Pensione La Pergola Venice

... control measure (hint: it’s not working!) If you even accidentally drive into the area, much less park there, they will photo your car and send you a hefty bill! Did we mention that drivers here seem to all have the same death wish?

Our first stop was the Bargello Museum, which is home to works by Donatello and Michelangelo, among others. Then off to the Galleria Academia .Yes, we went to an Accademia in Venice, too. It does get confusing! The ...

... of you who are not Reddingites, Calatrava designed the world famous Sundial Bridge in Redding, CA. Michele had read about the Venice bridge and found that it was just as plagued by delays and cost over-runs as the Redding project. Michele describes herself as the only resident of Redding who hates the bridge, more for its cost than its beauty.
You will see some pictures on the blog, but two ...

... endowed a museum of modern art, which seems especially radical in Venice, with its nearly universal focus on the Renaissance.
After dinner and a rest, we finished our day with a night at the Opera! We saw “The Barber of Seville” a great, silly romp of an opera - and to add to the fun, it was performed inside one of the old Venetian palaces, with each act taking place in a different room. (The small audience followed the players and the Piano Quartet from room to room.)

... 8217;clock,” then added, “but maybe seven thirty, or maybe seven, depending on the people.” We weren’t at all sure what to expect at six thirty, but he was there.
Oh, did we mention that it rained most of the day? We were prepared and only came home with wet shoes. Since most of Venice was under over 3 feet water just a week ago, we considered ourselves very lucky.

Tomorrow, San Marco and (hopefully) dry weather.

... find. Then it started raining, I mean it IS Venice, so what more could you expect? But it wasn’t bad, so (after I bought an umbrella) we kept walking.

The next day was spent the same way, though without Steve. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed tracking down gondolas. We found a great little place that sold yummy ham and cheese Paninis, and had a surprisingly wonderful few days. Next stop: Rome.

... it is amazing… no roads.. Some little footpaths and only boats of all shapes and sizes zipping around. We then went to San Marco.. The main square in Venice .. I would think on a fine day lots of tourists sipping cappuccino and feeding millions of pigeons… however as it was raining we took shelter and found a place to have the world’s most expensive coffee and tea while being serenaded by a 4 string quartet…. Very posh.. The ADRs ...

You cannot believe this place! It is a perfect maze, little alleyways, bridges, canals, campos (squares), churches, more churches, more canals....AND PEOPLE!

I read somewhere that there are 20 million (that is twenty million) people who visit this place every year. And I don't doubt it. I could describe it ...

... pigeons! A stroll along the water front, another gelatto and a little more shopping and it was time to board the water taxi for the train station and then the Eurostar for the 3 hour journey back to Florence - home to toasted sandwiches, fruit and bed - but only after writing about our day today. In my book Venice is right up there with Paris - the two best cities of the trip so far! Tomorrow is the Mums' day and Dads are looking after the kids. I haven't quite decided what I am ...

... James Spader was just a few seats away from us... We took the Vaporetto from the station and checked into the Regina and Europa Hotel right by the P.San Marco, mostly because we have Starwood membership and could stay there with points. The first room (in the Regina part) that they showed us was absolutely dreadful, and I mean DREADFUL. Primarily, the room was small dark and dirty, with very worn thready carpets, dark and dingy bathrooms and had a strange odor. We immediately ...

... barbarian graffiti artists. On reflection I think Shakespeare's question was "What's news on the Rialto?" Either way, the graffiti should be removed immediately. The walk from the Rialto to our hotel was a lot more challenging than from our hotel to the Rialto. All the little lanes look pretty much the same and somehow we became lost. A young man took pity on us and suggested we follow him back to San Marco. He took us by a very indirect route and left us behind the Doges' Palace ...