Three Days in Venice

After a long train ride with two stops -- one in Switzerland about 25 minutes outside of Luzern and one in Milan -- we arrived in Venice on Tuesday afternoon.

Dan doing his crossword puzzles on the train to Venice.

One quick observation about Swiss vs. Italian trains.  Although we never changed trains after entering into Italy, we knew we had crossed the border.  It was remarkable.  While in Switzerland, the train was running smoothly and on time....to the minute!  Upon entering Italy, the train slowed down...then stopped.  We heard an announcement about mechanical problems and that we were going to be delayed by about five minutes.  We started moving, then slowed again.  This went on and on....and we arrived into Milan about 45 minutes late.  Luckily, we had an hour to make our connection in Milan, so we had 15 minutes to spare!

Hannah and a Venetian mask.

Getting to our flat was a chore. Our bags seem to be getting heavier and lugging them from the train and onto the Vaporetto and then again through the streets (and up and down several sets of steps over bridges) to our building was quite a journey.

After settling in we went for an early dinner.  The kids enjoyed pasta.  Terry and I shared a Caprese salad, pasta with small, tender clams, and we each had Bronzino -- Mediterranean sea bass, and of course, wine.  One of the things I love most about Europe is the ability to quickly (within a few hours) switch from one culture to another.  We went from Rosti potatoes and bratwurst to pasta con vongole.

Adam enjoying his spaghetti pomodoro.

Piazza San Marco was our next stop.  The boys brought their scooters to dinner and loved riding around in the open space of the square.  Hannah smiled a HUGE grin when Nona gave her some Euros to buy a glass bead bracelet (and today the bracelet is paired with glass earrings!).

The boys riding their scooters before dinner.

Yesterday was a warm and sunny day in Venice, but despite going to bed early, we caught up on much needed sleep in the morning and didn't get out of the apartment until early afternoon! We missed breakfast (and coffee!) and went straight for lunch at a hotel cafe across the street. We all had pizza -- the kids declared, "If Sal & Carmines is 10, this is 12," "It's a mile better," and, according to Adam, "It's the same."  (Perhaps Adam, at age 8, has not yet developed his taste buds to thoroughly appreciated the nuances between NYC pizza and Venetian pizza) So, there you go....pizza is pretty tasty in Italy!

Adam and his scooter in front of our flat.

Hannah and Webby, our landlord's dog.  We miss Nellie!

Our resident wash maids doing their chores!  This trip isn't all glamour and glitz, after all.

The kids weren't up to touring historical sites, so we took the Vaporetto to the Lido -- the beach on the Adriatic Sea.  The beach was crowded and the water was warm.  All three kids enjoyed a swim while Nona and Peg relaxed.  I stood at the water's edge watching with an eagle eye.  Mark -- you'll be glad to learn that none of the children has grown an extra appendage as a result of swimming in "dirty Venice water."  Actually, the water looked quite clean...and judging from the crowds of swimmers on the beach with us, it's a common pastime for the locals in the warmer months.

Swimming in the sea.

A gelato after our day at the Lido.

A view of Venice from the Vaporetto.

The view from our flat.

Hannah and Dan waiting for our pizza to arrive.  Dan is already in the Italia mood with his "football" shirt.

Today we awoke to huge rain and thunder showers that have continued throughout the day. We've taken it easy....a walk to a local cafe for a coffee, some scootering around the neighborhood, and a few games of Bananagrams and Uno.  Oh, and we saw a HUGE cruise ship coming into Venice harbor from our street.  The boys were impressed, and Dan declared that next year for his birthday he wants to go on a cruise in the Mediterranean!

The boys loved riding their scooters in the rain.  I was terrified they'd ride straight into the canal!

A GIANT cruise ship at the end of our street.

Great dinner tonight in a small restaurant that served more than the standard pasta and pizza. Hannah, my mom and Terry all had pumpkin lasagna, for example.  We missed out on gelato after dinner -- many shops close on the early side in our neighborhood.  So, we came home and packed our bags for our afternoon flight tomorrow from Venice to Dusseldorf, Germany where we'll meet Eva, our au pair in 2009.

Arrivederci Venezia!