Tom and I took the Rome, Tuscany, and Venice trip with Grand Circle Travel. We added both the pre-trip extension in Rome and the post-trip extension in Venice. In addition, I added two days and a tour of Pompeii before the GCT trip began in Rome.
Don Gelato
Thursday, November 6--The start of our trip to Italy! The first stop was in Starkville to leave Zoe at the Shaggy Hound. She seemed happy to go there since she now knows them well. It seems strange to be without her. Both Tom and I kept looking back at her car seat expecting to see her! We reached Jackson in time to eat at Schlotzsky's. Afterwards, Tom dropped me at the doctor's and went to see about a charger for his camera. When he picked me up, we went by Lemeuria before going to Josiah's. We had supper at The Manship.
Friday, November 7--There was no hurry getting to the airport since our plane didn't leave until almost noon. We washed a few clothes and went to MacDonalds for breakfast and Walgreens for a little extra shopping. A man asked Tom for a dollar for coffee in MacDonalds. It was a little after 10:00 when we reached the airport, but I was able to check our bags at the curb while Tom parked the car. All went smoothly--except that Tom got "expedited" check through and I didn't! We had a pretty good lunch at a place called One Flew South. I had a pulled duck sandwich and Tom had an open faced meatloaf sandwich. We almost miscalculated our boarding time because we looked at departure time rather than boarding time. However we made it in plenty of time. We've almost taken off twice now and each time we've had to turn around for repairs. First it was something about electronics and the second time about the fuel pump indicator. We're now sitting on at the terminal about two hours late so far and looking at another hour for repairs. We're moving again at 7:00 ET. Stopped again! The third time didn't work either, and we're now waiting in the terminal for another plane! Departure time estimate is 9:20--five hours late. The naw airplane worked and we took off five hours late.
Saturday, November 8--We arrived in Rome just before 1:00 pm. Both Tom and I slept for a few hours on the plane. We were seated across the aisle from each other. We had trouble with Tom's bag in that it didn't arrive on the carousel, but as we tried to report it, an airport employee saw us and suggested that he thought he had seen it. He had. It had fallen off the conveyor belt at one of the turns. There was only a passport check when we entered, and I noticed that he stamped a page that already had stamps on it. Our driver was waiting for us and had been waiting all morning for us, but he took us right to the hotel.
The Splendor Suites only has six rooms, and is classified as a bed and breakfast. The room was fine. It consisted of three parts-- the bedroom (all bed practically), a tiny table area, and the bathroom. We never did find how to turn on any air conditioning, but we opened the windows and were comfortable enough. We were checked in by Irina (emphasis on the first syllable) and Rafaele--both very nice. The hotel was on the fourth flour of an old building whose entrance is shown above and reached by a small elevator that carried only three people at a time. It was in the Piaza San Lorenzo.
We wanted to see how long the walk was to the Piaza di Popolo where we were to meet for the Pompeii tour so we walked up there. We found the streets and then the Piaza very crowded with a protest (which we were later told was maybe something to do with the Communist party and that there were protests every week or so), but it only took us about 20 minutes to make the walk. The only thing bad we did find was that there was no place to get breakfast that early in the morning. We walked back to the hotel and looked for the restaurant Rafaele had suggested. We found it, but there was no one else there so we stopped at another restaurant on the way back to the hotel and had lasagna. (We found later in the trip that Italians don’t eat until what is very late for us—nine or ten o’clock or even later and no one would be there as early as we were.) It was good--very smooth. We sat outside right by the street and had cars passing very close. After eating we returned to the hotel and sleep. I didn't wash my hair because I couldn't find a hair dryer, but the next morning I saw it on one of the shelves.
Sunday, November 9--We got up about 5:30 for Tom and a little later for me. We ate a couple of pastries that we bought last night, and I fixed myself some tea. We had no trouble walking to Piaza di Popolo in about 15 minutes and easily found our group by the fountain.
There were two people from New York, Al and Judy, who thought they were going to the museum, not Vesuvius and were very upset when they found out the tour had been changed, but they went anyway. The bus trip was three hours with a stop at Cassini which was halfway. When we reached the end we were notified that the weather had changed and we would not be able to climb Vesuvius, but would go to the Museum. I was just as happy although it would have been fun to try Vesuvius. Judy and Al were quite pleased, but some people were just as disappointed. One of the most interesting things in the Museum to Tom and me was a sculpture of Atlas with the world on his back because it showed a round world and supposedly was from the 2nd century A.D.
