Note: this first appeared in my newsletter, “Life, Under Construction,” a regular column on culture, travel and politics which appears every Monday and Thursday. For subscription information, please click the button below.
Subscription informationThe Great Republic of Venice
I cannot say enough good things about the city. We stayed at the Hotel Principe alongside the Grand Canal. In addition to being an incredibly nice hotel with friendly service, it had the added convenience of a water taxi stop on the canal.
In Venice, there are no cars. No buses. And the bridges make bicycles impractical, too. You can get around by walking, by gondola (very expensive), by water taxi (not cheap) and by vaporetto (a water bus). Oh, and did I mention I’m not a fan of small boats?
I think the Lovely Doreen thought I would back out when I saw the gondola but I’m willing to try almost anything. I trusted the gondoliers and their years of experience to help me in and out of it, and I did not panic as it rocked back and forth. So if you were a tourist in Venice betting on getting that viral video of a large guy tipping over a gondola, I’m glad I disappointed you.
While riding on the boat, Doreen and I overheard another tourist asking about the fare at another gondola stop near a bridge.
“Ninety euros.”
“How much?”
“Ninety euros.”
“Nine-zero?” the young man asked, as if the amount was the price of a car. I’m sure he heard Doreen, me, and our gondolier burst into laughter as we passed. What did you think it was going to cost?
As I mentioned above, the heat and humidity of August was nearly unbearable but we managed to tour St. Mark’s Cathedral and the Doges Palace.
We had frozen Coca Cola at a Burger King just to enjoy the air conditioning. At another stop in St. Mark’s Square, we had a Coke, a sparkling water, two Iced Chocolate drinks, and the background music of a string quartet playing Mozart, for 74 Euros. (Don’t worry, we guessed what it was going to cost before we sat down.)
We ate wonderful food both days while we were in Venice, even if we were pretty much done with fish by then.
Our guides, supplied through the Azamara cruise line (strong recommend), were extremely helpful in our exploration of the city, getting us from our ship to our hotel (by bus and water taxi), and from our hotel to the airport (by water taxi).
We were reluctant to leave the beautiful city, but we know a return trip is inevitable.
If I’m left with one enduring image of Venice. The Doge was always pictured kneeling before the symbols of Venice reminding Doge and commoner alike that the office was meant to serve the Republic, not rule for the Doge’s personal benefit. Perhaps we could use that humility in our candidates for the highest office in our republic.
The Lovely Doreen and I arriving at St. Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco) in style.
