Wednesday, August 15, 1979
Kathy and I managed to wake up in
time to get off at Verona, where we immediately caught a train to Venice. The
latter train was standing-room only, and we never got past five feet from the
door. Only a short while later we reached Venice, crossing the lagoon right
into the city. We did our toilette in the crowded station restroom, then went
to a park outside to eat breakfast and plan. In the park two guys came zeroing
in on us from opposite directions to talk to us in French. One old man walked
round and round us, and a black guy asked us for “fire.” We finished breakfast
and just wandered around Venice, seeing, of course, canals, sidewalks of
varying widths, and souvenir stands galore. We also saw several glass-blowing
places, only stopping in the first to watch the craftsman at work. We ended up
at St Mark’s Square where pigeons get fat, little bands play doctor-office
music in cafes around the square, where one cannot eat, and one must dress
decently. And the square was surrounded by mostly jewelry stores that all took
BankAmericards. We entered St Mark’s Basilica to view the mosaics and hear some
organ music before Mass began. The floor was all uneven, some parts of Venice
are sinking faster than other parts!
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| St Mark's Basilica across St Mark's Square |
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| Palazzo dei Dogi/Ducal Palace ticket |
Next door we went into the Ducal Palace in order to see the rooms of this oriental-looking palace, and mostly to see the armory collection which included thousands of bladed weapons and even a chastity belt. One room was lined with portraits of the dukes; one was neatly blacked out because the subject was a traitor. We walked across the tiny Bridge of Sighs to the prison.
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| View from on the Bridge of Sighs |
When we left we joined the huge crowd of people taking a picture of this bridge from the outside.
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| Bridge of Sighs |
We decided to find the marketplace
near Rialto Square to eat, but when we arrived the food places had already
closed. To get to this square we crossed over the Rialto Bridge which had shops
right on it. It was super hot that day. We decided to return to the station and
see about getting the next train towards Greece. We had a bit of a wait, so I
was able to catch up on postcards. We met a black fellow with a very strong
accent who claimed to come from the same country as we did, and having “lost” his passport and money, he wanted our financial help. We suggested he go to
the embassy. Then there was the Italian who wanted to give us or sell us tickets
to a photography exhibition, and another foreigner came to ask how he could fly
to his home country? We watched the porters sit around, a crowd gather around a
police boat for some reason, and lots of cute guys with flattering haircuts and
no sideburns! Later we went food shopping, but I also bought a “bag lunch” at
the station which included all the courses! I traded the wine in for a soda,
which cost me more! We boarded the train early, but our compartment filled
right up. It was a typical Italian train with uncomfortable seats, compartments
of eight instead of six seats, it was crowded, and it left late! We were kept
entertained for a short part of the trip by three Italian guys who couldn't
understand the sign language Kathy and I used. Then there was the old woman
playing musical chairs between our compartment and the next. She did a lot of
sleeping, often with Kathy’s jacket as a pillow. And then there was the strange
young girl who might have been changing undergarments without removing the
outer garments.
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| Map of Venice |
Next: Greece.
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