Day 11: Aix to Venice

Day 11:  Aix to Marseille to Venice, Metho day (no alcohol for THB)

Our car back safe and sound

Our last taste of Villa La Coste

Theme of Biennale: May You Live In Interesting Times...seems appropriate

Quote of the Day: This must be a shopping street

Weather: Cool in Aix, flight delayed due to thunderstorms in Venice, Venice overcast, a bit humid and in low 70s, nice with a breeze

Pack the night before, THB does a 5 minute workout, coffee with hot milk and a few pastries at 6:30, leave Villa La Coste for the airport (everyone at La Coste sez 25-30 minutes, THB manages it in 50 minutes during rush hour traffic), buy gas right in airport ($32), return car ($168), and get to Easy Jet at 8am.

Easy Jet may be cheap ($130 for the two of us for the 1 hour flight from Marseille to Venice, not bad), it ain’t all that easy. Three different locations to visit, two dealing with bags and one at gate, slow going at all. Security pulls DB’s bag for a check, she has a pair of small needlepoint scissors that would have been fine if she had the scissors out separately.

No biz class, 100% small economy sized seats (built for Europeans, not Americans), charges for most things like bags, food, etc. Flight leaves late due to air traffic control in Venice, otherwise very smooth.

Collect our bags and go to pre-pay for the water taxi direct to the hotel. People are being turned away, none available. When we get to front of line (after asking Americans in front of us that this was not the place to test their Italian and discuss grammar and idioms), sure enough there are water taxis available, $135 per taxi, here’s your receipt and ask for Francesco at the docking location. Note: this was cheaper than the pre-arranged long van ride and short water taxi ride.

We think this is the Giardini, one of two major Biennale sites

The church at the end of the walk on water annual celebration

Approaching Sina Centurion Palace

Sina art

Francesco is there, off we go, about 40 minutes later we’re pulling up to the Sina Centurion Palace at noon for a stay of 5 nights.

A very nice young woman at reception advises us that our room is ready and shows us our upscale jr suite. OOOOOPS! It’s a loft like room with the bed upstairs with the bathtub and the toilet down a steep set of stairs. You cannot tell what kind of suite you get when you make your reservation on-line. She calls downstairs, there really is only one room for 5 nights available: the honeymoon “suite,” which is only a suite if you count the terrace (the only room they have with a terrace). It’s being cleaned when we go to take a look. It’s small…good for honeymooners!

remember this? the rooms are actually on the half floors (5.5, 6.5, etc)

Rich, slightly salty

Our options are limited, the hotel is completely booked, so we stay with the honeymoon suite/terrace. Lunch of pasta and ice tea outside on the Grand Canal side of the hotel, very nice change of pace, $65 (it’s a fancy hotel, prices are on the high side).

Our new room is now ready and we unpack. A facing comes off a drawer. The toilet won’t flush. The staff comes up with a maintenance guy and he will do repairs while we’re out and about this afternoon.

A chair has been requested to replace the cot that was in here (bambino came on the honeymoon? mother-in-law?)

THB and DB do what they do best:

-         Chase art (nearby offshoots of the Biennale sprout up all over town), some interesting

-         Find one of the terrific gelato spots near the hotel (yes, THB “dined” at several local gelato spots 2 years ago) and this one is still really good

-         Shop: THB visits a high-end bakery and DB finds a very cute kids clothes store

The best of the day's art

A huge projection on wall, real rocks in a pool in front, with scene changes reflected in pool 

Early in the day

Mountain on left in background has lava flowing 

Still from video

Small porcelain pieces by Bill Kerry

A standard for THB and DB to share: caffe y chocolato, $3.50

These two installations share a space

From front of building

Large installation from two Caribbean islands on Carnival and Resistance

The Death of Byars was a gold leaf room and a sound installation

Rothko was a refugee, just our age

Ai Weiwei piece in honor of Rothko

THB art shot of the day, a wall of Calle Barnaba

THB's bakery stop, only cookies at top worthy of THB nod

Maybe it has some special purpose

It’s a travel day, time to go back to the hotel to rest up and see how the repairs are coming along.

THB had no idea masking tape was a plumber's best friend

Facing on drawer is back in place

Another shot of the Honeymoon Terrace

Pictorial Pop Quiz: the sink in the bathroom...notice anything?

Dinner at Ai Artisti, about 10 minute walk from Sina Centurion. This place is small, very small. Maybe 13 tables stuffed into two rooms. You are really dining with the neighboring tables. One is set for 3, all the rest are doubles. DB faces the door and she reports that every minute or so (sometimes every few seconds) someone stands in the doorway and is told they are totally full for their two seatings tonight. THB suggests maybe one of those neon motel signs with a “Sorry, Full” blinking on and off in the window.

Start with grilled octopus on top of a thick sauce and eggplant tortelli (pasta), both pretty good. Then mains of mullet and another pasta with baby shrimp, both exceptional! Small portions, easy to share, $115 with two glasses of white wine.  A great reco from DDB.

Tomato gazpacho amused bouchee

Sorry, blurry octupus (octupus grilled, not alive!!)

There was a request for a shot of the key at Villa La Coste and THB forgot to take the pic. Here is the engraved bar of soap key at Sina Centurion

SMC, our Biennale buddy, has arrived from Lisbon. We share our adventures in the hotel. HAH!!! SMC has been assigned the room we rejected earlier today. She also has rejected the room: because of her late check-in, she’s spending the night there and they plan to move her to another room tomorrow. Maybe this two floor room is called the “American” room by the staff.

We chat while DB and SMC have drinks and SMC has a chicken Caesar. THB brings down the bakery goodies from his stop today, and neither the hard-to-describe solid chocolate looking thing or the mini-pannetone are very good. THB books the night flight to Paris after this disappointing event.

A bit of strategizing for tomorrow and then off to the honeymoon suite.