12 August 2024 - We found a week amid the craziness of summer baseball and softball to take a family trip before school started. We decided to take our first family trip to Europe, and zeroed in on Italy. I suggested Verona and Venice, because I had been to both and through they would be good for the kids. We booked our flights and Airbnbs in February, then sat back to wait and learn Italian.
Today was a Monday. We slept in, had breakfast and finished packing. After we were ready, we headed toward Chicago around lunchtime. Felix, with his temps, drove us from home to the Interstate (he didn't feel comfortable driving on it himself yet). We had an uneventful ride to Madison, where we stopped at Target and got lunch at Hy-Vee while we charged. Then we got to our parking garage near O'Hare at 4:45 pm. Once at the airport, we got through security without waiting too long. We found our gate and got some food. They moved our gate a few times. We passed time playing sheepshead in the food court. Just when we were about to begin boarding, they moved the gate and pushed back the flight time from 8:50 pm to 9:30 pm. Then they pushed it again to 10:00 pm. It was at this point I decided to start this journal entry. The kids are annoyed (and bottomless pits, eating just about all of our "airport snacks"), but they're handling it overall. (Mostly. Iris was getting increasingly worked up about getting to sleep late. I gave her the mantra "we will get in, we will take off!" to repeat to herself.) We finally got on the plane and finally got in the air around 10:34 pm.
 |
| At the airport |
13 August - The flight was direct to Venice and fairly uneventful. There was more juddering turbulence than I would have liked... But no matter. Iris and I didn't get much sleep. She would poke me to get my attention just about every time I was about to fall asleep. They served us dinner at 11:30 pm and breakfast at 5:30 am (home time), though it was 1:30 pm when we landed. We were near the front of the plan, and had no checked bags, so we got to customs soonish. An expectedly long wait followed. (Why do people go on break just as we get into line?) We just missed the next available shuttle to the train station and had to wait 15 minutes in the ~99°F heat outside. The kids got a little cranky (Felix also skipped taking his ADHD medicine because of the time change). Anyway, we got on the shuttle, got to the station, and bought tickets for the next train to Verona. We didn't have to wait very long. The train ride took about 2½ hours. There was no WiFi, but there was air conditioning and nice views, and I was okay with that. Iris wilted and rebounded. We got to Verona @ 5:45 pm, caught the bus to Voscova by the skin of our ignorant-to-pickup-location teeth, and completed our slog to the Airbnb at Via XX Settembre 3 around 6:30 pm. We got in to the apartment, got our keys, and all took much-needed showers. After we were ready, we walked to Pizzikotto for dinner. Perfect for us - pizzas and wine. We ate all three pizzas of varying crust thicknesses, got dessert, then headed back to play four hands of sheepshead before bed.
 |
| Pizza in Italy? Check! |
14 August - After a nice night of sleep, I woke around 7 am and got up at 7:30. After getting ready, I made coffee and sat on the kitchen balcony listening to the church bells. Iris joined me, but she made her tea undrinkable by using salt instead of sugar.
Once everyone was up and ready, we headed out to find breakfast. There was a little cafe just down the street (Caffé Columbia) where we tried out our Italian ordering cappuccinos and cornettos. We ate inside the tiny cafe as it was already warm and there was a market in the adjacent square. After finishing, we walked along Via Venti Settembre (a bit gritty...) to the Ponte delle Navi across the Adige River. We stuck to the shady sides of the streets as we made our way to the Arena. The kids were impressed, but already overheating. We got our first gelato of the trip, which we ate sitting in the shade in Piazza Bra. From there, we meant to go to Castelvecchio, but ended up at Porta Nuova. We walked along the city walls to Porta Palio, then along Stradone Porta Palio. Everyone was hot and thirsty, so we stopped at Buon Gusto for lunch. Nick and Felix got calzones, Iris got a giant kids pizza, and I got a ham, mushroom and cheese piadina. We walked past Castevecchio, stopping for a few souvenirs (fans for Iris and me, a magnet, and Italian leather sandals for me). We then walked to Piazza delle Erbe. We walked past the market stalls, and stopped for beverages at Osteria Sottocosta at the base of the Torre dei Lamberti.
