Vigorous Venice

Call us naive, but at the time we booked our visit to Venice we had no idea it would be the final weekend of Carnevale. Not that we would have avoided going, but maybe we would have rearranged our trip a little. As it was, we arrived very early Friday morning, courtesy of Captain George. Remember how our flight was super early? Well, Devin and I were going on very little sleep thanks to some very noisy upstairs neighbors in Seville seemed to be moving furniture on the marble floors until about 2am. As a result, our row on the airplane went something like this: Devin (asleep, not even trying to stay awake), Nell (on his lap, asleep), across aisle is Melinda (asleep despite trying to stay awake), Jonas (wide awake), Clara (asleep for the first half, awake for the second half). So you see, there was a time when Jonas was completely unsupervised and this will come up later in the day…

But for now, we arrived in Venice to crowds of people in masks and costumes which only added to the beauty, allure and originality of the city. After finally figuring out what water taxi we needed and getting to our appointed stop we met Antonio who would be showing us to our apartment. He advised that we make it to San Marco square that afternoon explaining that the next day many people from cities all around Venice would be coming to the square and it would be impossible to get around with the stroller. We took his advice and after dropping off our suitcases set out exploring.



Aside from the beauty and marvel of the buildings and canals/rows, one of the first things we noticed was just how many of them there were. We have a pretty hefty double stroller and after our second bridge, Devin and I came up with a system that served us well over the next two days. I prefer carrying the stroller from the back on the way up stairs and holding it in the front on the way down so we had sort of dance (and I like to think we were efficient and graceful as well) we would do every few feet when we would encounter yet another bridge. There are so many of them. We were fairly warned but figured it was well worth the visit.



After a little wandering we spotted our favorite gelato shop of all time, Grom, which was apparently an Italian chain since we had it in Sienna the first time. They are fabulous with allergies not to mention DELICIOUS!! We noted the location and moved on since we needed some normal food first. We found a little shop and ordered Italian sandwiches. She asked us if we wanted to eat in or take out. We said take out but after getting our food we realized we should just eat before walking since our hands were pretty full. We sat down (many open tables) and began eating when the lady came to us and explained that we had not paid to stay so we needed to leave. We felt awkward and got out of there as quickly as possible. We knew is was a common practice but completely forgot until our kind reminder. Here we are eating outside.


From this point we simply wandered - kind of using a map but finding that it was slightly useless with all the tiny (often unmarked) streets. People watching was out of this world. I've never seen anything like it - even with all my trips to San Francisco growing up.





Even the dogs were dressed up...


We loved the many squares we came upon and a couple of times even thought we had made it to San Marco but quickly realized we were wrong and continued on. Once we found it, it was unmistakable. There was quite the party going on which only added to the vibrant feel.



After wandering around we decided to head to Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal. With only one stop in a paper store, we got there without a problem. It was beautiful!



From here we just wandered looking for specific shops or sites we had researched previously. We were quite unsuccessful finding any of those, but we were far from disappointed with the little streets we did find. Especially when we stumbled upon our birth years. I remembered a picture Megan took of herself in Venice next to her birth year so I decided to copy her idea. Devin is clearly not as enthusiastic as I am - but can you blame him when 1979 is so much more impressive looking than 1976? I'd look like he did if that door was mine to claim.



By now it was dark and time for dinner. While sitting next to Jonas I looked over to see something brown and messy in his hood. Initially I feared. You know, brown is never a color you want to see on your kid's clothing. But his hood? On closer inspection I saw a white stick popping out. Apparently when Jonas was babysitting himself on the airplane, he raided the treat section of Fox, his friendly backpack, and somehow one of his chocolate lollipops made its way (unwrapped, mind you) into his hood and there it stayed the remainder of the day. Don't ask me how it took me 9 hours to notice! At this point I left it there since it was hardened on.


Although exhausted, we headed back to Rialto Bridge after dinner (and maybe a stop at Grom) to see it at night. I enjoyed seeing it in the dark and Clara and Jonas enjoyed trying on their newly acquired masks that were so popular.


Finally it was time to head home for some much needed sleep. Problem was that it was cold and as we had to pass by Grom again and they had very tempting looking hot chocolate that we were eager to try out!

Days: 1
Visits to Grom: 2

There was no crib for Nell yet again, so I got creative with the small space in between the two bedrooms and bathroom. There was this little area that with gathered couch cushions we were able to make a padded sleeping space for Nell. She slept great!


Well, she slept great after a fun play session with Clara and Jonas. They were delirious.


Clara had been begging me to dress up the way she saw so many other children for our second and last day in Venice. I easily caved and out she ventured in her newly acquired Spanish flamenco dress and mask looking cute and very pleased.


To avoid the masses of people the next day we took the road less traveled for most of the day and found it to be quite pleasant. We started with a water taxi to Murano which is a little island close to Venice where glass is made.


We enjoyed wandering around and window shopping and then we happened upon this little Italian girl (?) dressed up and looking for fellow party-ers and she found her fun with Clara, Jonas and even Nell.



After a few minutes of confetti throwing we headed out to a different section of Venice, Dorsoduro. It was there that I saw this cool fruit stand/boat.


As we took the water taxi we passed by San Marco and saw just how packed with people it was which made us glad we were where we were. Once off the boat, we enjoyed more wandering and eating. Nell especially liked this spinach pastry.


As we wandered, I found a couple of things that made me feel welcome. First? Fresh fruit with a very cool looking 'M'.


Then as we were walking Clara said "Mom, that mannequin looks like you".


