The Venetian Beaches

Having friends in from Philly moved the beach to the top of the priority list, where it might not have been for those of us from LA...but our trip to spiaggia di Jesolo is pretty high up on my list of beach experiences to date, hassle-free being the top descriptor.  In just under an hour, we were able to drive almost to the water and found easy parking a block from the beach.  Jesolo looks very much like a typical beach town - lots of restaurants and beachy shops.  But, the beaches here, or at least this one, are lined with umbrellas and lounge chairs already set up that you can just rent.  In broken Italian we managed to get a front row beach chair set-up  (an umbrella and two chairs) for two hours.  Laura and I took turns on the chairs, mostly to guard our stuff, while the girls played in the warm Adriatic sea.  A guy pushing a HUGE rolling gelati/shaved ice stand rolled by and we got two bottles of water for just 2,40 Euro total.  (If you've been reading along, we still aren't over what we paid for water in Venice!).  We also saw a couple of topless women and are threatening to join them on our next trip to the beach (at which time our daughters will certainly disown us!).  

We couldn't stay long at the beach because I had received a certified letter early in the day about my BOX.  We have anxiously been awaiting the arrival of a box I mailed the day we flew out - it contains Julia's paint supplies, a lot of books for me, some snacks for Rachel, and most importantly right now, some games to play.  Not that there isn't already plenty to do, but Laura and I can't wait for Rummikub to arrive!  We were hoping to receive it before our train trip to Florence on Monday, so after lunch of pasta and fish at a beach grill, we rushed home early enough for the sweet Guerrino to take me to the post office to figure out the problem and hopefully pick it up.  Unfortunately, the box got stopped in Milan for "inadequate information".  Guerrino filled out a form and faxed it off, but when I asked him if now the box would arrive, he joked, "now, we go to the church and light a candle."  I'm guessing the box may still take a while.  :-(

Go Italy!

Most of today was so uneventful, it almost didn't get it's own blog entry.  Julia hasn't been feeling great, but last night officially came down with a cold (or allergies, we aren't sure).  So, most of the day was spent lounging around the apartments.  Still reeling from the money spent yesterday, we were happy enough to eat in today - breakfast around noon and a nice lunch of roasted cauliflower and pasta with fresh tomatoes and basil around 4:30 pm (all purchased during our one outing of the day to the fruit and vegetable market at 12:30 pm). We planned on cooking dinner too, but while cleaning up from lunch at 5, we knew that was not going to be happening.



We decided to get carry out pizzas from yet a different pizzeria around yet another corner, and settle in to watch the Italy vs. Germany Eurocup semi-final, with Germany heavily favored to win, but facing the challenge of overcoming the curse of never having beat Italy in a major tournament game.  Not this time Germany.  Italy won!  And we immediately took to the streets, to get some gelato and be a part of the nationwide celebration.  Lots of horns and flags and merriment.   Fingers crossed for Sunday's final match vs. Spain.   It would be so fun to be here if we win! After living here for over a week now, I feel great pride in what we've just accomplished!   

Julia really wants me to explain this picture, but I prefer leaving it to the imagination.

Venice - Day 2 - The Most Expensive Day yet

We woke the Brennans from their jet-lagged sleep at 11 am, and Meg, Rachel, and I went out to gather ingredients from local vendors to recreate our delicious breakfast from yesterday of bread, fruit, yogurt, and cheese.  We walked to the train station and caught the 2:00 train to Venice (which is only 14 euro per family round trip) and the public water boat to St. Mark's Square (which is a steep 21 euro per family one way!).   
We planned to lunch in St. Mark's Square - knowing full well we were making a rookie tourist mistake in doing so, but feeling like we were wise to sit in the smaller Piazzetta di San Marco where only a three-piece orchestra was playing while we ate a small snack of sandwiches and little pizzas.  We sat for a very long time (Laura and I chatting and people watching, the girls playing rummy) and just soaked it all in.  With our lunch we ordered three bottles of water - the one thing not listed by price on the menu - and were shocked when the bill came to see each one was 8,80 euro!  Over $10 per bottle, and not  particularly large bottles!  Hello Venice.