The museum was interesting, but Pompeii was fascinating. I certainly did not remember it as being so large and think they must have excavated a lot since 1960. It's especially hard to believe that it was all underground when you see the enormous walls that now stand. This time we were able to see the parts that Ellen, Harley, Martha Ann, and I were not allowed to see! We had lunch of Neapolitan pizza which was a little disappointing. I think I'll stick to the Americanized version. The bus ride back was uneventful. we tried to have supper at a restaurant suggested by out Tour Guide, Anna, but we found they were having happy hour and not the kind of supper we wanted. We went back to our hotel square and had a delicious salad at one of the restaurants serving in the square. Our hotel was in the Piaza San Lorenzo. We finished supper right at 10:00, and had understood that the outer gate for the Hotel was locked at 10:00. The gate was closed, and we couldn't find a key to open it so we panicked. We even tried using the iPhone to call, but got no answer. Tom finally pushed on the gate, and it opened!
Monday, November 10--Our main task today was moving to our new hotel. However, we were very close to the Pantheon so we left our bags at the Splendor Suites and walked down to the Pantheon.
It was really big and very impressive with its large domed roof. It was originally built in 29 BC, but rebuilt in 126 AD by Hadrian. It was well maintained—especially in the front. In the back, the age was more apparent. We then walked back to the Via Corso and our hotel. There were mimes out along the street.
Irina called a taxi for us and then came downstairs to be sure we found it and to help us load up.
The taxi ride was quick and uneventful. We met Mara as we entered the hotel, and she helped us check in and get settled. She will be out tour director here in Rome. We took a nap, and then walked out to get some gelato after using the hotel wi-fi and Google maps to find a gelato store.
The gelato store was next to the Berghese Park so we spent some time waling in the park before returning to our room. The room seemed very hot and we thought we need air conditioning. I went down to the desk to ask and they sent someone up to check. It seems that the window that Tom thought was broken was simply more complex than he thought, but was not broken. So now we have air! We went down to the lobby at 6:30 for our first group meeting. There were 15 people there, but Mara had said earlier that there were 19 of us. Tom and I went to Giara to eat because we wanted fish and it was said to be a good fish restaurant. It was. We shared a fish called brill. It was a white fish and very good. The waiter deboned it before he served it and we ordered some vegetables first. It came with potatoes sliced and cooked crisp almost like potato chips. As we were leaving I saw a large reddish orange thing (about the size of a baseball). I asked the woman who seemed in charge of the cooking what it was and she said "a fruit" and then "kaki". I didn’t understand, but when I returned to the room I looked it up and found that it was a persimmon. She cut one and gave it to us to sample. We'll have to go back there!
Tuesday, November 11--We met at 9:15 to start our walking tour with Mara. Tom forgot his camera and returned to the room to get it. He then had trouble finding the group. I waited where he could see me and thought I saw him coming, but apparently it wasn't he so the group ended up waiting a long time for him. Kevin went back and looked for him with no luck, and then Mara and I went back and finally found him. We ended up having a long wait for the bus. We got off the bus near the area Tom and I had stayed in before, near the a Pantheon. We saw several churches and then the Pantheon. I found a place to buy water. After a little more walking we had about an hour at a square that was something like Piaza di Fleure. The Piaza had been an amphitheater and there were tunnels under it where the gradiators had entered or been kept.
There was a market in the middle of the Piaza and many things were sold, including kaki or persimmons. We had lunch with Alan, Joy, Kevin, and Kathy. Mara had warned us of a large supper so each couple split an order of pasta. Tom and I had ravioli. He was still hungry, and we found a gelato shop, Blue Ice, where we bought gelatos. We then walked to the Roman Jewish ghetto, where about 7,000 Jews lived and many were taken to the concentration camps. We were told that one of the specialities in their cuisine was artichokes, which they open and fry. We then took the bus back to the hotel and collapsed until 6:15 when we all met again for the Rome by night tour and a four course meal--antipasto, pasta, chicken dishes, and dessert. We had driven by St. Peter's before supper because tomorrow was a special day when the Pope was to be seen and roadblocks were being put up in anticipation of the traffic and we would not be able to drive through after supper. After supper we drove by more of the ruins and then went back to the hotel.
