinner restaurant, La Casalinga). Wood-fired oven equals delicious pizza. We got three (one Margherita, one Calabrese and one Caprese) and devoured them in quick succession. Would recommend as a nice lunch or casual dinner option.
After lunch, we walked back across the Arno River and visited the Basilica di Santa Croce (Basilica of the Holy Cross), the largest Franciscan church in the world. We attempted one jumping shot in front of the church from the piazza, but it didn't work out particularly well.
The interior of the church.
Sometimes the toll of many days of travel can catch up with even the best of us.
Some of Florence's most famous individuals received the honor of having their remains being interred within Santa Croce after their death:
Galileo Galilei, a scientist and mathematician of the highest regard, while initially buried elsewhere (due to his condemnation for heresy by the Catholic Church), eventually had his remains rightfully moved into the main body of the Basilica at a later date. Since he served as an inspiration for me in a manner similar to Sir Isaac Newton, I felt the same sense of reverence visiting Galileo's tomb as I did visiting Sir Isaac's tomb in Westminster Abbey years ago.
Niccolò Machiavelli, the prominent philosopher of the Renaissance, didn't have to wait, as Galileo did, to be buried in Santa Croce. The inscription reads "TANTO NOMINI NULLUM PAR ELOGIUM" ("so great a name (has) no adequate praise"). I haven't yet read "The Prince", his most well known work, but I recognize its influence even today.
The group wanted to do some shopping, but I opted to go solo and explore the Museo Galileo (inspired by my visit to Galileo's Tomb and by Claudia's recommendation). This science museum had a lot of historical scientific instruments mixed in with a few hands on exhibits as well. The large armillary sphere above, made by Antonio Santucci and now unfortunately non-functional, could be used to show the movement of constellations relative to Earth.
They also had many antique globes on display of both terrestrial (just good old Earth) and celestial ("the heavens" so to speak) varieties.
When they moved Galileo's remains into Santa Croce's main body, they took three of his fingers and one of his teeth (as might be the practice for a Saint). The museum displays two of those fingers in a small gallery dedicated to honoring the great scientist. I felt quite impressed, and a bit morbid, as I gazed at these "relics".
In addition to their permanent collections, the museum also had a temporary exhibit in the basement. The exhibit, displayed several different eras of two wheeled transportation: mostly bicycles, including these Ariel style bikes (large front wheel with pedals, tiny rear wheel), and some early motorcycles.
I don't quite know what I took a picture of here, but I found it near the stairwell to the basement. #selfie?
Met back up with Mari & Brendan and we slowly made our way back towards the hotel with plenty of stops to go shopping. I previously didn't know that the character Pinocchio had Florentine roots until I visited Florence! I'm glad this trip could be so educational and that I could share that fact in conjunction with this photo of Mari.
Doggie friend!
And with that, our trip just about wraps up. Lauren & Brendan hopped on a train to explore Rome while Mari & I took the train to Pisa to catch this Easyjet plane back to Paris and then onward back to SFO.
As a final story, since I had made a previous comment about airplane food, I wanted to praise the meals prepared by CDG food service. Having had my expectations lowered by the food served out of LAX, I did not anticipate these delicious meals we received on our return trip back to the States. I got a creamy chicken dish (left) both moist and flavorful. Mari got cognac braised beef (right) which could qualify as one of the best ever meals I've had on a plane. Additionally, the accompaniments of cheese, bread and salad actually contributed to the quality of the meal rather than being served just to fill space on the tray. Who'd have thought that airplane meals could be so great! Thanks so much CDG!
There you have it folks. Two amazing parts of one epic trip. I loved combining some of the familiar (in Paris) with a healthy dose of new (in Venice/Florence) and traveling with a great group of people. Would love to see more of the world with you guys if the opportunity presents itself. Cheers to Brendan, Lauren & Mari! On that note, I hope you all enjoy the end of 2013!
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