I had to laugh since I certainly do not look like a mannequin but maybe with a little plastic surgery (or a lot), a hair cut/color and some serious Italian glam I could pretend to be a mannequin? I think the bottom line is, I wear too much green and navy blue so anytime Clara sees those colors, it makes her think of me. Just after this incident, we were in a leather shop and she found two things, one of which made her think of my friend Mayka and another that made her think of my friend Megan. Funny thing was, this time I agreed with her that those bags were very "them".

After enjoying some food in this square we headed out in search of a gondola ride close to sunset. We made it in perfect timing and he even serenaded us, I was impressed with how good his voice was. It was so calm and peaceful on the water and we completely enjoyed this experience even though we knew it was completely touristy - but then again, so is Venice. Plus, Jonas absolutely loved it which was really fun to see.


Here are some of the views from our gondola ride, although to be honest we focused more on enjoying it than taking pictures.





The gondola dropped us off right by Rialto Bridge which by now was completely packed. We had quite the time getting up and over the bridge carrying the stroller and as my brother-in-law pointed out, I'm sure you can find us on You Tube somewhere as comic relief. By now we were tired and ready to get some dinner…but again, we had to pass by Grom. What's a person to do? We were cold and decided on hot chocolate as an appetizer to dinner. After getting some amazing take out pizza (thanks to a recommendation from Antonio that was off the beaten path) we ate at home while warming up as much as possible in preparation for heading out to eat our final gelato. Devin and I got some to bring home that we shared once the kids were in bed. We savored our salted caramel, cream, chocolate and pear gelato together while resting our tired bodies.


We were so happy to have made it to Venice regardless of the number of stairs we lifted the stroller over.

It had been an amazing week and the next morning we would be packing up and flying home.

In summary (as pointed out by Clara):
Days: 2
Visits to Grom: 4
Stairs/Bridges: Countless

So at this point, I am going to turn this blog post into a choose your own adventure story. If you want the happy ending to a lovely trip to Venice, read ending A. If you want a sour and grumpy ending, read ending B.

Ending A: After the last minute items were packed, we headed out the door to navigate the streets of Venice one last time but this time with luggage in addition to the stroller. Clara was awesome at pulling a suitcase and keeping very close to me since it was very crowded - even though it was Sunday morning. We made it to the airport, on the plane and home with plenty of time to unpack. The next day was President's Day so Devin had the day off as well as the kids (not due to President's day though…rather a teacher training day here in England). We all slept in and pretty much did nothing but laundry and one outing to get food from the grocery store. It was the perfect day to follow up our crazy but wonderful week. Now back to healthy eating, work, school and normal life. It is always hard to end a vacation but also nice to fall back into that familiar routine.

Ending B: We made it out on time but the streets were crazy crowded making it difficult for us to navigate with the stroller and suitcases. Clara was amazing at pulling her suitcase while still keeping up. We arrived at the airport to long lines but we were there with plenty of time so we didn't stress. After over an hour in line we made it to security and on to the line waiting for the plane. Rephrase: We waited in the mass of people waiting for the plane. There was absolutely no order or line there.

We were being shuttled in a bus to the airplane and barely missed the first one. We were the first ones on the second bus and right next to the door. We figured we'd at least be getting on the plane after about 50% of the people so finding seats together should work. Wrong. People were literally shoving past to get on the plane. As we got Jonas and Nell out of the stroller I even heard a man comment on how people were shoving past the women and children to board. Devin grabbed Jonas and jumped in line. I was almost last with only a few people behind me. With Nell in my arms and Clara right behind me I walked down the aisle realizing there were no seats together. I told Clara she may have to sit alone and I would have Nell on my lap. I looked up to see that Devin had found the LAST two remaining seats together on the plane for him and Jonas. Trouble was this man was blocking the seats. As I got closer I heard him telling Devin that he in no way would be sitting there, he was saving them for his two friends. Now is the time for me to explain what he looked like - think 1980's jock. Perfectly cut flat top (slightly gray), white linen shirt and obviously very into himself. Oh, and mid 40's…so don't ask me why it was so crucial he sat next to his two friends who were of the same age. Devin explained that Jonas could not sit on his own and those seats were still available since he was there and his friends were not. The guy was simply not going to budge. He pointed to a single seat across the aisle and said "He can sit there". No, he can't, we need two seats together Devin explained. At this point the guy says "You are making me out to be the bad guy here". Devin responded "I think you're doing a pretty good job of it on your own".

We are now the only people left standing aside from his two friends who are behind Clara waiting to sit in their special seats. I finally pull out the disabled card we have which I don't like to do but I figured desperate times called for desperate measures. The flight attendant was there telling Devin that she felt uncomfortable and while asking the man to please let Devin sit there she did absolutely nothing to help us since he completely ignored her. I explained from behind Devin that our son could not walk and could not take care of himself on this flight and he absolutely needed to sit with a parent. Still the guy said "That's your problem, not mine." I've never seen Devin so upset and I was shaking with frustration. We are now the main attraction for the surrounding rows of people. Finally after a few minutes of gridlock a line of 4 women from Taiwan gave up their seats for our family. They were so nice and not only did they allow for Devin to sit with Jonas but for our entire family to be together. Their kindness is what I'm trying to remember from the flight since I was shocked that someone could be so horrid. The best part was that while on the flight, one man fell asleep, one read a magazine and the main guy simply sat and did nothing. The last thing he said to us was "I'm going to sleep just fine tonight" even though we hadn't said anything about him sleeping at all. I wonder if it is a line he has rehearsed and finds himself needing to use often. Something tells me it is.

We loved our trip and even though the flight home was one of our worst flight experiences ever we were so glad we went and are trying to make the most of our time here in Europe since we know it is coming to a close all too soon.