Wednesday, November 12--We met at 8:30 to take the optional tour to the Colosseum and the Forum. Our guide was Antoinella and was very good. One of the things I learned was that the Colosseum was originally named the Amphitheater Flavium, but that it became referred to in the Middle Ages as the Colosseum after a colossal statue that stood by it. The statue had been moved from a temple on top of the hill to the lower Colosseum level. I also learned that "amphi" means "double" and that the Colosseum and other arenas were double a theater so that sports events could take place within it. We were very lucky with the rain since it quit raining while we were on the tour and only started again as we reached the hotel. Tom and I ate lunch in the hotel and then took a bus to the Catacombs Priscilla. We made the trip both ways with a little help from several nice Italians. One of the frescoes was said to be the oldest existing one of Mary and Jesus. We went back to the fish restaurant that we had been to a couple of days ago because we had enjoyed it, but it wasn't quite as much fun this time. I did try the artichokes and they were delicious--two hearts with long stem cooked with oil.
Thursday, November 13--Today was Vatican day so we left a little early, at 8:00, so we could be ahead of the crowd. Antoinella was our guide again. We went first to the Vatican Museum and then to St. Peter's.
I enjoyed seeing Michelangelo's Pieta, but since it was harmed by a man hitting it with a hammer it has been repaired and is now behind glass so is not as impressive as it was when you could go closer to it. After the tour we returned to the hotel and went around the corner thinking we would have pizza, but ended up having fried sandwiches of mozzarella and anchovies in one and Brie and ham in the other--they were like biscuits. After that we walked down to see the Cappucine Crypt, which is decorated with human bones. Our walks included many Smart Cars and other small cars, which are not only easier to drive here, but also easier to park.
We then walked much farther up and down hills to see Michelangelo's Moses in San Pietro, which Ashleigh had suggested we see.
On the way I had to use the restroom so we followed Mara's advice. We stopped for a coke in a ristorante and used the one there. On the way back we decided to take the Metro. First we went to the wrong side and then we had to ask for the location of a tobacco shop to buy tickets. The machine in the Metro wouldn't take our bills. An American couple traveling on their own helped us change trains at the Termini. The only problem we had was after we got off. We went to see the Spanish Steps since we were supposed to get off at the Spagna station.
We became a little lost in the Borghese Park, but finally we got to the hotel. We had only a little time before meeting Mara to turn in our whispers and pay for the optional trips and then go to supper with all the group--including the new arrivals. Our program director fo the rest of the trip is Giulio Passariello. Tom and I left as they brought out the desserts to go to the room and get ready for leaving tomorrow.
Friday, November 14--We had our big bags out by 7:10, but didn't leave in the bus for Florence until 9:00. Tom and I put our bags out and then went for a leisurely breakfast. I was able to buy some stamps for postcards for the grandchildren right before the bus left. I was told that I needed two one euro stamps on each card-- a total of 32 stamps and the man in the tobacco shop only had 28 so I'm going to have to get four more. Orieto is an old town on top of a small Mesa.
We parked at the bottom of the Mesa, took a funicular to the top, and then rode a bus to the church at the center of town right before lunch, visited the church and walked around until 2:30 and then left. The church was a very large one because it had been the site of a miracle when a priest was saying mass and broke the host and it started bleeding. We were supposed to be able to see the cloth on which it had bled, but mass was going on and we couldn't.
Lunch was bread with some roast beef. I found it pretty good. We ate with Kevin and Kathy. Before we left, Tom asked the members of the pre- tour to meet at the gelato shop and bought them yogurt--they had voted that he should buy yogurt for everyone since he kept them waiting on that first walking tour.
At 2:30 we began to walk back to the funicular back to the plains level. We arrived in Florence about 5:30 as planned, went to our rooms, and then came down for a lecture by an art history professor, Simon, about Renaissance Art. He was very good and entertaining as well as informative. We then had an included dinner at the hotel. Tom and I sat with an Italian couple. She works in the office for Grand Circle, and they are using this trip for their vacation. It was fun trying to communicate with them.
Saturday,November 15--We were up about 6:30 for breakfast at 7:30. We were told not to come before that since there was a group of 100 people leaving at 7:30. They had not quite left when we arrived, but we walked down to a nearby square where a market had been set up with Marie from Indiana and they had finished breakfast when we came back.
We left at about 8:30 for a walking tour with Simon. He took us to the baptisca and cathedral (The facade of the cathedral is much fancier than the sides or the bell tower and is thought by the Italians to be too fancy.), to see some unfinished works of Michelangelo,
and to see David, to the famous Bronze doors (which are not the originals, but reproductions so the originals can be stored safely after the 1966 flood that damaged so much of Florence,
to the political square where the David replica is,
and then to the Ponte Vecchio.
