Dubrovnik and The Schengen Agreement

If you have ever seen photos of Dubrovnik (or perhaps you have been there) then you know that the old walled city is stunning. It was heavily damaged during the war, by Serb and Montenegrin forces, but fortunately has been almost fully restored. When you look at the map of the areas that sustained damage and destruction, it is truly remarkable because most of it was affected. Unesco designated Dubrovnik as a World Heritage site, as it has done in many, many locations in Croatia, and so with that support, miracles can happen!

The huge, deep harbour and “wow factor” make Dubrovnik a premier destination for cruise ships. The 3 or 4 days that I was there, a couple of these behemoths arrived, and the seething masses of passengers descended upon the small town. It is actually very well set up to receive thousands of tourists at a time, which it does especially in the summer months. There are dozens and dozens of café bars and restaurants, and high end fashion shops and jewellers. And of course there is a charming market where one can peruse the local handicrafts and specialty foods (honey, lavender, figs wreaths, walnuts, garlic braids, et cetera).

On the bus trip from Split to Dubrovnik, I met a young woman, Carly from Australia, who was also travelling solo. I had already made a reservation in Dubrovnik at a hostel, but she hadn’t. The instant we got off the bus, we were approached by a man offering accommodation at this place, and did we need some and would we like to come and see it, he would drive us there right now, yes? This kind of thing happens at most bus stations in eastern Europe so we weren’t surprised, but as usual found it very irritating. Of course he was quite insistent, even though we told him several times that we already had accommodation, thank you very much. Never mind, I will drive you there, he said, after the next bus comes in a few minutes. Another younger man came over and spoke with us too, and he assured us that this was all fine and that the fellow, who was his friend, was just being friendly and helpful, not to worry. Both of them spoke good English, especially the younger one, and so we were able to have a good conversation about Croatia politics and its complex history, and the Schengen Agreement (more about that later…) and the EU. So, 15 minutes later we were indeed being ushered to the hostel of his competitor, with a detour to a viewpoint over the old city, by this lovely fellow who was just being helpful. Croatians are a friendly people.

The hostel was in a private residence, which is often the case. The host family consisted of Mr and Mrs and 2 adult sons. They all spoke English with plenty of proficiency, and were welcoming and enthusiastic hosts. They obviously have a steady flow of travelers through their hostel all year round. There were already another 5 or 6 travelers there when we arrived, 4 of whom were at the hostel in Split with me - two Australian lads, and the two girls from Oz and New Zealand. It was nice to catch up with them, and introduce Carly to some young compatriots.

Okay, here it goes - I will tell you about the Schengen Agreement, in case you don't already know. I certainly didn't. Never heard of it, in fact. It is an agreement between European nations (all western, central and some eastern) that provides free and easy access to citizens from member countries for travel and business. As the years go by, more countries sign on to the agreement. It is a separate entity from the EU, and not all EU nations are part of it, and not all nations in Schengen are EU. But for the most part it, they mirror each other. The hitch is in how the Agreement affects foreign travelers. As a non-Schengen traveler, you are only allowed to be inside Schengen countries for a TOTAL of 3 months within a 6 month period. Once you have used up your 3 month welcome, you must leave and not return for another 3 months, at which point you will begin a new 3/6 month period. As more and more countries sign on, the harder and harder it becomes for non Schengen travelers to enjoy lengthly stays, because the allowable time period remains the same. At this point some of eastern Europe is still open for non Schengen travellers, but countries like Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Greece are all included in Schengen. So, if you are planning an extended period of travel in Europe, be careful to figure out where and how long you want to stay in each country, 'cause if you get caught overstaying your welcome you will be deported with a 400 Euro fine. It is my understanding that this ruling is primarily to keep folks from countries like Albania from coming to member nations and staying. But it certainly applies to travelers and is proving to be a real thorn in the side.

