With no real plan again for today, we took the shuttle into Venice. We took the water bus to San Marco square and wandered around for awhile. There were so many people! There was also a demonstration of some sort with lots of people wearing green and carrying signs written in Italian. Skylar was holding on to me for dear life so as not to get swept away in the crowd. We thought about touring the Basilica or the clock tower, but the lines were longer than the best rides at Great Adventure. So we got a bit of lunch and of course some gelato and then got back on the water bus towards the main station since this was the last day of of our pass.
I wanted to see what the Jewish Ghetto area was, so we got of at San Marcoula and went down more streets lined with tourists and crappy vendors selling chachka. There were public toilets, but they cost 1.50 euro which seems to be a thing in Europe. I guess it's better than not having any option at all like in NYC or even Minneapolis. I don't like that they charge in the train station and sometimes in restaurants, but I think it is a good idea in public areas. I'm sure they make enough to keep it maintained. Anyway, so there was nothing special about the so called Jewish Ghetto except things might have been a tad cheaper. We just walked and walked and walked until we finally just decided to take a break in a quiet spot along the canal.
As we were walking around again, a Gondola driver approached me and I must have been in a weakened state... I asked how much and he said 80 euro... I pouted a little, and he said OK, for such a pretty lady, I'll do it for 70. I said maybe and walked a few feet away and looked to see how much money I had on me. I am not usually one for bargaining.. actually I hate discussing money at all, but all I had was 60 euro, so that's what I told him. He conversed with his partner for a minute saying things like bella and sweet, then finally said OK. I know it is still a ridiculous amount to pay for a boat ride, but when would we ever be in Venice with a chance to ride a Gondola again??
The ride was absolutely lovely! It is such a different view from the canals and so relaxing! The driver gave us a tour and explained some of the history. He sang in Italian as he rowed along, which was so adorable. I asked him if there were any women Gondola drivers and he said there are just some starting school for it this year. Wow! And school? Really? He said they have to be able to speak French, Italian, German, and English fluently and know a great deal of the history of Venice in addition to learning how to drive the boat and control with just one oar against the wind and all down the narrow canals. Said it takes a couple years and there are many exams. He was so funny and even did a Fonzy impression when he passed by his friend whose name is Bollo, like the Italian Fonzy. It was hilarious mostly because it was so absurd. The ride took about an hour. When we got off the boat he asked where my husband was and I replied, Husband? Bah! Who needs a husband! He started cracking up and almost fell in the water.
We walked on a bit more and started scanning the menus for an actual Italian dinner we could eat. We came along a place that had Melanzane alla parmiggiana! Michele had suggested this dish. We asked if it was vegetarian and the waiter promised it was. I almost jumped for joy! So we sat down and ordered. They only had one serving left and Skylar kindly let me have it and ordered spinat riccot canneloni instead. Both were delicious! I even ordered a glass of wine, but since I have the tolerance of a hamster, I was all giggly and clumsy by about half way through. We stayed for a few extra minutes and did some people watching . Of course we got some more gelato and then walked on to the station. We got there a bit early, so we went to the park again.
Back at the hostel, we packed up all our things and souvenirs. I doubt I'll ever go back to Venice for vacation, but it was definitely a great experience! Skylar was enthralled and that is all that matters.
More pictures can be seen at http://picasaweb.google.com/osani77/VeniceDay5
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