Day 5 - Venice


Today we decided to head off to the islands of San Michelle to view Venice's cemetery, Murano- famous for glass blowing, and Burano- famous for its lace and brightly colored homes. 

The cemetery was very beautiful and peaceful.  It is on an island separate from Venice because back when Napoleon ruled the area, he declared that dead bodies caused disease and that they were not to be buried on Venice.  Some of the areas are quite unusual as most people are buried above ground.  People place small little bouquets in a holder on the front of the crypt and most of the crypts have a picture of the person buried within. 

Then it was on to Murano, the home of the famous Murano glass.   What a joy walking along the canals, looking in all the shops.  Such beautiful pieces!   We wandered in and out of the shops waiting for a piece to speak to us and say take us home…and it did.  In fact, three of them did.  We purchased hand-blown glass shades for the pendant lights over our counter.  Yes, they were expensive, but we will look at them everyday and remember this wonderful trip.  And, no, I never even thought to take a picture of them, so you will need to come to our house to see them!

 

After Murano, we took the vaporetto over to Burano, about a 30 minute ride.  Burano is so, so pretty with every house painted a different color.  It is said that since it is a fishing village, the fisherman painted their homes a bright color so that they could see their house from the water.  Don’t know if it is true, but these houses are sure easy to see!!   We loved just walking around the little canals and, of course, found a great little place to eat lunch…a nice Panini and a sandwich with a beer and glass of wine, sitting at a table outside watching the world go by.   Lunch back home is going to be pretty boring after this trip.  Hey, maybe I’ll put a little table and umbrella out in the driveway and eat my lunch out there!!!

I do have to say that Venice and the surrounding area are incredibly crowded.  It is difficult to find a seat on the vaparettos as there are so many people visiting and they pack the people in like sardines.  We stood for the trips to Murano, Burano and back today and our feet are really complaining L  I hear that St. Marks Square was a zoo today with eight cruise ships in port.  So glad we weren’t over there.

We met our friends Lynne & Jim for cocktails in the hotel garden this evening and then headed out to another little restaurant tucked away on a small calle for some more delicious pasta.  Bill is in his glory having pasta every night!!  This was our last dinner in Venice as tomorrow night we will eat on the ship.

Excited to get on the Ruby Princess tomorrow as we have not yet been on this particular ship.   And, finally we can unpack for a while.   

Unfortunately, while being on the ship will be great, we will no longer have unlimited WiFi.  I will continue my blog each day, but there won’t be many pictures.  Ciao for today!

Day 4 – Venice        

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Woke up refreshed and ready for another beautiful day in Venice.  We wander downstairs and decide to eat breakfast outside in the garden.  What a great way to start the day!  Bill's "hair" again has people doing a double take!  So funny!!

 

After breakfast it is off to the vaporetto stop to head over to St. Marks Square as we have tickets for 10:45 am for the Secret Itineraries Tour at Doges Palace.   What luck!!  We are almost the first ones on the vaporetto and get two seats right in the front…the perfect picture taking spot!!!

I thought we would be disappointed in the Grand Canal in the light of day…but how wrong I was.   It is breathtaking!   Again…it is so easy to imagine yourself hundreds of years ago, traveling this same canal.  Time moves very slowly here.

We got off at the Piazza San Marco and are again overwhelmed.   You’ve seen it in pictures and maybe even thought you were there in Las Vegas if you ever went to the Venetian, but this is the real thing…people milling about, pigeons strolling the square as if they owned it, a band playing for the people sharing a cappuccino.  We are in awe!   And then, as if by magic, the bells in the campanile sound the hour and we are entranced…and thankful that we decided not to climb the tower!

The Doges Palace tour was excellent.  It took us behind the scenes of what occurred when the Doge was in charge back in the 1500’s.  We even saw the cell where Casanova was held and escaped from and we crossed the Bridge of Sighs!  That's the view below from the Bridge of Sighs.   It is said that when prisoners were moved from the courtroom to the prison they crossed this bridge over the canal and sighed at their last view of beautiful Venice.   

We decided that it was a beautiful day for walking and began to head back to our hotel.  As we wandered the narrow streets and alleyways, we discovered we were hungry and found a nice little pizzeria.  Oh…the joys of pizza, wine, beer and people watching in Venice….Life is good!   And then add in a little shopping and Life is grand!!   Bought some nice jewelry, a beautiful Venetian mask and some Xmas gifts!!

