Venice by bulletpoint

Day 12
Venice, Italy
Reading: All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris
Songs on repeat: Vivaldi

A Few Notes on Venice

1. I had an absolute blast today. That being said, one day is enough. If you have a partner or choose to do the museums, which I didn't, two is probably needed.

2. Gentleman, only bring your ladies here if you are extremely tolerant of holding bags while she shops. At every shop. On every street. All day. There's no way around it. The streets are littered with men with the dejected "I'm trying to be nice because I love her but c'mon" look. It transcends language.

3. THAT being said, ladies, if you are looking for clothes, jewelry, shoes, art, glass, leather, gelato, incredible pasta and pizza, pastries, music, cute gondoliers, cheese, chocolate, staggering history and sights + anything you possibly indulge in HEAVEN, then Venice is for you. Bring friends.

4. Waiters in Venice are somewhat fascinated/baffled by a lady dining at a sit down dinner alone. They aren't sure what to do. First, they want to know if it's a mistake. Then they want to know why you want a full meal. Then they want a date.

5. Venice is amazingly walkable, crazy streets aside. I managed to cover the north end of the island by lunchtime and accidentally found the train station. Then I covered the second half by dinner. You only need a ride by the water taxis, bus, etc if you are carrying too many bags or you just want a break from the narrow walkways.

6. Americans, Brits, Aussies, etc outnumber the Venetians by far. I heard more English today than I have in over a week.

7. You can bargain anything.

8. Be willing to embrace the unexpected. It's the best part of traveling. This point goes beyond Venice. Story: This afternoon I took Cynthia's advice and took one of the shuttles to Hotel Cipriani on Giudecca to see the gardens. On the boat was a gentleman in his 80's in a 3 piece suit with a cane. When we arrived, I went exploring and came upon the pool. (Hotel Cipriani is gorgeous and very ritzy, by the way. Worth the trip.) The gentleman crossed my path again. This time he apologized for not greeting me on the boat and invited me to afternoon tea. He's Welshman also visiting alone. I accepted and we sat by the pool and enjoyed a lovely conversation. He worked for the BBC for years and told me all about his travels and the times he visited the US for the Oscars, where he met Alan Ladd, Jack Palance and Sir Anthony Hopkins (before he was a star). He was fascinating. Turns out he even has family in Walnut Creek, which he assumed was a small village lined with walnut groves. I had to set him straight. But it was such a highlight of the day- sitting by the pool, looking at Venice across the water, enjoying tea with a man I never would have met otherwise. Embrace the unexpected.

9. Strawberry gelato: A+++

10. Spaghetti carbonara: A+++

11. Don't be worried about buying too much. They have incredible leather bags here for sale! Perfect for the trip home.

12. While yes, Venice is expensive, it's not outrageous. Nothing I haven't seen in LA. Actually it's better because if you just walk to a quieter area on the island, you'll find the exact same thing you wanted for a few Euro cheaper. Doing that in LA requires a car and at least a hour in traffic.

13. Getting lost is half the fun.

And that's my Venice wrap up! Any questions?

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T