Mrs. Iron Tourist was pretty wiped out when we got back to the hotel, so after a bit of time, I took the girls out. We bought drinks from a lagoon-side vendor (3 Euros for a huge beer that I could walk around with – no open container laws in Venice, no driving either).
We purchased 24 hour vaporetto tickets, and headed toward the Rialto Bridge. The #1 route is the local route, so it was the slow boat to China (if you got the oblique Marco Polo joke, chuckle NOW – if not, move on because there is nothing to see here. . .). But, after many stops with the maddening crowds getting on/off, we finally made it to the Rialto stop.
Another riff here: There are so many tourists in Venice (I recognize that we were part of the mob) that I believe the bridges are simply made of the calcified remains of tourists who have been trampled to death by other tourists. Think about that next time you walk over a bridge in Venice. The sheer numbers of people were staggering – and they came in wave after wave. And we were there on a Thursday and Friday – apparently Venice attracts many weekend-trippers from Europe. Saturday in Venice was as much of a tourist mob scene as I can imagine – but it was survivable. At least tourists (unlike Italians) shift a little so there are no collusions.
If you really, really hate crowds, skip Venice. Think Disney, but with more garbage and smell. Oh yeah, and a bit more history and architecture. But you get my point. Regardless, I love Venice – as does the whole family. Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.
The girls were stunned by the scene at the Rialto Bridge – beautiful bridge teeming with people, shops in the market streets all around, and the jewelry shops lining the bridge. We wandered around, soaking in the scene.
And then the girls wanted to buy souvenirs. So we did. Searching for stall to stall for the right piece of bric a brac reminded me of our family trips to various parts of New England in my youth. I had never been south of mid-Jersey until I was in 8th or 9th grade, west of Eastern Pennsylvania until after college, nor flown domestically until a senior in high school, nor flown internationally until a junior in college. My girls have been to Spain, Ireland, London, now Italy, Mexico, Hawaii, and various parts of the US, but they still want stuff that will gather dust or break soon.
On the bright side, their preference for souvenirs is a step up in class over mine – but not a huge step. I’m always happy to buy t-shirts/sweatshirts, because at least they are worn. We got some stuff (nothing as tacky as the junk my brothers and I bought – although the price of crud has gone up a bit. Years from now, when they go to college, they’ll clean their rooms, find that stuff, and wonder. . .”hmmm, where in the heck did I get that?”
After we took a more express vaporetto back (although it didn’t stop as close to the hotel), and walked to dinner. The directions were simple – out of the hotel, turn left, and cross five bridges . Hang hard left, cross another bridge, and walk down a canal until there. We definitely cross out of the main tourism areas and into an actual neighborhood.
We had early reservations (7:30), which works well because we get served faster than the crowds that start coming at 8, and because the kids do get tired.
Travelers tip: When traveling with your family, use the excuse that “the children are getting tired” as the reason to ask for the bill right away. It speed up the process the last two dinners.
We had asked for a reasonably priced, relaxed restaurant, and the hotel desk clerk (who ought to be a male model with his chiseled Italian looks) suggest Hosteria Da Franz. It had a trattoria feel, and we enjoyed it. We were seated with complementary glasses of Prosecco, as well as a chef’s tasting dish. I had the crab mousse, pasta with prawns/onions and red peppers, and then Swordfish Mediterranean style. All very good. Carol had a excellent seafood salad, followed by the monkfish, while Julia tried her first sea bass, which she liked.
For wine, we had a Sicilian white that the owner recommended to go with the seafood we selected. I’m not a huge white wine drinker, but did enjoy it.
We then hiked back to the hotel rooms. The girls were disappointed there were no gelatto shops open between the neighborhood we were in and the hotel. They’ll live.
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