As we crossed over one of many bridges, a gondolier stopped us and asked if we want a ride.  We looked at each other and said, “Are you ready for this?  Yes!”  and off we went.   OK…it’s a cliché, some people say why spend the money…it’s too expensive.  But for us…was it worth it?…most definitely!  Our gondolier was wonderful…he took us through some of the smaller canals, out to the Grand Canal for about 5 minutes and then back through the smaller canals again..a total of 40 minutes for 80 euros.  We truly enjoyed the smaller canals…the beauty of the neighborhoods, the quietness, the sense of peace that settles over you as you glide through the water.  This was truly an experience to remember!

We ended the night with another wonderful meal at a great little place and then a small gelato as we walked around magical Venice.

See all our pictures from today

Day 3 - Venice

A dream come true...we're in Venice!

So beautiful....so amazing.   I keep thinking I'm in Disney, though.    Everything just seems so....perfect!

No problems today leaving London.  We even got smart and took a cab to Victoria Station to catch the Gatwick Express train to the airport.  So, so, so much easier than walking with all those suitcases.  In fact…we decided we weren’t going to lug them over the bridges in Venice and discovered there is a Left Luggage place right where the bus from the Venice airport left us off.   So, we left the two big suitcases there and easily carried the small one over to the hotel.

We're staying at the Best Western Hotel Olimpia which is only one bridge away from the Piazzale Roma where the airport bus dropped us off.   A great place...

Our room is small, but very venetian looking and we overlook the hotel’s garden/breakfast area.   So pretty!  And, Roberto at the front desk knows everything about Venice...but most importantly...he knows the good places to eat!

Our friends, Lynne & Jim, are also staying at the same hotel.  We met them online through Cruise Critic.  They live in Ocala, about 20 minutes north of us, and are a great couple.  Off we went to dinner at a great little place, Ristorante Veneziana, around the corner from the hotel.  It was right on one of the canals and Lynne & I kept pinching ourselves to see if we were dreaming!

We had a great pasta dinner with some wonderful red wine.  Thanks Roberto!   

I’ll tell you…it doesn’t get any better than this!  

 

Since Lynne & Jim had just gotten in from traveling all night, we bid them ciao and wandered about over some bridges just absorbing the sights, sounds and smells of Venice.   And that included some delicious gelato!   OMG…so smooth and creamy…I really do think I’m in heaven!  

In our wanderings we found the vaporetto stop, picked up our 72 hour tickets and said, “C'mon….let’s take a ride”.   So off we went up the Grand Canal sharing the front of the vaporetto with locals and tourists alike.    I’m so glad our first trip on the canal was at night….the soft lights, the slight breeze, the mystique…it was magical!   It was so easy to imagine yourself hundreds of years ago, traveling down the canal on your way to a masquerade ball. 

We got off at the Rialto bridge and just enjoyed the ambiance of the evening, strolling over the bridge and knowing we were the luckiest people in the world.

Day 2 - London

Woke up to another beautiful day in London.   We actually slept late...until 9!  Guess we caught up on some of that sleep we missed!!!

After another great breakfast at the hotel, we were off an running.   We ditched the HoHo bus today (way too slow to travel around the city) and decided to use the underground.  Bought a 1-day travel card that allowed us unlimited access to all tubes and buses, and off we went into the caverns of London.  What luck!!  The train we needed to Tower Hill was already in the station...time to run for it.  I jumped on and what happened next.....Yes, you guessed it....I almost left Bill behind again!!!   The doors closed and there was Bill still standing on the platform!!  How I wish I had the camera on to take a picture of his face!   Luck must have really been on our side as a conductor must have seen him standing there and the doors opened and on he came.   Maybe we need some sort of contraption to tie ourselves together so he doesn't get left behind...or maybe he should just get on trains before me!! 

So, we were finally on our way to see the famous Tower of London and Tower Bridge.   What a site!!  We easily spent three hours there...there was so much to see.    We saw the Crown Jewels of England...just spectacular!!  Some of the diamonds were as big as plums!   (Sorry, they wouldn't let us take any pictures.)  We did a Beefeaters tour which was led by one of Yoemen....what a hoot!   