After recovering (barely) from that shock, we wandered into the adjacent Piazza di San Marco, where we were approached by an Asian tourist for a picture.  We thought he wanted us to take a picture of him and his friend, but turns out he wanted to take a picture of himself with our older girls (none of the rest of us, though you know I thought he might have wanted to include me too - Julia's older sister :-)).  Who knows where the picture will end up or what story will accompany it, but I think the girls were flattered on top of embarrassed.  Hello Teenagers.  

The Correr Museum on the south side of the square had a Gustav Klimt exhibit we decided to see and paying for those tickets is when we actually ran out of money.  64 euro for the group.  

After visiting a bancomat, we then made our way over to the north west edge of the square and to accomplish what we had come to Venice to do today - a gondola ride.  We hopped on Pierre's boat and he took us around the side rivers and out onto the Grand Canal.  It was interesting talking to him and finding out more about life in Venice, where he has lived for 27 years.  Another 80 euros.

Time to head back to the train station.  We walked as far as the Rialto Bridge altogehter, but Laura - who has back surgery scheduled for September and is a total trooper walking, though she is in constant pain - opted to take the public boat back to train station.  We gave the girls the choice of riding with her or walking with me, because I was done spending euros in Venice.  All of the girls came with me and we raced through the streets of Venice trying to beat the boat back.  That is the best walk because it takes you away from so many tourists and let's you see some real living.  We didn't beat the boat but came pretty close!  

We caught a fast train home, met some really interesting girls just graduated from high school who live in Vienna but spent 4 days on their own in Venice.   We realized how soon that is in our lives and yet so far from what our girls will be doing to celebrate graduation!

Jim met us at the train station and was able to drive Laura and the girls home.  The girls were anxious to stay in for dinner, so they went to vending machine on our street and bought a box of pasta for 1,20 euro and made a sauce from butter and parmesan cheese.  The evening didn't end there for the adults though - Jim and Laura came and met me on my walk home and we meandered around checking out several possibilities for a beautiful dinner al fresco.  It seemed each alley we turned down offered another choice, and we finally settled on the perfect one - Trattoria Toni del Spin - a typical sort of tavern with delicious food - we ordered gazpacho, pasta with pesto and tomatoes, grilled turbo, gnoochi in a gorganzola sauce, steak with fresh vegetables, marscapone dessert, prosecco, and a bottle of water - and got all of that for around 100 euro (about what we paid for our snacks in Venice).  Hello Treviso!

The Brennans Arrive

Today was a lazy day around town.  Jim and I went to the Venice Airport to pick up Laura, Neve, and Meg and returned home by about 10:30 am.   It was so nice to see them, and a little surreal that our annual get together is happening in Italy this year.  But, wherever we are, it only takes a moment to fall back into step.


After moving them into their apartment on the third floor in our same building, we were excited to show them our local fruit, cheese, fish, and bread shops - we went about gathering supplies for a very late breakfast and sat around the kitchen table catching up.  Laura then went for a quick nap (jet lag setting in) while the girls went off to do whatever they do when they don't want us around.  Usually it involves planning this year's show.  Every year there is a show - starting back with the Wiggles before Meg could walk, through Disney princesses, Hairspray, and finally last year's Lemonade Mouth.  I can't wait to see what this year's surprise performance will be!

Julia, Neve, Rachel, Meg - happy to be together again!

The Benetton founders are all from Treviso, Italy.

All we managed to do today was eat, really.  We left the house at about 3:30 in search of a snack - the girls were set on a slice of pizza, which took us some searching at that hour.  Then back to the house for more card playing and lounging around until Jim came home from work and we headed out for their first dinner out.  We recreated our first evening one week ago and went to Da Pino for dinner.  I ordered my first bolognese sauce of the trip and wow, was it good!  I will definitely be back for some more of that.  Then we visited Stefano in the gelato shop and of the six flavors ordered tonight my acai/mango gelato took the prize.  Delicious!  


Tomorrow the sight-seeing resumes!