I learned about this from Carly, the young traveler from Australia. She encountered difficulties crossing from Slovenia into Croatia, having spent 3 months in Italy and having more than used up her allowable time. She had never heard of this agreement either, until the border officials took her aside, and threatened her with a 400 Euro fine. Luckily, one of the officials was sympathetic to her ignorance and her youth, and she was waived through to Croatia without penalty. But she has had to completely change her travel plans to Europe, which is fine, but still the risk of trying to get back into a Schengen nation is too great for her to contemplate until she has stayed out for 3 months. We have met others who are having to be extra careful about their travel plans. There is more or less a consensus of opinion that if you fly into, stay inside and fly out of Schengen, then no one will bother you, presuming that even if you stay longer than 3 months the very fact that you are getting on a plane and flying out should be satisfactory to authorities. However, you just don't know until you try....

Meanwhile, back in Dubrovnik, the weather was greatly improved and holding steady at well above seasonal norms and dry. This made for lovely views from up on the city walls, and out to sea. There are many beaches for swimming and lazing about, but not in the late fall. It is a great town to meander around and sit and people watch. I stayed for 3 nights, and enjoyed the friendly atmosphere at the hostel with the other travelers and with our hosts who invited us all up to their dining room to share potatoes and local brandy and wine, and laughs.

Carly and I decided to team up and head to Kotor, Montenegro as our next destination.

Split and Trogir

Trogir church, Split, Trogir

Split, Croatia.

Traveling by bus in Croatia is quite comfortable, as the coaches are clean and quite new. The coastline is stunningly beautiful (even if it is raining...), and the large windows offer great views as you travel along. The route along the coast from Zadar to Split was no exception, and my head was turned as much to the landward side of the road as it was to the seaward side. The mountains are rugged and spectacular, and as we passed by the area close to one of the Croatian national parks, I was kicking myself for opting to not go to Plitvice Lakes National Park, on account of the cold and wet weather. I have since learned that it IS a must see, and so I will endeavour to get there on my way back through Croatia in December, when it is certain to be cold and snowy! But, I'm from Alberta so it should be no problem for me, ha ha! Sensible footwear will be the key.

Upon arrival in Split, I found my way to the hostel that I had booked, and then proceeded to explore the Old City. This is really an amazing place, because it is what built by Roman Emperor Diocletian as his retirement palace, between AD 245-313. It measures 215m by 181m, and contains not only the original structures such as his mausoleum (which was turned into a cathedral), but structures added over the centuries by subsequent occupiers such as the Venetians and Hapsburgs. It grew into a residential community, and still is today, home to several hundred residents along with banks and shops and tourism related businesses. It is really quite fantastic, with all the architectural styles of the various influences over the ages. I love the small details that are evident here, there, and everywhere - carvings, loges, balconies, windows, doorways, decorative motifs. I did a guided tour, one on one, with a very good guide who was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the history of his city.

The hostel brought me into contact with some young travelers from Australia and New Zealand, about the age of my daughter, Caitlin, and a little older. It was really nice to sit with them and chat about many things, and share some laughs and some food. It was also a real treat to finally get to a hostel where I could cook my own food. There was a nice market very nearby, and so eggplant was on the menu, cooked up with onion and paprika and topped off with pomegranite and yogurt. Yumm! And of course some wine. This is where I first discovered Macedonian wine. Very good!

I went to the town of Trogir as a day trip from Split. A one hour bus ride away, it is a lovely town with some pretty buildings and set on a small island linked to the new town by a bridge. I hiked around and up and over the old town through the old residential streets to the far side of the island (it's tiny) to find lovely coves with azure waters and bright sun. No sandy beaches, which are rare in Croatia, as far as I can tell, but many good spots to slip into the Adriatic to swim and snorkel. In the summer, that is. The air temperature was too chilly for that on a day in mid November. But it was mildly tempting!

Instead I contented my self with clambering around on the rocks and picking fichi d'india, aka prickly pears. Prickly, indeed! The fine, hair-like thorns embed themselves in your skin very easily, so I used a plastic bag to pick them. They were a beautiful dark red, much more so than the ones that I have bought from Spinelli's in Edmonton. When I got back to the hostel, I was very surprised to learn that the young woman who is the receptionist, had never eaten them before. They grow all over the area, close to the sea and inland, not at all rare to see them in peoples gardens and in natural places. Mostly the just fall off and rot, but there are some for sale in the markets, which would be akin to buying rhubarb or crabapples at the grocery store in Edmonton. Pomegranites and persimmons are also everywhere, but mostly cultivated. And oranges. Lots and lots of oranges.

