Venice and – Travel tips

Venice was the perfect capstone for our voyage around the world. We hit everything from San Marcos Basilica to the Doge’s Palace as this was Jim’s first visit to Venice. Both places had looong lines - my gosh the people! I have never seen such crowds in Venice. It can’t possibly be that crowded all the time. The infamous pigeons of San Marcos square just circled, they didn’t even have room. San Marcos only floods in the wet season – so no problem there. Despite the crowds and the renovations, it is almost impossible not to get caught up in the romance of the labyrinthine streets and canals of Venice. Beautiful mosaics and works of art can be found in almost every little neighborhood church. You can enjoy a plate of pasta and a glass of wine at an outdoor café on the Grand Canal while you take in the amazing and colorful architecture or watch the gondolas and water taxis ferrying people from place to place. Then – all good things must come to an end and sadly it was time to pack for the long flight home. As for this blog, I am really impressed with those of you that hung in for 109 days. You were patient with a first and only time blogger. This tome finally comes to an end – more than to a conclusion. I have no profound thoughts to share except that, for the most part, people are the same around the world and no one, in any country, seems to like their politicians. About the only thing I have to share, after traveling for almost four months, is a few tips for foreign travel - for what they are worth. Admittedly some of these are rather girly tips. First, take lots of small bills, better for tips and haggling. I can’t tell you how many times I saw confrontations related to people trying to get change back from the street vendors after purchasing a souvenir. Exact change saves a lot of grief. Be careful where you exchange money. We looked at the exchange rate at one train station, which was good, but then noticed they had a 23% service fee! On bus tours always sit opposite the bus driver. No matter whether they drive on the right or left hand side of the street, you won’t be shooting pictures across a lane of traffic. If you ever do an extended cruise the “not typical things” which are handy are a mutli- plug outlet, army knife, small notepad, and a hot water appliance. When you decide on the clothes you are absolutely sure you can’t do without – eliminate about a fourth of them. You will still have more than you need. Take a potty break whenever handy, sometimes it can be a long time or long lines in between opportunities. For about 70% of the public potties, packages of Kleenex and hand sanitizer were needed. If you are traveling independently, the ”hop on hop off” day/ two day passes, whether for a “motor coach” in Dubai or Australia or a “water bus” in Venice, was a cheap, easy way to get around. They usually stop pretty close to almost anywhere you want to go. In crowds, keep your hand on your purse or wallet. We made it all the way to Venice before Jim got pick pocketed in a crowd. Take granola bars. They are a quick, easy pick me up between meals – or a good substitute if you prefer not to eat the jellied squid or seaweed one meal. Drink bottled water, cola or beer. In most places the local water is fine but just the change of water did a lot of people in on this trip. In some counties the “bottled water” sold on the street was in used bottles, refilled with local water, with the lid screwed back on tightly. Make sure the water is sealed. Don’t by an expensive souvenir unless you can actually picture it looking good somewhere specific in your home. None of these are new or brilliant, but just some observations that might make foreign “tourist type” travel easier. This has been a fun adventure through many countries and cultures that I never thought I would get a chance to experience. The good news is, anyone who has made it this far in the blog automatically earns a free pass that exempts you from ever having to sit down and pretend an interest in my ““Grand World Tour” scrapbook. I am back and would really like to hear from everyone as I feel really out of the loop!