A Test Trip to Venice

With Laura, Neve, and Meg arriving tomorrow, the girls and I decided to do a practice visit to Venice - our goal being to figure out the train situation (time, price, ticketing, etc.) and get the lay of the land but try not to see too much so we can experience it all together with the Brennans.  Well, it is pretty impossible not to see too much in Venice - there is something at every turn! 

We left home around 11:30 to figure out how to find the train station on foot.  We got half-way there and our fabulous landlord was driving by - he picked us up and dropped us off (so we still weren't sure how to find it on foot).  The train to Venice cost 7 euro for the three of us combined and took about 40 minutes.  We played gin the whole way there and went for some pasta at a restaurant recommended by Guerrino as not being a tourist trap.  We then took the vaporatto (water ferry) down to St. Mark's Square and followed a Rick Steves walking tour back to the Rialto Bridge.   It was very cool to follow his path and find our way through less populated areas of the city.  Before we left LA, Rachel got a "vertical boarding bag", which Julia has nicknamed "Bert".  As we know, Rachel likes to be prepared with all travel essentials, and has always been one for basic first aid.  Today, her preparedness came in very handy as we came across two different people sitting and nursing bloody feet - presumably blisters that had popped.  Rachel reached into her bag and offered them each a band-aid - an international gesture of good will. 

At the Rialto, after we got some fresh pineapple (so sweet and juicy) and kiwi juice (not great), we were on our own to find our way by foot back to the train station. It is easy to get lost in Venice, but we didn't - because we know how to say "Come andare a ferrovia?"   

We stopped for some macaroons and then in a candy store whose window display was too tempting to pass up.  The self-imposed no sugar diet the girls have been on since January is no where to be seen.  It is an Italian free-for-all!

After three full hours of wandering Venice, we found the train station and headed home.  It is exciting to know that we can explore Venice in small bits - going in for just one site in a day instead of trying to see it all at once.  We even managed to figure out the walking route from the train station back to our home in Treviso - a beautiful 18- minute walk.  We are now ready to show anyone how to get from our apartment to Venice!  Wanna come see?

  

Our Weekend in Como

We decided to spend our first weekend in Italy in Lake Como.  My mom had wanted to join us in Italy and take us to the lake but when her travel plans didn't work out to come, she just decided to fund our stay there, so we knew it was a place we had to go!  And it was beautiful...thanks Mom!

We left Treviso Friday night to break up the drive and discovered not many food options along the way except for the Autogrill rest stops.  Rachel loves a rest stop, and these were the first we'd ever seen where the restaurant is built over the freeway.  How cool is that?  Unfortunately the food was as to be expected...an experience you only need to have once...


We spent the first night in the quaint town of Scanzorosciate, near Bergamo.  The included breakfast was the highlight (as usual) but this is the first time Rachel found a machine that would deliver cups of warm milk.  She enjoyed practicing the Italian art of dipping biscotti in your warm drink...she practiced it a lot, maybe even perfected it!


We drove to Como, arriving at the exact wrong time: 1:00 pm when everything including tourist information closed down, but we got our first view of the beautiful lake.  After a very brief stop in Como, we continued along the lake along an incredibly narrow, winding road to our hotel in the town of Tremezzo, directly across from the beautiful town of Bellagio.  We stayed in the Hotel Azalea, right next to the Grand Hotel (true to its name) and the Villa Carlotta.  We were able to check right in and had lunch on a balcony hanging over the lake.  Beautiful and delicious!  But what a place to work-- the waitress serving us had to run back and forth across the main thoroughfare to take our order and deliver our food.  We then boarded the ferry over to Bellagio, where we wandered around for hours.  First we headed out to the point where teenage boys were playing a game of soccer on a small ledge over the lake  - every time the ball went into the water, the boy who kicked it in had to dive in after it.  Different kind of throw in!  


We sat to have a drink at a little restaurant there and pulled out our trusty cards, only to be informed that it is illegal to play cards in Italy without a permit - illegal for the restaurant and for us.  We then walked up and down the steep streets of Bellagio - poking in stores and soaking in the atmosphere.  Julia and Rachel practiced looking like they were caught off guard for a photo - walking down and turning to be snapped "unexpectedly" - only it didn't always go so smoothly with Julia nearly taking a tumble down the steps!