There is a huge park to the west side of Split that offers some nice walking trails and good views of nearby islands and the vast sea. I had a fine day of exploring there, and came upon the local climbing crag, which looked very enticing and fun. The limestone cliff band has eroded over the ages into varied formations and caves, some of which have had hermitages built into them. All along the coast of Croatia is vast amounts of climbable rock, and it has in fact started to become a preferred climbing destination in Europe. So, if you are looking for new routes and fewer crowds than Back of the Lake or Squamish, I would strongly recommend a spring or late summer trip to Croatia. It is hard to imagine that there would be any kind of line-ups anywhere here for the next century or so. Very good quality limestone!

After about 4 days in Split, it was time to move on to Dubovnik.

Krk Town; St Quirinus; Franciscan monestary courtyard

Krk Island

No, that is not a spelling error. Croatian seems to prefer consonants over vowels. Sometimes its just impossible to figure out pronunciations of Croatian words, and even if I do figure out how to pronounce something, I have absolutely no idea what it could possibly mean! There is no similarity with English or Italian or French, so trying to even get the gist of any text is just not going to happen.

Anyway, Krk Island is a little way off the coast from Rijeka. I spent ANOTHER very wet day there. It really bucketed down after lunch. In the summer, the island is a beach resort, like many of the other thousand or so island of Croatia. In the off season it's pretty much just the locals, and a few odd travelers, like me, drifting through looking not for parties and sunshine, but at the shape of the towns and the look of the people, and the feel of the ages. Krk, despite the miserable weather, had a really nice feel to it. The rain did put a damper on my plans, which included going for a hike just outside the old city. That plan went by the boards within about 10 minutes of setting out, so I had to content my self with wandering the ancient streets of the old town, and then heading back to Rijeka a couple of hours later. Maybe next time the weather will be friendlier!

Zadar Shpynx (!!!), Zadar gate and marina, Zadar laneway.

Zadar, Croatia.

The rain continued, unabated as I journeyed south along the Adriatic coast. In Zadar, it was really quite miserable, grey and very soggy. I began having serious second thoughts about being anywhere in Europe in late fall and winter. And this was just the beginning!

The hostel where I stayed was quite a long way from the old town, where the interesting places are, but my first morning there I decided to walk rather than take the bus. I find that if I walk about when I first arrive in a new location, I am able to get my bearings a lot better, than if I take a bus, and risk getting the wrong one, and/or getting off at the wrong stop.

The route that I chose took me along the coastline to the old city, and like the rest of the Adriatic coast, it is extremely convoluted and indented. So what looked like it should have taken about a half hour or so, ended up taking well over that, but past some beautiful old villas (almost all in states of neglect) and a couple of marinas, one of which was home to many, many unbelievably large pleasure craft, mostly flying the Union Jack. Some people just have too much money… One of the villas even had a replica of an Egyptian Sphynx in the front yard, which someone saw fit to “jazz-up” a bit with spray paint.



By the time I arrived in the old city, my feet were completely soaked (again), but I soldiered on in search of the tourist info office. This is one of the few cities where the tourist info office is actually situated where tourists go AND was really easy to find. Not only that, but the young woman who worked there was both helpful and friendly! Bonus!

She pointed out the “important monuments” and gave me good directions, and thus I was armed with information and enthusiasm for two days of exploring.

Within the walls of these cities is always fascinating, just poking around and checking out the side streets and nooks and crannies. A couple of extra interesting things I found in Zadar were the Glass Museum and the Sea Organ.

The Glass Museum is a new permanent exhibit in Zadar, housed in a beautifully renovated old building. But not nearly as old as the glass on display. The pieces were from the very earliest days of glass making and up through to post Roman times. A lot of the pieces came from an excavation site on a nearby island and were so delicate and fragile that it is completely remarkable, how beautiful they were. I was really moved by what I saw, in the beauty and the practicality, and the technology of glass making. Nothing was as elaborate as what is found on Murano Island, off Venice, but in fact some of the pieces did come from there, and the raw material for glass making, which was made in the area of Zadar, and shipped as a trading commodity to Murano, among other glass centres in the Roman Empire.