 |
| Piazza delle Erbe |
Once refreshed, we walked to nearby Piazza dei Signori. We then walked back to the Airbnb via Ponte Nuovo. Everyone was pretty hot and cranky (it was 95°F) by the time we stopped at iN's Mercato for snacks and beverages (and cheap wine). We had a family talk because I think the rest of this trip is going to be not worthwhile if everyone can't handle the heat. We took a breather for a bit, during which Nick and I made train reservations for tomorrow and Friday. At about 5:30, we set out to take in the view of Verona from Castel San Pietro. It took about a half hour to walk towards and up for the vista. Meanwhile, storm clouds loomed and thunder rumbled (and it was blessedly cooler). We stayed up there a little while, taking in the various aspects. Just as we were done, it started to rain. And then hail (penny-sized, but not a lot). We scurried to a restaurant that caught Nick's eye called Alma. We enjoyed (mostly...) some beverages and sandwiches. I say "mostly" because Iris didn't appreciate her myrtle-leaved-orange-flavored soda (chinotto). Nick and I thought it tasted like red vermouth with a hint of Campari. The rain let up while we were eating, only to renew with a vengeance as we headed out. We promised more gelato, and dashed (Felix being chased down by a restaurant employee because he left his backpack behind) to Gelateria Ballini. We each got a scoop which we ate heading back to the Airbnb. We arrived, soaking wet, around 8 pm. We warmed up and showered. I watched the lightning before setting down to write with wine. :) After this evening, I have higher hopes for the rest of this trip.
 |
| Above the city |
15 August - We managed to get up, caffeinated, and out by 8:45 am. We figured out the bus routes and caught one to the train station. We had enough time to get a few sandwiches at a cafe for breakfast. We found our train to Bolzano/Bozen and got four seats together. The train left at 9:53 am and took us north along the Adige River valley. Very pretty scenery as we rode toward the high hills and low mountains. We arrived in Bolzano around 11:30 am. We immediately joined the queue for the cable car to Soprabolzano/Oberbozen. I bought tickets as we waited in line, a half hour before we were four of the approximately 20 people to fit in the gondola. The ride was longer than expected and very lovely. We decided to have lunch at Bar Cafe Fink near the cable car station. The kids tried interesting drinks (banana shake, "sportwasser") while Nick and I had our first house wine in Italy. We each tried a different lunch item (Bauerntoast for me, pizzette for Nick, piadina for Iris, lasagna for Felix). After we shared an ice cream sundae, we set off to find a place to take family pictures with some of the Dolomites in the background. We found the perfect spot for our pictures, then walked back.
We noticed a lot of people in traditional German dress, then realized there was a parade assembling. We tried to get ahead of it and found ourselves battling paradegoers for space. We walked past the parade route onto a hiking path. I was met with resistance at walking farther because it was yet again hot (even over a half mile above sea level) in the Ritten/Renon area. We stopped for a drink at Tutti Patschenggle. (Nick and I tried the Bolzen-brewed Dunkel, Iris got lemonade with herbs, and Felix got sparkling apple juice.) While there, we found out the parade was because of the Assumption of Mary festival. We headed down the cable car shortly after, which a much shorter wait. We had some time to kill before our 4:31 train back to Verona. We walked to Piazza Walther/Waltherplatz, saw the church adjacent to the square, and got another drink (spritzes for Nick and me). We got on the train and found seats together (Iris and I let Nick and Felix face forward this time). Uneventful ride back. Felix didn't take his ADHD meds today, so he was scattered at times and his typical argumentative self at other times. We got off the train and found the bus we wanted. Nick found an Asian dumpling restaurant the kids wanted to try on the the Airbnb side of the river. Unfortunately, like many other places, it was closed "the holidays." We walked back to Pizzikotto instead. There, we had another nice meal (sharing a couple of pizzas and an order of carbonara). It was 8 pm when we left (and not pouring), so we decided to walk near our apartment. We found some stray cats, which the kids liked. We headed back shortly after that and settled in to start packing up and wind down.