This guy made history come alive and was so funny!   And he was from Southern England...Devon, where our friend Duncan is from.   (He's funny....Duncan's funny....Hey, maybe it's a Southern England thing??!!)   



OK...then we stopped in the White Tower (there are 20 towers in the Tower of London complex).  What amazing suits of armor they have on show there.  And all original, worn by kings (and queens) and their horses.

 By this time it was after 2 and getting very cloudy and damp, so we decided to take a break and have a snack.  Finally...I was a proper Londoner and had my cuppa and a scone.  Bill had the best piece of sponge cake.   Yum!!






As we were leaving the Tower, we came across these two re-enactors who were enamored with Bill's "hair".  This hat has been such a big hit here in London!   People are amazed by it.  I guess they don't sell anything like it here.   Even the little kids on tours of the Tower would point and giggle :)



 After a nice picture in front of the bridge...we were off to try our luck on the underground again.   

This time Bill got on first and off we went....together!!!  





Our stop this time was the National Gallery where some of the most famous and beautiful paintings in the world reside.  (Again...no pictures allowed, so you'll have to take my word!)   We saw Michaelangelos and Titian, Tintorettos and Rafaels.  There were paintings by Constable and Gainsborough.  And then...my favorites...Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh....the water lilies, the sunflowers...I could have stood there all day.   Bill was tolerant and pretended to be interested.  What a good husband!

When we exited the Gallery we truly felt like Londoners....it was raining!   To be honest...I would have been disappointed if it hadn't rained while we were here.   I mean...come on...you expect it to rain in London.  It's as iconic as Big Ben or Tower Bridge.

Back into the underground we headed to the West End theatre district as we had tickets for Les Miserable.   By this time, we were old pros on hopping on the tube.  Thank God!

Picked up our tickets for show and found a wonderful little restaurant about three blocks from the theatre...La Porchetta Pollo Bar.   A great little pizzeria with delicious pasta.  And totally reasonable.   I had the Tagliatelle Marinara with Seafood and, no hamburger for Bill tonight....Spagetti Bolognese.   Add wine and beer and we were settled in to enjoy dinner before the show.

 

The show was amazing.   LesMis is my absolute favorite Broadway play and to see it in London, was a dream come true.   This production was so moving, I think I cried all the way through it.   It was Bill’s first time to the theatre, and he enjoyed it.   I think he shed a tear or two at the end, too.   And to top off our perfect London day…we ended it by getting back to the hotel in a big old London cab.   Wow…the inside of those cabs are huge!!!   Though it is a bit disconcerting to be driving on the wrong side of the road!

We’ll be sad to say goodbye to London tomorrow.  While it is a big city…quite like New York…it has its own vibe and I’m liking it!!   There is so much to see here that I truly hope we get the opportunity to visit again.   Oh...we have to come back...we actually have pounds left!!

Day 1 - London

Well we made it to London with no problems...Hooray!   Got in at 6:43 a.m. London time.   The flight was great, but we got little, if any, sleep.  I think I took a few 10 minute catnaps.  Bill didn't sleep at all.  Didn't help that we had a little one two rows behind us....AGHHH!!  Every time I'd start to fall asleep, he'd start crying :(

Almost lost Bill at the train station!  Didn't realize that getting in that early puts you smack in the middle of rush hour.   The platform was packed and we had to rush to the end of the train to try to get on.  I was dragging one suitcase and he had two.  I hopped on and assumed he was right behind me...NOT!!   Thank God he saw what car I got on and managed to get the two bags and himself up onto the train before it left.   Guess I better remember to keep him close by!

 Our hotel is wonderful!  It's the beautiful Lime Tree Hotel in the Belgravia section of London. 

Our room wasn't ready when we finally find the place (got lost dragging the three suitcases, but that's another story!).  But they were wonderful...offered to hold all our luggage and bring it to our room when it was ready.  When we asked for a suggestion for breakfast, Alex at the front desk said..."Just eat here."   Well, I know breakfast is included with our room, but that would start with breakfast tomorrow, after we have stayed a night.  But they insisted and the breakfast was excellent.  They serve a delicious English breakfast...scrambled eggs, thick sliced bacon, a sausage, a baked tomato and beans along with a pot of coffee and juice.  More than enough to get us going this morning!