We wanted to have dinner at a restaurant on the other side of the big hill and took a very cool walk through a cobblestone path over the hill, only to find that the restaurant was all booked for the night.  Next to the restaurant though we sat on a bench and felt like we had actually stepped into an impressionist oil painting.  It is funny how all of our backgrounds look fake - they are really just that pretty.

After a mediocre dinner in an incredible setting on the water, we took a ferry back across to a town a few kilometers north of our hotel and had a nice walk back down by the river.


The next morning, I went on my first ever jog with Rachel.  I came here prepared to throw caution to the wind for two months - no exercise regimen, plenty of pasta, bread, and gelato...but after less than one week of that living, I have to admit that I miss my exercise routine and leafy greens.  I still hate jogging though.  You couldn't have asked for a better companion or setting, so it wasn't all bad.  




We came back and woke up the other two to make it to breakfast before it ended at 10 am.  Rachel had been using her powers of persuasion since we arrived at the lake to convince us that the best way to spend Sunday was to take a boat out on the lake.  She used her experiences on boats with Deb in Newport and her uncle Jeff on Lake of the Ozarks to bolster her case, and when we called and found that there was one boat available that morning, she was THRILLED. 


 It is only my deep, deep love for my girls that would have gotten me on a boat again, but I went and I have to admit it really is the best way to see the lake and all of the villas.  (For those wondering, I did not get sick - and I only got cranky once or twice.)   We drove down to George's villa - no George, and really not that impressive of a place (not that I would turn down the chance to live there).  

George Clooney's Villa

Then we stopped by a more scenic villa so the girls could take a dip in the lake...but I didn't like that the boat stopped moving and started rocking in the surf, so that swim was short lived - which was ok, because Rachel would have turned blue in a matter of minutes.  We took the boat back up past Bellagio and around the corner, before turning around and taking a lap around the lake's only island, 


Isola Comacina.  After turning in our boat, we asked the guy for a lunch recommendation and he not only recommended a place, but called first to make sure they had a table for four and gave us directions that ended with "look for a guy named Fred on a white vespa - he will show you where to go" - so we drove in the direction, and there was Fred waiting on the side of road wearing white pants and a pink shirt like a true Italian man.  We followed him a little further and then down a steep alley I would not have thought a car could fit through.  We were met by a car trying to come up the alley, but thankfully Fred was not willing for me to back up (I couldn't have) and made the other car drive backwards all the way back down...we then parked and headed through another little alley and into the patio of a restaurant right on the lake.  The food was beautifully presented - the highlight definitely being the carpaccio of ananas (thinly sliced pineapple) with fruit sorbet that we had for dessert.


Then we hiked up over a hill (a pretty intense walk) to take a tour of the Balbianella Villa - one we had seen from the lake.  The Villa dates back to the 1700s and has a long past, most recently being owned by a famous Italian explorer who turned it into a monument to himself and his expeditions to the North Pole and the top of Mt. Everest.  Upon his death in 1988, it was left to an Italian preservation society.  It is full of secret passageways and cool rooms - even if it was a little self-indulgent.  You would recognize it from scenes in James Bond, Oceans 11, and Star Wars (Episode II). 

The long walk back to the car ended our wonderful trip to Lake Como.  The drive home (to our new home in Treviso) took about 4 hours, meaning we missed watching Italy make it to the quarterfinals of Euro2012.  It also meant that the best option for dinner was the Autogrill....an experience you really only needed to have once.

Wandering Treviso

Friday, June 22nd - Rachel was the first one up today - showered and ready to go by the time Julia and I got out of bed.  She and I went out in search of the morning's supply of milk, fruit, brioches, and some spremuta d'arancia (fresh orange juice) for Julia who wasn't feeling well. It was Rachel's idea - interesting because Julia doesn't really like fresh orange juice, but Rachel does, and we didn't know how to say "to go" so we were served it to drink at the counter, and what else could we do?  After eating, the girls and I headed out (once again in the exact wrong time of day while everything is closed) to explore.  We walked in a totally different direction today - towards the university - which is only about 5 minutes away if you know where you are going, 20 if you don't.  We took the 20-minute route.  Here are some shots we took along the way.  Note that Julia and I have started the matching color dressing of last summer's trip once again!  

