Susan's birthday in Venice





   We celebrated Susan's birthday this year in Venice. It's only a two hour flight from Barcelona. I rented an apartment that had a fabulous view of the Ca Frari church. A canal ran right in front of the apartment. It was a great location with shopping, restaurants and cafes nearby. Please contact me if you want information about the apartment.

  We started out with an early dinner just around the corner and then went for an evening stroll over the Rialto bridge. We ended up in Piazza San Marco just after dark. There were still throngs of people in the piazza. On the way home, we managed to get lost and had to ask directions several times. People were helpful and everyone we talked to told us we were only two minutes away from the apartment. We finally found it after half an hour. When you go to Venice, plan on getting lost for the first day or so.

   You should also plan on having lots of company. The whole world goes to Venice and I think we heard every language spoken by man or beast. In spite of the crowds, people are polite and we were able to see everything without waiting. Please make sure to get RESERVATIONS FOR BASILICA SAN MARCO!!! Most of the other popular sights are not too crowded in late September.

   We spent the entire three days walking around. Rather than go into excruciating detail about everything we saw, here is a list of places that are really worth seeing:

Ca Frari church

Rialto Bridge

Piazza San Marco

Basilica San Marco

Doge's Palace

Isola San Michele

Guggenheim Museum

Accademia Museum

Any church you walk by

The streets and canals

   I don't know how many hundreds of books have been written about Venice but it's really impossible to describe. The art, architecture and way of life are unlike anyplace else on our planet. For one thing, there are no motorized vehicles. Everything from toilet paper to $5000 Gucci handbags is brought in gondolas and then transferred to push carts for final delivery. The trash is picked up in gondolas. If you get sick, an ambulance gondola will take you to the hospital. Just to give you an idea of the scale of this undertaking, there are 60,000 permanent residents and 50,000 tourists A DAY in Venice!

   When you go, plan to stay at least three days. Spend some time in your neighborhood and try to get to know a few people. English is widely spoken and most of the people you meet are happy to talk to you. We found a great little café just a few steps from the apartment (see below). It's run by some cool and groovy guys who are groovy and cool in the way only young Italians can be cool and groovy. The wine selection is good and they serve excellent tapas. It's called Caffé dei Frari.

   Venice, in many way, is like a Disneyland for adults. The shops are filled with everything from deep-fried kitsch to some of the most exquisite stuff you've ever seen. Around every corner is a fresh surprise. I hope to go back.

                                                            Happy birthday, Babycita!