So after breakfast, out we went to find the Hop-on, Hop-Off bus.  Found this one easily (thanks to Alex again at the front desk!).  After a 15 minute wait, the bus showed up and off we went.  Unfortunately, this one didn't have live commentary but prerecorded, and they gave you headphones to plug in.  We sat up on the top which is open to the air and gave us a great view.  It was a good idea, but the traffic in London...UGH!  It's as bad, or worse, than New York.  We stayed on for about 1 hour then finally decided to get off in the Westminster Area.  First stop...check out the London Eye. 

Decided to not do it...the lines were way too long and we had so much we wanted to do today.  Besides...it is way too high....scary!!!






Then off to see Big Ben and Parliament.  Weather was good but a bit chilly, especially for those of us who now have thin Florida blood. 

Afterwards it was off to the Churchill War Museum...Bill liked it.  I thought it was well done, but my feet were already hurting and really...war?...Winston Churchill?...there's nothing exciting happening here!

That brought us to lunch.  In his book, Rick Steves recommended this nice little English pub in the area so we decided to eat there...Westminster Arms pub.  


 Food was good.  I had fish and chips    (I mean really, you can't go to London and not order it!) 

And Bill had....wait for it.....yes, that's right....a hamburger!!  But he did have a Guiness to go with it.  (OK...so it's Irish, but at least it comes from that side of the pond!)

Food was OK.  But we had been told that the food in pubs tends to be not the best.

After lunch we headed over to Westminster Abbey.   OMG...what an absolutely beautiful church!  Wish I could have taken pictures inside, but they're not allowed.  To walk through the church into the smaller chapel where Kings and Queens have been crowned, and those royal weddings and funerals have taken place was surreal.  The architecture and history was amazing.  We could have easily have spent a 1/2 day there.  And it is great, because included in the price of admission is an audio tour...we learned so much!  Once you leave the church, there are nice areas outside to tour  

Our last stop of the day was going to see if the Queen was home.   She wasn't.   But we decided to take some pictures of her house anyway!

Finally got back to the hotel at 5:00 PM.   Tired, with feet hurting, it was great to discover that the hotel had brought our luggage up the three flights to our room and to walk in a see what a beautiful room it was.

Ordered dinner from a great little Italian deli down the end of the block.  Brought it back to our room to eat as we were just exhausted.  And that brings the first full day of our adventure to a lovely end.  It is now 7:58 and Bill is sound asleep.  Thinking he'll be up around 5 AM!  He better not wake me up!!

Well...departure day is finally here....unbelievable!   After a good night's sleep...thank you Lunesta....we spent the morning cleaning the house, watering plants, checking windows and re-examining the luggage...AGAIN...to make sure we had everything.   After a half-hour of...
   Pat:   Bill, can you think of anything else we need?
   Bill:  No.....I don't think so.
   Pat:   Are you sure you have everything?
   Bill:  Yes.  I think we packed everything.
   Bill:   Where's my tech for my hearing aids???????
   Pat:    You didn't pack it!!
REPEAT 

OK.  We finally closed and locked the suitcases and put them by the door to wait for John and Lynda to pick us up.   Doesn't look like a lot of stuff, does it?   It is heavy though.  

 Going to be fun getting these from the airport to the train station to the hotel in London and back again and then over the bridge to the hotel in Venice and back again when we board the ship.   Oh, well....at least we'll come home with bigger muscles!  We may not be talking, but the biceps will be bulging.









Now that I'm at the airport, my anxiousness has gone away and I'm just so ready to get on that plane...no Xanax for me!   Bill says he won't believe it until the plane takes off....Maybe Xanax for him!   Ohhh...the plane just pulled in and they're beginning to stock it up with that delicious food and drink.  Geez...wonder if we get free alcoholic beverages on an international flight??  

Only 45 minutes to go until we board.   Here's wishing us a safe and uneventful trip.   Hope we can sleep for a bit so we're ready to go in London.

Cheerio!!!!

Hard to believe that we're one day away from our big adventure.   Of course, one of our biggest challenges has been trying to figure out what to pack for a 25 day trip and then how to fit it in 3 suitcases!   But, we've managed.....

Now, it's just the second guessing...did we pack ____?...should we have packed ______?  

Geez, I wish we could leave already.   Oh, well....one more day........