The bridge was one of the few things I really remember from past visits. We enjoyed the mimes. This one was playing with Giulio.
Among other interesting sights on our walks, were pedestals that blocked the way into streets which were limited to certain traffic. If a driver had permission to drive on a street, he or she had the ability to lower the pedestal, which then immediately raised back up to block any other vehicles.
When Simon left us, Tom and I had a nice lunch--he had lasagna and I had vegetable soup. I had a really long wait to use the restroom. There were about five women ahead of me. We waited in the same space with the men. I found out as I talked with some very attractive girls there that they were Spanish, not Italian. Tom and I then walked onto the Ponte Vecchio and then back to the room for naps. Rain was threatened, but held off until about 3:00. We stayed in our room until time to leave for the home cooked meals at 5:15. Our big group was divided into four smaller groups. We went to the Tossi family--Sergio, Bernadetta, and their daughter Flavia. They also had a dog, Libia (?), who joined the party at times. We were back in the room by 9:00. (tossifamily@vodafone.it)
Sunday, November 16--I went on the optional trip to San Gimignano (Town of Towers)--another medieval city and Tom stayed to walk around Florence and go to the Uffifi Museum. On our trip we walked around the town for two hours. I bought a bar of soap for each child family, and almost bought a chess set, but it turned out to be too expensive. I thought it would make a good Christmas present for Josiah. One of the most interesting sights was a group of older men who were enjoying watching the people in the street, and, I’m sure, solving the problems of the world. They were quite happy to have us take their picture!
When we left the town we went to a Castello Oliveto where we had a full meal with some wine tasting. I sat at the table with Francesca and Marcello, and some of the others put me right next to Francesca so we could talk. It was fun to try again. She is very patient. After lunch we returned to the hotel at about 4:30, and Tom was in the room when I arrived. We went out walking along the river and crossed at the Ponte Vecchio where I found a silver and enamel elephant to buy. I’m still intrigued by the parking arrangements where there are parking spaces marked for motorbikes.
It started to rain. I thought Tom was going to decide to return to the hotel without eating so I bought a gelato, but then we happened to see a Hard Rock Cafe where Tom had a chicken Caesar salad and I had a few bites. Afterwards we returned to the hotel. The rain stopped while we were eating. We ran into Toni and Larry in the square by the hotel. They had been to Mass at the cathedral where they sat directly under the dome.
Monday, November 17--At 8:15 we left for Sienna. It was raining hard when we arrived, but we started walking anyway. We walked part of the way up the hill to the city and took a series of about six escalators the rest of the way. We met our guide at the top. She explained the city well and told us about the different sections. There are ten sections--each represented by an animal. Hers was the Forest section. Each section has a meeting hall with a small church, a place to display the Piola (sp) pennants, and meeting space. She stressed how much feeling of community there was within each section. A big event for the city is the yearly horse race, Piola, in which all sections compete. Horses run three times around the town square. Dirt is moved in to make the track. We also saw a church and the large cathedral. The pulpit was large and ornate, and the library was beautiful with frescoes that had not been restored, but still had brilliant colors. It rained most of the day, but we put up umbrellas and kept walking. We had an included lunch which had a potato pasta and flan for dessert. We drove back to the hotel and then walked to a restaurant for an included dinner before going back to the hotel to pack.
Tuesday, November 18--We were able to leave a little later, 9:15, for our trip to the Riviera. We stopped before getting to Pisa for a rest stop at a "quick stop". When we arrived in Pisa we took a little train to the city rather than walk a couple of miles. Giulio took us for a walk in the city of Pisa after our first glimpse of the Tower square. It had rained so much that the river was very high. Tom and I started back and stopped for a salad for lunch. We barely had enough time after lunch to take pictures, for Tom to buy a mug, and for me to buy umbrellas as gifts.
Back on the bus, we drove to Carraba where we saw marble quarries in the hills.
We then visited the marble art studio named Michaelangelo's quarry where we saw sculptors working on marble statues--mostly replicas.
We then drove on to Santa Margarita di Ligure where we arrived about in time for supper at the Ristorante di Michele.
Wednesday, November 19--We left about 8:40 to walk around Santa Margarita di Ligure. Giulio poiinted out the equivalent of obituaries—a poster in whatever part of town the deceased had lived.
We then caught a ferry to Portofino--only 3.5 miles away, but the boat ride gave us a chance to see the coastline.