The other very interesting feature in Zadar is the Sea Organ. The one and only sea organ in existence so far, it works like a pipe organ, but the air is pushed through the pipes by the movement of the sea water. It is situated on the beautiful promenade, where everyone can enjoy the mellow sounds and watch the sunset. Well, when I was there it was raining and the sea was very calm, but there was just enough wave action to create some very ambient sounds, that would have been very restful if not for the lack of sun and abundance of rain! Anyway it’s pretty cool. Check it out on You Tube, here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P0xxMOkmqA&feature=related 

Rijeka, Croatia

Rijeka

Rijeka is a bigger city, as evidenced by the huge port (Croatia's largest) and the abundance of very vivid urban art, which is to be found on otherwise blank concrete walls. There is also a fair amount of graffiti as vandalism, but for the most part, it is not found on monuments and historic beautiful buildings.

There are lots and lots of beautiful buildings of Austro-Hungarian influence, all handsomely decorated with figures, faces and facades that for the most part seem to be in need of cleaning and attention. Again, there just doesn't seem to be the interest or concern or money to bother with preservation of these fine monuments.

The weather turned nasty, and the rain was relentless. However, I still managed to see quite a bit of the city and it's important monuments. One of the most interesting ones was the Trsat Castle in a part or Rijeka that looks down on the city from up on the hillside. It is a really sweet castle - kind of dainty and petite if you can imagine! The rest of the parts of the city that I explored were in the old city, where there are seemingly countless reminders of the Romans.

I will now attempt to add a photo to this blog entry, of the castle. Fingers are crossed!!! Of course the addition of each photo ends up at the top of the entry, and it is impossible to shift their positions. This is one of the frustrations of this blog, that I cannot put the photos where I want them. Alas, it might be time to switch to a different blog server....

Pula Croatia.

Pula is a small city at the bottom on the Istrian Peninsula, in Croatia. It's a pretty neat little town, and I imagine that things get pretty lively in the summer tourist season. Off season it's pretty quiet though, and not warm enough to lounge on the pebble beaches. The sea is clear and beautiful, and not all that cold, but the air temperature is just not warm enough to tempt one to go for a swim. Actually, I did go for a dip - about 3 minutes I'd say! I had to be able to say that I swam in the Adriatic Sea.

The hostel that I booked is not too far from the old centre, where all the ruins and important monuments are. I got pretty good at hoofing it, and occasionally hopping a bus, to get to where the action is. The hostel was adequate but not exactly a happening place. In fact I was the only guest, which was fine I suppose, since there was no common room anyway. The "common room" would be the outdoor terrace, which overlooks the bay and pebble beach, which in the summer would be quite, quite lovely. It's not really an option at the beginning of November though, especially in the morning.

The town of Pula boasts some impressive Roman ruins, not the least of which is the fabulous Amphitheatre. It really is quite something, with NONE of the hype that accompanies the one in Rome. Not quite as big, perhaps, but it did seat 20,000 people. In addition there is a Forum (natch) and Temple of Venus, and a smaller sized theatre, which is sadly neglected and full of litter and a good deal of vandalism. There are bits and pieces of ruins scattered all about the old town, with no real regard for them. I'm guessing that there is some will to preserve and protect these antiquities from further damage, and to organize and assemble them for posterity and for their inherent tourism value, but there just isn't the money available for such projects. Or maybe there isn't the will. I guess if this stuff is just all over the place it becomes too onerous a task. But there are some very, very old sites that seem to be fenced off as works in progress, although there didn't seem to be anything currently happening at any of them.

I pretty much covered Pula in a couple of days, so I pushed on to the city of Rijeka.

Blog Woes

I'm getting really frustrated with Blogger. It seems to edit out my photos when I add them to my posts, which is really really annoying because it takes a lot of time and effort to put these things together! Anyway, I will keep trying, and I will also try to get photos onto my web-album where I should be more successful in posting photos, at least. I'll let you know! Meanwhile, thanks for bearing with me. Also, I'll try to not be so long-winded!

Trieste, part 2.

There is a fabulously beautiful place on the outskirts of town called the Castello Miramare, which was built by Archduke Maximillian, the cousin of Franz-Josef (whose assassination started WW1) and his wife Charlotte. Maximillian was eventually appointed as Governor of Mexico, but was assassinated there. Anyway, this Castello is the very definition of old world elegance, inside and out. The Castello itself is situated on a promontory of land pressing gently into the Adriatic, and the grounds and gardens are behind and upslope from it. He had a large part in the overall design, and dedicated the garden to being of educational significance. The location is spectacular and the development is utterly beautiful. Too bad for Max that he never got a chance to see the finished product.