 |
| Like being in Germany but still in Italy |
16 August - We took it easy this morning, getting ready, packing up, and having one last cup of coffee on the kitchen balcony. We took a bus to the Porta Nuova station at 10 am. We ate some breakfast at the 12 oz near the bus stops. We caught our 11:40 am train to Venice, which was crowded. Uneventful journey - I mostly listened to an audiobook. We arrived to similarly sweltering Venice Mestre at 2. Hungry, we walked to the Antica Focacceria Fiorentina for enormous sandwiches (I split one with Iris). Fortified, we trudged 15 minutes with our backpacks to our next Airbnb. On the 14th floor. With no air conditioning. We immediately turned on all available fans and opened all the windows for airflow. My belly wasn't feeling great, so I took a cold shower after starting laundry. That helped. We all took time to rest and chill (as much as we could, anyway). We decided to make our own dinner tonight. We tried the Pam Local across the street, but decided to walk a few blocks to the big Pam for dinner and snack supplies. We also bought bus tickets on the way (awkward... the tobacco shop worker spoke much better English than my hesitant Italian). We bought fagotti (also awkward), sauce, Felix's choice of Fontanel cheese, some fruit, gelato, and several bottles of beverages and water. We went back and made our dinner, at it at ~ 8 pm, then (while Iris was talking to friends back home) watched a couple Archer episodes with Felix on Netflix. It's nearly 11 pm and still quite warm in this apartment.
 |
| Sunset from the 14th floor |
17 August - It was a hot night. I woke around 5:30 am and got a picture of the sunrise. Got out of bed around 7:30 am and made myself an Americano. Once we were all up and ready to go (around 9:00 am), we went out to find breakfast. We walked to Wine Not for our repast (Iris and Felix got cream puffs, Nick and I shared a panini). We caught the next bus to Venezia. Unfortunately, we just missed the hop-on/hop-off boat. We walked past the train station and bought fans from a souvenir kiosk, and popped into a few other shops to get an idea of what souvenirs were being sold. We got on the 11:30 am departure and made our hot, sticky, and in Iris's case, nauseated way to Murano. We got off around 12:30 pm and immediately were shepherded to a glass blowing demonstration at Ellegi. (I've been watching a glass art competition show on Netflix so I had some idea of what was going on and the capabilities.) Nick and the kids were suitably appreciative, especially when the artist sculpted a horse in 90 seconds. We left at the conclusion of the demonstration.
 |
| Glass making demonstration |
We stayed on Murano and had a fancy lunch at Trattoria Busa alle Torre. We ate (each getting different types of pasta - Felix got ravioli, Nick - pasta with squid ink, Iris - spaghetti Bolognese, me - tagliatelle), drank (prosecco for us, cokes for the kids), relaxed. When finished, we walked over the bridge and looked for glass souvenirs (not difficult to find - every store had them in varying levels of quality). We stopped in a few stores before getting gelato at Bar/Gelateria Fornace Murano (again, it was very hot!). After finishing our gelato (and Nick and I finished our prosecco), we walked along the Fondamenta da Mula looking in various shops. Iris found necklaced she liked. I was looking for something special, so we walked across the next bridge, intending to catch the 3:10 pm boat back to the station. Instead, we went into B59, which caught our eye as selling more than just touristy stuff. I initially picked out a small bird (€29) and a small hourglass (€42). Then I impulsively added a vase that kind of looked like an owl or a fish for €180. At that point, Stefano, the shop keeper, said we could get into the Ellegi gallery if we presented his card. That sounded interesting and we weren't in a rush, so we headed back to the glassblowing store by the boat stop. A man (Fabrizio, we would learn) was looking for a man in a red shirt from "Wisconsis". We figured that was Nick and identified ourselves. Fabrizio took us upstairs of the factory shop behind the rope, offered beverages (more prosecco and cokes) and allowed to look at one-of-a-kind art pieces and chandeliers. It was an "everything is beautiful/oh, $#!%, they want us to buy it" moment. We sipped and looked around. I found a couple pieces I adored (solo bird - €2,500, iridescent bird bath - €4,000). Fabrizio recommended the one-of-a-kind solo bird, made by the maestro who gave the demonstration we saw earlier (Fabio). We decided to buy that and a set of six stemless Venetian wine glasses for a total of €2,700. After we paid, Fabrizio (company executive manager) allowed the kids to pick out souvenirs for "free." Iris got a small glass cat and an anklet with a several glass beads. Felix got a set of three small blown glasses about the size of a shot glass).
