Vance #11 transitions, from greece to italia

From Vance's email.  transitions, from greece to italia. 10/6/2014 6:18 PM

departed galatas by taxi with charlene and bob, 6:20a.m., arr. athens airport at 9. gorgeous sunrise!

airport goodbyes and then got ticketed - lufthanza - athens to venice 6:25p.m. spent a goodly amount of time in lufthanza's lounge, nice, good breakfast and lunch and noshes including execllent panna cottaa(cooked cream topped with quince jam), took a quick look at the flea market in athens and then flew to frankfurt, claimed my luggage there, they had lost the last time i came through frankfurt...so i rechecked the luggage and flew venezia to frankfurt. on board, surprise, economy - food?  delicious pastitisa, basically pasta with meat sauce and bechamel, but it was just right, tasty and very very hot, good roll and butter. quick transfer to marriott, smug evening staff, but excellent hotel, morning staff superb, map of venice, caught no. 5 bus to the boat - vaporetto, took it to san marco square, my tiny hotel is near hard rock cafe and best western and then just around the corner is calle Zorzi, tiny, tiny little dark alleyway...no one knows where it is but you find it anyway, buzz MORETTINO, gianni (john) answers, carries my heavy luggage up many many many steps and there is a perfect Venetian room, red and white, beautiful. he has only two rooms, the beams in the ceiling suggest old, yes, 1700. simply beautiful and just for one night...so be it.

how about a quick nap, great idea! then walk just a short way to the piazza san marco. there it is in all its crazy byzantine splendor. the line is really not long, 3:30 so drop my bag off, no bags allowed in san marco and no photos...ho ho ho, everyone is snapping like crazy...no one stopping them. in s.f. cwai and noam suggested i download rick steve's lectures on venice and florence...1. they are superb 2. the italy book is somewhere in s.f. enjoyed the time there, even sat in on a catholic tour group complete with their own priest who celebrated mass. picked up my bag and off to get my train tic for florence tues at 3:25.

the light was amazing, that special evening light. after getting the tic i wandered around stopping at various restaurants to eye the menu and also get the feel of the area. there is no such thing as a restaurant in venice that is not a tourist restaurant...but a bar/restaurant where they serve chidhetti - little bites - a glass of something with a little sandwich or some olives and bread are as close as you come. i looked at several, there are hawkers who come up and try to convince you to eat their food.. E12 for 3 courses, on and on finally, there is a nice place, small, nice tables, and the young man suggests 3 courses for 13.50, $18, well, it was a chichetti as well as restaurant. excellent pasta with clams, second course of calamari deep fried, teeny tiny sardines and small shrimp. the kind you eat the whole thing. and a largish salad. nice. delicious and real. many people sit and have a drink and chat with one another, none of them tourists. one couple on their honeymoon from dayton. got lost coming back, but finally found the train station and a boat bringing me back. hat a nice grappa d'oro and a prosecco and good night. a great day in venezia.

 my waiter, "a picture of me?" "si, a pic of you", he was so real and not the crass hawkster kind that tries to pressure you, but rather invites. good, honest food. not great, well prepared and tasty, deeply appreciated.

question:   why travel?

answer:     just to be here!

midnight bells are ringing in st. mark's square, time to sleep.