So, if you ran a bus company in Trieste say, and you offered services to several cities and towns in neighbouring Slovenia and Croatia, would you not want your entire bus schedule to be posted? Not just some of it, but ALL of it? Not only at the bus station, but maybe even “on-line”? I’m just wondering. Well, apparently the SAF bus company doesn’t think that it is necessary. So, let’s just say that based on what I read of the schedule both at the station and on-line, I decided to take the 9:00 am bus to Pula, Croatia. So I got myself to the station with over a half hour to spare (‘cause you just never know…) and when I told the girl what ticket I wanted, she informed me that that is only a summer scheduled bus. No indication of such on the schedule, or even what dates “summer only” encompasses. But, there was one leaving at 2:00pm. Or I could catch the bus that was leaving in 10 minutes for such and such where I would transfer to a different bus to Pula. Okay, that’ll do, I guess. Whatever. My bags were packed, I was ready to go; I was standing there inside the door… (apologies to Ian Tyson).

Trieste:

I had opted to stay for a couple of nights in Trieste, even though I was intending to go from Venice into Slovenia. However, there was too little information about accommodation in, and bus or train service to the few small towns on the coast of Slovenia for me to make a decision to go there (where?). So, in hopes of being able to fill in some gaps, I elected to add Trieste to my itinerary. The little that I had read about it, made it sound interesting enough to warrant a stop over, at least. I had made a reservation at a “hostel” in Trieste, and it was easy to find, being very close to the train station. It’s not what you would call “welcoming”, and the fellow who runs it is a bit stern. Pretty tired and worn out, it is in need of some freshening and brightening up. Some hooks in the bathroom wouldn’t hurt, and perhaps somewhere to put your toiletries bag would be helpful. There are numerous signs in scratchy felt pen advising guests not to do this and not to do that and not to do the other, rather than just fixing stuff and making it better. Obviously with an eye to keeping his costs as low as possible, hall lights were generally off, even at night. Kinda creepy - darn good thing I have a tiny flashlight in my bag, otherwise I would not have been able to see the key hole to the doors! It was actually quite safe, and the fellow turned out to be quite helpful, when he was around, and spoke very good English. I wouldn’t rush back, though.

Trieste is quite an interesting place from the standpoint of its geographical location and all the political influences it has had over the centuries. Starting with the Romans, and going right up to post WW2, it has been subjected to outside influences pushing and pulling it into what it is today. It being only a stones’ throw from the border with Slovenia, Trieste is a real mish-mash of the two cultures. I believe there are 3 languages spoken - Italian, Slovene, and a hybrid of the two, Fruilano. I guess it is a good first step into to world of eastern Europe, being like a beginner level course - EE 101. Houses and products in the stores start to look different here. And so do the people and the way they dress. They look more like Canadians - a mixture of sizes and body types, and not that concerned about fashion.

The downtown part of the city was built in the 1800’s, for the most part. I think there was a devastating earthquake which destroyed what had been there. At any rate, there must have been an incredible building boom, because there are hundreds of these very handsome buildings, some with more ornate finishing touches and facades than others.

I couldn’t help getting this feeling of latent fascism though. I don’t know how well Mussolini was/is admired/revered here(or hated for that matter), but to me there seems to be a certain “je ne sais quoi” air about the place. Having said that, there is definitely a reverence for literature and in particular the writings of James Joyce. He lived in Trieste, apparently, and there is a museum dedicated to his memory (!), and the James Joyce Bookstore at the train station.

And then there are the cafés. Trieste has a hardcore café culture. One could spend a week just going to cafés, never repeating a visit, and there would be lots left over. After 2 or 3 days of applying ones self to said task, one might figure out proper café etiquette, as a bonus. However, one would probably put on at least 10 pounds, due to the delectable goodies on offer.

Photos of Venice - dudes and all!

Lovely Venice

A quiet canal, and a relief above the doorway of a residence.