We stopped in a little cafe near the university to have some limonata and play a few hands of gin rummy.  We are continuing on our totals from last year's trip and Julia is way in the lead, especially after today's rounds.  When Jim misses the card games, he is given the average of the two lowest scores - someone he seems to make up for it when he is in the game.  The biggest adventure of the day though was our first load of laundry.  For some reason I thought we had a washer/dryer though I should have known that didn't sound reasonable.  We in fact only have a very small washer and we have to hang our clothes to dry!  My guess is that is going to dry very quickly.  Have I mentioned how very HOT is here?!?  We knew it was going to be hot but apparently we are experiencing super hot even for here...no one is happy about it.  

When Jim gets home from work later today we are heading out on our first road trip.  Seems strange to take a vacation from this vacation but we are driving out to Lake Como. Maybe meeting George, who knows?  We'll drive half way tonight so that we can get spend more time there tomorrow and Sunday.

Morning doubts give way to afternoon adventures

I have to admit to feeling a little intimated this morning when I woke up thinking about cooking my first meal here today.  I am used to deciding what I want to eat and then being able to find any and all of those ingredients close to home...the reverse of seeing what is available to eat and then deciding what to cook will take some getting used to.  But, I went back to the local fruit and veggie market and not only did I bravely go back after buying my morning's supply of fresh berries to get some really fresh vegetables that will make up dinner (still haven't quite figured out how), I got to speak some Italian!  I've been feeling like a mute for the past few days, smiling a lot, and nodding along...but this morning I actually strung together a sentence, "Dove posso comprare pasta fresca?"  ("Where can I buy fresh pasta?" If you know that to be wrong, don't tell me!) and even think I understood when I got the answer...we'll find out if I am able to find the parma supermercado in Piazza Pola later today and if in fact they sell fresh pasta!  Not bad for the second morning out.  I think the vegetable seller will become my new friend.  With Stephano the ice cream guy, that will make two...and they won't even know it!


Jim at work today and girls still asleep....it's already 10:30 am!

I finally made the girls get out of bed around noon and we wandered around the city wall through some park areas and back into the town to see how well I had understood where I could find fresh pasta.  I got where I thought I was going and there was no store there.  After asking for more directions, we found our way to supermercado pam in piazza borsa, which turns out to be exactly what I think he said to me this morning.  The language barrier, accent,  and the hearing combined make that sort of mistake seem pretty reasonable.

Scene on our walk today

Julia had visions of taking art lessons in Italy and as we were walking about yesterday we went into an art store and found a flyer.  I asked Guerrino to  make the phone call for me and he learned that there was a class today at 3:30 - and he offered to drive us there (he is super nice!).  So,  I have just left both my girls in an classroom next to an old church under renovation with a bunch of non-English speaking Italian tween/teen girls and a very talkative non-English speaking teacher - all of whom think it is super cool that the girls are from California - doing fashion design sort of art - nothing like the vision we began with. Can't wait to hear how these two hours go for them!  (Rachel did not think she was being left there but this was not an experience one should have alone - I'm imagining they will have lots to say about this!).  

Here is the girl's description of the class:The class was a lot different then we were used to or even expecting. It started out with the teacher giving Julia a drawing of a purse and asking her to copy it (although it was hard to get that much because she seemed to think that the faster she talked in Italian, the quicker we would understand.) No one there spoke English except for one girl who knew a few words. The teacher pretty much ignored Rachel until about a half hour into the class when she gave her an outline of a purse that she wanted her to color in. After Julia finished drawing and coloring of the purse, the teacher wanted her to create the matching accessories which turned out awful. Julia thinks that the work that she made was the worst yet because there was no instruction, no paint (only color pencil), and it required too much creativity to make the designs. Although Rachel's work turned out well, both girls agreed that any art work that they do in the next two month would probably be at home.