The town, Portofino, is tiny, but we walked around just a little and then had coffee and chocolate at a bar on the square. We sat with Gail and Dick and asked a waiter to take pictures with them and with others eating there. We then walked the 3.5 miles back to Santa Margarita on the road along the coast. When we got there we had lunch at the Ristorante di Michele where some of the others were eating. We then returned to our room and took a nap before going to another restaurant where I had soup and Tom had Ravioli before having tiramisu and a mini crème brûlée. Then back to the room and bed.
Thursday, November 20--About 10:00 everyone but Tom followed Giulio to the train station to go to the Cinque Terre-- five little medieval villages along the coast that were once fishing villages and now mostly tourist places. We visited the second and then took the train to the fourth staying in each one about two hours. I ate with Tina and had some delicious ink squid linguine with shrimp.
It was totally black! I also had a vegetable flan that was very good. One of the interesting sights was a church that apparently was built in 1203.
We returned on the train to the hotel about 5:30 and then had supper at the hotel. We had minestrone and then some kind of veal and penna cotta in a bed of chocolate. It was some kind of molded custard.
Friday, November 21--we needed to start early today because this was the longest drive of the trip, so we met at 8:20 to load up. We drove for about an hour and a half till a rest stop. And then again for a couple of hours till lunch at a cafeteria. The food there was good and abundant with much choice. I had a salad. Tom had a salad, some fruit, and some roast beef. We loaded up again and drove to Verona where we had a local guide to show us the castle and the amphitheater as well as the streets of the old town. We saw what is thought to be Juliet’s balcony and the wall where many love notes are posted. This was one of the most crowded places we’ve seen on the trip.
We had an hour's free time before starting again and heading for in the Dolomites. I bought some hat/scarfs for all the men in the family. When we reached the Luna Hotel we found we had no Internet in the room--just in the lobby. We had supper at a restaurant that was also a brewery. First s soup, then a plate of about five different meats, sauerkraut, potatoes, and a ball of moistened bread seasoned. Dessert was a fruit tart. It was much more than enough food. Tom and I both had apple juice with the meal, and it was very good.
Saturday, November 22--We had a walking tour of Bolzano this morning with a local guide who was quite amusing. At the end of the tour, we stopped at the Ice Man museum.
It was amazing how much information has been gathered about him. We were free after we left the museum so we went back to our room to drop things and then went out to find lunch. We walked around a bit and finally went to a place near the hotel named Larcher where we had a very good meal--three courses-- for 12.9 euros. By the time we finished we just had time to prepare to leave at 2:00 for our trip in the cable car to Reno (sp?). The ride up involved at least three times up and then flat. At the top we took a small train to one of the towns--the one the farthest away--where we walked around before meeting the bus again and going to the Kohn apple juice factory. We then drove back to the hotel.
We had supper with Austrian music from a trio of young men.
Sunday, November 23--We left at 8:15 for our trip to the Dolomites. The first town we visited was Ortisce (sp). We drove through a valley named Val Gardena with a nice stream at the bottom. The snow increased as we moved up. The next town we visited was Ste. Christena.
I think it was here that there was a museum of work by the Ladins—wood carvers. Much of their work is religious.
We are here during the transition from summer to winter tourists. Our next stop was in a pass where we could see both the valley we had come up and the one we would go down. It was beautiful. Pordoi Pass is next. It was pretty, but not as beautiful as the first pass.
After a few minutes for pictures we headed for lunch in Canazie, a town in one of the valleys. I think this is where we had Weiner Schnitzel, which was a little on the tough and dry side.
We then drove on to Lake Caress although Giulio had been told the access was closed because the snow made it dangerous. After seeing the lake through the trees, we headed for the hotel. Tom and I rested for about an hour and then went walking to look for food. Most everything was closed, but we passed a corner pizza shop and bought a slice of pizza, which the seller cut in two for us, and lemon soda, limonada, which we took back to the room to eat. We went to bed before 10:00 for the first time.
Monday, November 24--We left at 8:30 for our trip to Innsbruck. On the way we stopped to view the Europa Brücke, the tallest automobile bridge in Europe (470 feet tall).
We then drove on to Innsbruck where we had a walking tour. After the tour, Tom and I went to a restaurant (It was green on the outside.) and had lamb stew which was delicious. We had two and a half hours of free time and then returned to the hotel. It was about two hours drive. We then had a very good included supper in the hotel. They had a rump roast that had been cooked for hours and was delicious. We returned to our room to pack. Window displays were imaginative.