 |
| Our treasures |
All the money spent, we walked to the south end of Murano, where we found a glass harmonica player, and a place to get a few beverages and a pizza to share. We then walked and got the boat back to the station at 5:20 pm. I made friends with Maria and Marcus from Cypress at the front of the boat. :D Nice folks. Once we disembarked, we caught the next bus to Mestre. At our stop, we got off and went to Pam Local for drinks and dinner, which we made (gnoccetti) in the still-hot apartment. After dinner, we played Labirinto (Labyrinth) and then watched a couple episodes of Archer.
 |
| Murano |
18 August - I got a picture of sunrise shortly after 6, then got up at 7:30 am. We had breakfast and Americanos in the apartment before leaving shortly after 8:30 am to make our way back to Venice. The bus was less crowded, likely because it was earlier and Sunday. We caught the 9:30 am Venetiana boat and took it to the San Marco stop. We bought tacky magnets for us and Cassie at at kiosk along the water. The day started cooler than yesterday, but it was already warming up. Nick spent some time looking at the details on the outside of the cathedral. So did many, many other tourists. Iris said she was hungry, so we headed away from the square through the clock tower. We ducked into a shop with similar glass pieces as we saw yesterday. We decided to eat at Bar Al Campanile because they had cicchetti Venezi. We each got our won sample of 3-4 with a beverage in the 1920s-esque bar. Once sated, we walked on. I told the kids to pick paths that looked interesting. We found some very busy ones and some deserted alleys. The kids lost interest in doing this quicker than I hoped (though they got treats at Captain Candy). I directed us to the Rialto Bridge, which was very busy.
 |
| In Piazza San Marco |
 |
| On the Rialto Bridge |
Then we found a public toilet for Iris. Next, we went looking for a place to have a drink in the shade. We ended up making a loop back to Piazza San Marco and went to Ristorante Marciana, just down the way from the Bar Al Campanile on Calle Larga S. Marco. There, which it was noon, we ordered two pizzas to share and a bottle of Lugana wine. We took a nice break then. The kids were not enthusiastic about doing more wandering, so we started to make our way back to the buses. We stopped at a few places to help Iris find a quill and ink, and to let Felix get gelato. Iris complained about sore feet, so we headed straight back. I hadn't been feeling great today, so I didn't mind. Everyone felt they had done enough Venice now. We caught the next crowded bus back to Mestre and got to the apartment around 3:00 pm. We took showers, cleaned some clothes, and relaxed. There was some rain that went west of us, which was interesting to see from this height. We walked to the Mestre old town area around 6:30 pm to get some dinner. We got an assortment of dumplings and bao at Bini Express, which were all tasty. We looked around the piazza with its 12th Century clock tower in the fading daylight, then walked back to the apartment. We played family foosball and four hands of sheepshead before calling the kitties. We also had some gelato and cannoli we picked up today for dessert. Only one more sleep in Italy...
 |
| Mestre |
19 August - We slept in, got ready and made our way through the rain on a couple buses to the airport, arriving at 11:10 am. It didn't take long to go through security. We had some food in the crowded food court, then went quickly through passport control. We sat and waited for our 2:50 pm flight. The flight was full and left on time. Nothing unexpected during the flight and we even landed 45 minutes earlier. We cleared customs fairly quickly, got the shuttle to our car, and headed home. We got there around 9:30 pm to two very happy kitties.
Trip cost (excluding below): $8,231.47
Art: $3,068.27