Koper, Slovenia

It’s not like Slovenia hasn’t been around a while, I just didn’t recognize it by its “new/old” name. This is another of the countries that used to be a part of Yugoslavia. This place dates back to 2000 B.C. when the in habitants were known to have built their homes on stilts. Supposedly the fertile ground and mild climate has made it popular ever since. The coastal towns look similar to Croatia, but not quite as nice. Not knowing what there was to do in Koper, we went to the ”legendary” Lipca Stud Farm and horse show. They have been breeding Lipizzaner horses for over four centuries, so I think they have it down. Interestingly enough, these horses are born black and turn white as they mature. They had a great show where the stallions performed haute ecole classical dressage. I couldn’t help thinking how much Courtney would have enjoyed the show as she did dressage for a few years. I have to say the horse show in Cut and Shoot, Texas didn’t do half bad but this was something else. Their most amazing “trick” was the “Airs Above the Ground”. I “sort of” caught a picture of it, but it’s not very crisp. It is amazing to watch how they can get those huge horses to do “ballet”. I was expecting more aerobatics but it was more like synchronized dancing. It was also fun to tour the stables and the farm. They are justifiably proud of their riding academy. It was fun visit. We went to a 15th Century Church, in Hirastolvje, known for its frescoes depicting the “Danse Macabre”. The church is pictured above but it looks more like a fort. The inside was fascinating – walls and ceilings are all covered with frescos. “The Dance of Death” was covered with plaster until 1949 when they uncovered this rather creepy work of art. Then it was back to the ship for the final “sail away”. It is difficult to believe that we have been on this ship since January and the next stop is the last stop. I will have no way to send anything from Venice, but everyone knows Venice -gondolas, San Marcos Square, the Doge’s Palace and the Bridge of Sighs. At least we are ending on a high note – Venice. I loved this city when we lived in Italy. Now they say San Marcos Square floods at high tide and the days of good, cheap wine and food are gone but I am hoping it still holds a certain romance. After a couple days in Venice, we wing our way home. At least we are Business/First class for that awful flight, thank god for frequent flyer miles! We brought some cash with us and I believe we are going to end up with just about enough left for cab fare home! Actually, we may need to make a stop for Mexican food on the way home – I have gone way too long without a Mexican combo plate. Then it is time to file taxes, fix the air conditioner, and jury duty. You know – back to real life. I can feel myself moving out of that wonderful vacation mode that became a way of life for a few months. For those who hung in until the bitter end, I will do a final wrap up when I get to Houston – but it probably won’t be for a week or so by the time we “do” Venice, fly home and I recover enough to type a coherent sentence on the page. So …Italy here we come – Ciao y’all.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

What a pleasant surprise! We passed town after town with white stucco houses topped with colorful red tiled roofs. The cottages looked as if they had been sprinkled down the lush green mountainsides. I wasn’t expecting this, even though some people said the Dalmatian Coast was one of the most picturesque coasts in the whole area. Their brochures call the Croatian coast the “Pearl of the Adriatic”. I thought, yeah, probably about like the places in Asia that called themselves the “Venice of the East”. We decided on a trip to Cavtat, a seaside resort popular with the yachting crowd. It was absolutely lovely. England’s Edward VIII and Wallace Simpson chose to spend their honeymoon here. I can see why. It has some exceptionally appealing scenery - but then I am a sucker for cliffs and crystal clear water. By lunch time Jim and I were talking about the possibility of coming back sometime and renting a place for a month. We soon found that we were not the only ones to “discover” this place. The Sultan of Oman is vacationing here in his, third largest yacht in the world. (Pictured above). The one beside it is his too – notice it has two helicopters aboard, among other niceties. He paid for them to clear out one whole floor of the hospital in case anyone in his party needed care. He rented 80 rooms in 5 star hotels for the friends and family traveling with him, while he roughed it onboard his yacht. I was amazed to hear that Dubrovnik also had 90 flights a day into this little place! Maybe I am the only one that didn’t know what a little gem this place was. Anyway, from there we went to a charming old mill. They offered fig and brandy tasting. I did more tasting of the brandy than the figs - although the sugared almonds and orange rinds were yummy. It was a beautiful area to wander around with its miles of aqueducts that were built by the Greeks over 2000 years ago. Then onward to the walled city. As we were driving back, someone asked why they had a checker board on Croatia‘s flag. It turns out that the Tatars wanted to go to war to gain Croatia. The King of Croatia suggested that instead of killing people, why didn’t they play a game of chess and the winner got the country. He won and retained the country without a battle. I sure wish our politicians today could come up with a less bloody way to resolve conflicts! Then we hit old Dubrovnik. It had white marble walls surrounding the city that contrasted beautifully with the blue waters of the Adriatic Sea. This small, old-fashioned city has a maze of cobblestoned streets within its 13th century walls. You can actually walk on top of the walls if you feel up to a 1.2 mile stroll. Chicken feed compared to some of the hikes we have taken lately. However, we decided not to walk the wall, instead we had lunch and a beer at a little sidewalk café. It was fun to eat, people watch and be serenaded by a trio playing classical music. The whole city had a festival feel. The day was cool and sunny and after lunch we ambled around the city then toured the Cathedral. I had low to no expectations for this port. I thought maybe it was basically just a refueling stop. Instead it turned out to be one of the most delightfully picturesque stops we have made since leaving the South Pacific!

Places People Call Home Around the World

Tomorrow Dubrovnik.