Travel

[Alter Ego]

You should always listen to your mother.

I say that tongue in cheek, but I wouldn’t be sitting in my hotel room in Venice if I hadn’t. My original plan was to go on a Caribbean cruise and I had actually put down a (non refundable) deposit for it.  When I mentioned it to mom maybe 9/10 months ago, she innocently said “have you ever thought about going to Greece?” Well, I don’t need much to take a look at Royal’s website and pick out a new cruise.  Even that far out, all balconies were gone.  My window was a little less than the cheapest balcony from my Caribbean cruise (even including the $100 fee to transfer the deposit).  Months later, the price of my room was twice as much. So, if you are ever considering a similar sailing, it pays to get your room as soon as you can!

The itinerary:

[Alter Ego]

One thing I want to say before I continue...I’m using my iPhone.  Sometimes autocorrect does weird things or sometimes I just miss something because the screen is ...well...small.  I often go back and see mistakes after I post.  Sometimes I fix them, but forgive me when I don’t.  Hopefully you’ll figure out what I’m trying to say.

[BirkiLady]

@Alter EgoWe didn't take a cruise, but flew to Athens and toured Greece thoroughly. It is the most beautiful country, has fabulous architecture, gorgeous blue water, and the history is abundant. My favorite of all our overseas vacations. Enjoy your cruise and take as many shore trips as possible! The knowledge you reap and additional scenic wonders you enjoy will be well worth the extra charges! I'm with you in spirit.   Cheers

[Alter Ego]

I’m staying in Murano.  I’ve been to Venice for an overnight cruise stop before and I missed seeing the lagoon islands.  I still didn’t have enough time to see them as one should, arriving late and then waiting for my room to be ready to change into something cooler. But, I honestly am not much of a shopper anyways, so that’s okay.

My hotel has a shuttle from the airport that you need to set up in advance 

This this is the hotel I’m staying at.  Is new - think I read the remodeled a glass factory.  Modern rooms with good Wi-Fi and air conditioning. Was also $100 less expensive than the original hotel I was going to stay in (won’t bore you with details of why changed!)

Had lunch while I waited for my room.  I went for something light because I already knew what dinner would be...

Aperol Spritz, because I’m on vacation!

Saw this sculpture as I was walking to the shuttle boat. As most know, Venice doesn’t have buses, they have boats as public transportation.  Twenty euros for 24 hour usage.

I didn’t stay long in Murano as I needed to run to my first stop...

[Alter Ego]

Torcello is where Venice started. It is now sparsely populated, but is an interesting stop if you have an hour or so to spend.

The original Cipriani 

See that bell tower in back?  I climbed it.

I got there so late that I only had time to see the Byzantine mosaics at Torcello’s cathedral. Ignorant American alert - even though plainly marked, I started to take photos.  This is where TripAdvisor does a disservice - because others posted photos, I just assumed it was no flash photography. I stopped when someone said something to me, so you miss out on the best mosaics.

[World Traveler]

@Alter Ego Oh, how wonderful to hear from you! Thought you might need a couple of days to get used to your new time slot.

Beautiful photos, as usual. I know you are going to love this trip, and we are going to love your reports and photos.

Keep them coming!

[World Traveler]

@Alter Ego So much history in Venice. What a lovely time you are going to have!

[Alter Ego]

Always looking out for “wildlife” when I travel. LOL

[World Traveler]

@Alter Ego Is that a gecko?

[Alter Ego]

No matter what, I was going to find a way to get to Burano this trip!!

I really wished I remembered to suck in my belly on this next one!

They have their own leaning tower.

So much fun walking around all of the beautiful colorful houses.  I was able to stop in a few stores before they closed too.

Including this...

Mine wasn’t that great, but I really went in for water anyways.