Day 16:
Venice to Calabria
Quote of the Day: THB did 5 minutes of the 7 minute
workout
Weather: Cool
in the early am in Venice, unknown in Rome, hot in Lamezia (mid-80s) to
sauna-like in the Hotel Bram fitness center, and then a thunderstorm with
constant streaks of lightning in the distance
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| Last breakfast at the Palace, dining al fresco awaiting the water taxi ($130 before splitting 2 ways) |
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| Tip from Rosetta: take pic of checked bags. Both of ours navigate Rome and show up on time in Lamezia |
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| The full monty |
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| The line for the women's restroom on left, men's on right in the Rome airport |
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| Part of family traveling from Colombia, the son had just finished taking their pic and THB piled on (and got bigger smiles than son did) |
Really not much to report on traveling: shared a
water taxi to Marco Polo airport with SMC. Waited a few hours for our flight to
Rome, ate lunch in a bistro/buffet with staff from the airlines, waited a while
for our flight to Lamezia which arrived uneventfully and on time.
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| 2 chicken con patates with side of spinach and rolls: $28 |
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| Some of airport workers dining with THB and DB |
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| It's a hidden oasis right beside our departure gate |
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| Palesstra is Italian for torture chamber set in a sauna, aka the fitness center |
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| Not pictured: the hot stones which start steaming as soon as you turn on the lights |
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| Functional |
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| Except for the a/c being controlled at the front desk (that's a novelty), everything in the room works |
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| These oddities are what we used to know as "cars" having not seen one for over 5 days |
Took an $11
taxi ride to the Bram Hotel (approximately $15/mile). Worked out until fainting
in the fitness center. Asked the desk several times to turn on/down the a/c (second
time seems to be working). Asked for ice at the desk; sorry no ice (after
checking in the kitchen). Repacked, separating not to be used until heading home
and the light-weight items for Calabria.
Tasting of two wines at the hotel followed by dinner at a local fish restaurant. THB is going full honesty now: the chances of THB understanding what we’re drinking by name is highly unlikely, nigh impossible. So you will have to get by with white/rose/red level descriptions and pictures of the bottles.
The white and rose at the hotel were room temperature, THB couldn’t appreciate them as much as if they had been served properly chilled. Served with those crunchy Italian circular crackers, one seasoned with fennel and the other by hot peppers that the region is known for.
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| Spada alla Scillese, olives are sharp and con pits |
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| Insalata "Sambiasma"...."Typical salad" that waiters cannot translate into Ingles...tomatoes with olives and basil and red onion. You dress with a bit olive oil and salt (olives are mild and sans pits) |
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| DB's whole fish with limone; "I can't believe I ate the whole thing"....cooked perfectly, as was swordfish |
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| Unlabeled white brought by Leno, served room temp. DB liked it, THB not so much |
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| The winner of the night: off the ristorante's vino list; excellente, brighht, clean, good finish, great with meal |
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| Novel way of settling the bill: we line at register and, with Rosetta translating, the owner figures out your share (Rosetta and Leno pick up wine). Should be easy: two fish, two salads. THB was first in line, took at least 5 minutes...others at back of line may still be in ristorante. Total: $45 (salads were $5, nothing was more than $16). The sommelier Chiara escorts us back to Bram Hotel |
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| Warning: do not try this at home (one guy swallowed his mobile by mistake) |
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| It's a demo for the kids in attendance |
Dinner with subset of full tour:
seven are flying in from Zurich tomorrow morning. That leaves 13 of us including
Rosetta the leader, Leno the co-leader, and Chiara the sommelier (how serious
is this, we’ve got our wine interpreter).
In the ten minutes it takes us to
walk to the restaurant we get caught at the beginning of a thunderstorm, complete
with lightning. All a bit wet as we get to the restaurant and use our napkins
to dry off. THB and DB order local fish and salad, a very nice way to ease into
a more simple meal.
The rain has stopped, leaving large
puddles in the streets. In bed around 10pm.
Observations:
Aix-en-Provence
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Villa
La Coste is special, and a very large splurge. The combination of quiet
elegance and art is unparalleled. While not far from Aix, it is in the midst of
grape vineyards.
Taking the train from Paris was a great idea. The train station is very convenient and the train quiet and comfortable. Easy to bring a picnic aboard. If you are unlucky, as THB and DB were, the only downside is how far your car (if you book your seats) is from the front of the platform. It’s a long way down the platform is you’re in the last car, as we were. It also meant we were in the front of the train and next to the dining car.
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Driving
can be a bit of a challenge, especially on some of the more obscure roads. Our
small car was plenty big enough, had a/c and automatic shifting. Not expensive,
by US standards.
Venice
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THB
thinks the Sina Centurion Palace has fallen a notch or two in the last two
years. Our (second) room was the luck of the draw and not overly large. We were
lucky that the weather was good to great and the terrace usable. The food at
the Palace wasn’t near as good as THB remembers, especially the breakfasts
(included in room rate at something like $40 a day). It is pricy, no surprise
in Venice with limited space and huge tourism demands and an upscale spot.
Great location, friendly staff, and you have to enjoy their sense of humor
putting us in the honeymoon suite.
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THB
doesn’t know when the “you must order two courses” started, it doesn’t work
well when the portions are so huge. It distracted from enjoying the meal,
feeling like you had to eat so much. Even for THB! First courses were always
substantial as were the corresponding prices. Option of ordering a “menu” was
way more food and $$.
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The
Biennale was terrific: so much
challenging art in two locations. If we could have, we’d have put down a
deposit for 2021 with an excursion to Milan with Valentina the guide in both
cities (she lives and works most of the time in Milan). SMC, DB and THB agree
we’ll see if we can make it work in 2021.
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Ahhhhhh,
Venice: crowded main plaza; vaporettos essential and crowded (think downtown
buses full all day long with entire bus turning over every 3 or 4 stops); small
“streets” (there are no cars in Venice) could be crowded or empty, depending on
if tourist thru-fares or not; 1500s buildings and churches everywhere, and
museums with timeless art in old buildings; and something magical about the place. Worth a detour.
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Food:
after the first day or so, THB thought this was a great dining town; not so by
the end of the 5 days. Not exactly sure why…not getting to eat in style
familiar with (i.e., share a starter, smaller/lighter mains, maybe share a
dessert), not getting decent wines by the glass, always surrounded by English
speaking tourists, seeing a lot of the same few ingredients on all the menus. Some combo of above? Spoiled by
the French meals?
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