Tuesday, November 25--We had to have our luggage out by 7:00 when we went to breakfast. After breakfast we had to be at the bus at 8:20. We drove about an hour and a half till a rest stop and then drove another couple of hours till lunch at a roadside cafeteria. Then it was only another hour to our stop for Venice. On the way in, we saw fish farms in the lagoon.
Once in Venice, we had a walking tour with Pietro and he took us on the vaporetta (Grand Circle bought us three day passes), which is like a water bus to St. Marco square.
Narrow canal, gondola, Rialto Bridge, San Marco Piaza, and the Bridge of Sighs (between the justice buildings and the prisons)
After our walk we returned to the room to prepare for the farewell dinner with the people who were not staying for the post tour. It was a really good meal with lasagne and ravioli (spinach and ricotta cheese), then grouper, and then tiramisu. Kevin gave his tiramisu to Tom.
Wednesday, November 26--There were only 14 of us left and we stared the day with a walking tour to familiarize us with the neighborhood and to see the Jewish Ghetto which contains the tallest buildings in Venice—up to eight stories.
Tom got cold and went back to the room. We all returned to the hotel about 1:00 and Tom and I went for lunch at a restaurant to the left as we left the hotel. The guide had suggested this restaurant and it was pretty good. Tom gave the waiter a 100 Euro bill and the waiter made a big play with it saying that 100 was fine with him, but his manager wanted 500. She looked a little like she was used to his jokes. We went down to St. Marco, but when we arrived it was really too late to do much. I had to use the restroom, so we stopped for a very expensive coffee. Masks for Carnival are really big here.
We noticed the really unique mooring technique for gondolas.
We then went looking for a chess set, which we found just in time to rush off without buying it and return to the hotel for the gondola ride and supper. We were lucky in our weather for the gondola ride with no rain and not the very cold wind we had had earlier. Supper was good.
Thursday, November 27--This was the day to go to Murano and see the glass blowing, which was amazing. We watched a man make a vase and a horse in just a few minutes.
I then found a present for Christmas. We left there and went to another island, Lace Island, where the houses were different colors and where the women had a tradition of making lace. We watched as a woman demonstrated how they made the lace and were amazed at the skill it took. On the way, we passed a cemetery.
We had a rather mediocre lunch there before returning to the mainland and resting. Tom wanted to have supper at the restaurant where we had our first dinner here, and Gail and Dick also wanted to, so we went there. The food was good again, but there was a band playing amplified music that was so loud we couldn't talk and started getting earaches. The waiter asked Tom if everything was OK and he said "not really, the music was too loud". We noticed the waiter spoke to the proprietor, and at the next break, the music was toned down slightly, but still way too loud. We went to the restaurant Tom and I had visited for lunch the day before and enjoyed desserts and coffee with amusing waiters.
Friday, November 28--Tom and I decided to skip the walk with Andrea and instead went to the Doge's Palace.
It was amazing. When we first started we went to the museum and saw remnants of medieval columns--interesting, but not that special. Then we went upstairs and started viewing the Doge's private rooms and the the public rooms. The public rooms were unbelievably ornate and beautiful with hundreds of paintings by some of the best 1400's through mostly 1500’s artists-some later because of a fire in the 1700's that destroyed some rooms so that they had to be redone. One room for a meeting of all 1200-2000 leaders of the city was enormous. We then saw the armory and walked across the Bridge of Sighs (so called because the prisoners, after being sentenced to prison, walked across it to their cells. The prison was I think four stories tall with large stone cells and heavy bars. When we finished there we walked toward the Rialto and had lunch. After lunch we went searching for the chess shop owned by Andrea's friend. We did finally find it, but it was closed so we went to the other shop we'd found and bought a chess set for Josiah's Christmas present. It was almost 2:30, and our vaporetta passes ran out at about 2:30 so we took the vaporetta back. Tom got off at the hotel stop (Ferovia), and I went one more stop to the big grocery store we'd heard about and bought Ciobar for each child and for us before walking back to the hotel in a slight drizzle. I did try the vaporetta pass, but it didn't work. We walked around the hotel neighborhood for awhile in search of a last gelato, which we found, and the went back. To pack before the second farewell dinner.
Saturday, November 29--Wake up at 3:00, luggage out by 3:30, and leaving the hotel in a water taxi by 4:00. Andrea saw us off, and others met us at the airport and guided us through. The plane from Venice left at 6:20 almost exactly on time (KLM). The plane from Amsterdam to Atlanta (Delta) was supposed to leave at 1:20, but was a little late because of a problem with"paper work". We couldn't help but think of all the problems we and others had on the way here.