This morning we awoke to another beautiful day with clear blue skies. The temperature was a little cool but we ate breakfast on the terrace nonetheless. Matteo made us omelets with eggs from his grandmother’s farm and they were scrumptious.
After breakfast we decided to a little shopping nearby. We found a couple of mementoes from Venice, which shall always remind us of the 2011 adventure. On our way back to the hotel to drop some things off we made a stop at the wine store where we’ve made some good buys in the past. It’s Mille Vini near the Rialto Bridge.
Then we decided to ride over to Murano, the glass-blowing island. We walked to the Fundament Nova on the other (north) side of the island. Along the way we saw a number of shops selling beautiful flowers. Others sold handmade pots and still others were marble carvers. When we boarded the vaporetto for the ride across the laguna our first stop was Cimitero, the cemetery island, and then it clicked why those businesses were along the way to the stop to board the boat that takes you to the cemetery.
Next stop was Murano where we returned to a restaurant we’d had lunch at last time we were there. Once again the food was as good as we remembered it. We also were pleased to note that house wines can be quite wonderful here in the Mediterranean area. As we got up from lunch I heard someone calling my name and saw Laura, one of my fellow cruise critic members whom I’d never met. She and her husband Sylvain were sitting almost behind us. What a pleasure to finally meet someone you’ve been talking to for near 18 months!
We made a stop at the glass factory at which we’d bought something a couple of years ago and then we headed back to the hotel in Venice. Next on our agenda was our obligatory ride on the vaporetto out to Lido and then back the length of the Grand Canal. In the past we’ve had some of our best views doing this. Today was not as good because the boats were so crowded! It was difficult to get near a window. We decided to get off at the Rialto station. Two stops before there Al looked to the front of the cabin and who was sitting there but our friends Bill and Irene who had come in after spending a week in Bologna for the cruise. After hugs all around we agreed we’d see each other tomorrow when we board.
Our evening was spent first on the terrace having drinks with Joe and Mollye and then we proceeded to dinner at another of our favorite restaurants, the Alla Borsa. After some good food and wine (and a little grappa after dinner) and even better conversation with lots of laughter interspersed, we walked back to the hotel for the night.
Tomorrow is the big day many of us have been waiting for since March or April, 2010. Let the cruise begin!
No comments:
Post a Comment