While the girls were at art, I chopped fresh vegetables for tonight's pasta with roasted vegetables from the market, then went back to pick up girls.  When they got home I sent them across the street for a little snack of pizza before dinner 

(where they had to manage ordering by themselves in Italian) and then Jim came home from his first day of work - that will have to be a separate blog if he is interested in filling you in on those details, but he had a good day.  And then dinner, and another round of gelato.  My pineapple won tonight - with Rachel's mint a close second she says.

Tomorrow was to be our first trip into Venice but there is a bus strike for 24 hours, so we'll have to entertain ourselves again closer to home.  I'm guessing it will start with fresh berries from my new best friend.

Finding Our Way

Our first full day in Italy got off to a very late start due to jetlag.  Liz was up earlier than the rest (surprised?) and went to check out the bread store (two doors down from the gelato shop) and the outdoor fruit market that is about two blocks away.  I came home with the most delicious baskets of fresh blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries.  As soon as everyone woke up (11:00 am!), we visited both those places again (they didn't like I explored without them) and picked up even more delicious fruit - cherries, kiwis, apricots.  It was all as beautiful as it was tasty.

 We walked down to the little grocery store to stock up on some basics for the house.  Then Julia fell back asleep.  When we finally got her up, we headed out for a late lunch.  We've learned that all stores and restaurants are closed from about 12:30 to 3:30 for a midday break - but we found a little coffee shop with some sandwiches.  We meandered around and decided to try to find tourist information which we knew generally where it should be.  Instead, we found the music store to buy Rachel her Italian guitar.  She didn't really want to be without a guitar for two months and since she has been needing a full-size guitar we decided we would get her one in Italy instead of at home and figuring out how to get it here.  She loves it so much though, I'm thinking we are going to have to figure out how to get it home!   After circling the building that we felt should house the tourist information we crossed a construction zone and entered the Piazza Scotti where we told the guy behind the desk we were looking for tourist information.  Turns out he was it - apparently Treviso is not much of a tourist town!   After another break at home we headed out in search of SIM cards for the phones and dinner.  Each time we head out we take a different route and somehow always seem to find something we remember well enough to lead us home.  We ate at a restaurant facing the island that houses the morning fish market - a place we'll visit soon - and had a great meal of pesto pasta, branzino al forno, salmon tartar, and grilled tuna.  Julia's new favorite restaurant...probably until whatever tomorrow has to offer!  We went back to visit Stephano at the gelato shop and tried four new flavors.  Rachel made a game that we aren't allowed to do any repeats until we have tried all of the flavors and then it can only be the nightly winners to pit them against each other.  Julia's coocnut from last night will eventually go against Liz's sugarfree pistachio from tonight.  We finished the night with our first round of Five Crowns...Rachel was winning until the very last hand, but as we always say, "It's not over till the kings go wild"...and Mom had to put Rachel back in her place!

We've arrived!

After a long overnight flight (which Mom slept 10 of the 11 hours of thanks to Dramamine) we arrived in the Amsterdam airport.  It was the nicest airport any of us had ever been to!  It had an art museum, a library, massages, and really nice restaurants.  It even had a "Sleeping Room" for "invited guests" only (we weren't invited).  We stayed in the airport during our 6-hour layover, and then boarded the plane to Venice.  We rented our car and drove to Treviso (without a map, unfortunately).  After looping around the town a few times, we found the small alleyway that is our street, and we were greeted by the kindest landlords, Guerrino and Graziella, who showed us around our huge apartment.  We are on the first floor (not the ground floor) of a four story building.  We may have mentioned that we are living right above a gelato shop, but what we didn't know is that the gelato shop that is 10 feet from our front door has been voted the best gelato in all of Italy and 2nd best in all of Europe!!!  When we had our first sampling later that evening, we were served by the champion gelato maker himself, Stephano.  We set out to find our first Italian meal and knew it had to be pizza and spaghetti.

-

 we ended up at restaurant Da Pino - delicious.  On the way home we stopped by a huge vending machine on the street that sells, among other things, full bottles of milk - Rachel was in heaven - and then had our famous gelato.  We tried raspberry, strawberry, and mango, but we all agreed Julia's coconut was the best so far (all except Rachel who is sticking with raspberry).  We finally got to bed around midnight Italian time.  A great first day!