Venice

Venice is the most beautiful city I have ever been to. Almost nothing in the city is unattractive. It is a continuous, wondrous, magnificent work of art. Venice feels different from the rest of Italy, from the moment you set foot there. It has it’s own rhythm, a different heart beat from the rest of the country. Maybe it has never really lost its identity as a city-state. The first thing I noticed when I exited the train station upon arrival from Ravenna, was how quiet it is. No cars. No scooters. Only water buses and taxis and cargo boats. And of course those are only on the canals.

Away from the canals there is only pedestrian traffic.

Once I got myself oriented and on the first water-bus to get to my B&B, I realized that everyone is in the same boat, so to speak, with regard to travelling speed and commuting time. It’s pretty much all public transit, and so you don’t really have a choice as to how to get from point A to point B. No running red lights, no honking horns, stalled cars, no collisions, no road rage. And the only short-cuts are on foot. Although these craft can become frighteningly crowded, with commuter packed in like sardines.

The B&B I booked is situated on an island just off Venice, called San Erasmo. Once you get from the train station to the far side of Venice, you must transfer to another water bus. All in all it takes about an hour to get from station to San Erazmo. I decided to go straight there rather than start exploring Venice, since it was already about 3:00, and I really had no idea where I was! Good thing too, because by the time I got settled into my room (it’s about a 15 minute hike down a rural road to the B&B, dragging the suitcase behind), it was well after 4:00 and that left less than an hour of daylight.

Yes, October 26, and it was dark by 5:30 in Venice. I mean DARK dark. Anyway, I was able to get dinner there and I spent the rest of the evening working on my blog update and emailing and e-chatting with my sons.

Next morning after breakfast I headed back to Venice, to Piazza San Marco, the very heart of Venice. It was crawling with tourist, of course. There was a long line up for the Palazzo Ducale, but a short one for the Basilica di San Marco, so I opted for the Basilica to kick things off. Well, I was turned away on account of the fact that I had a day pack on my back. Apparently there was a place for visitors to check their packs whilst in the Basilica, but I couldn’t find it (have I mentioned how wanting Italians signage is?), and so I decided to re-group and organize my thoughts and plans.

First, I just wanted to take in the splendour and hugeness of Piazza San Marco, framed on four sides by the marvellous buildings that have been there, surrounding this gathering place since as far back as the 8th century. Just think of all the people who have walked across the piazza over the past 1200 years! One of the many incomprehensible aspects of Venice. After helping out a few couples with taking their photos, I decided it was time to find the tourist info office, and find out what’s the what. And a WC. (That’ll be 1.5 euros, please.)

Purchasing a museum pass at the info centre was a pretty good idea, since it got me straight into the Palazzo Ducale. What a place that is. Wow! It is very well laid out, with just enough information to tell you what you are looking at, but not so much that it gets bogged down with details. Fabulous paintings and frescoes in spectacular rooms, each with a specific purpose for the governing bodies and the judiciary. Tiepolo, Veronese, Tintoretto, and (Colin’s fave) Tiziano (aka Titian) were the main artist whose works hang in these sumptuous rooms. I took my time here, ‘cause Venice just lets me feel like that’s a good idea, well over 2 hours.

After that, it was a walk through the Basilica di San Marco. This time I was able to find the “guadaroba” to stash my day-pack, first. A huge, huge church with multiple domes, the inside walls and domes are primarily decorated with mosaics. Having just come from Ravenna, though, I think it’s safe to say that these ones don’t hold a candle to the mosaics in San Vitale. Not nearly as much design and detail, they look like mosaics, whereas the ones in S.V. look like paintings. Still a very impressive place, both inside and out.

I needed to find some lunch, that wasn’t pizza or a close facsimile thereof, and I needed to sit down. So, off I hiked in search of a cheap, sit down lunch in Venice. “Cheap” and “Venice” do not co-exist in the same discourse. Anyway, I found a teeny-tiny shrimp sandwich and an espresso for about C$8. It gave me about 20 minutes off my feet, and that would have to do!

The rest of my day was spent at the other end of the Piazza S. Marco in the Museo Correr which holds many, many, many, many artefacts concerning the history of Venice in its daily life, and many fine paintings and sculptures. After an hour and a half of that though, I had pretty much hit the wall! So, a little bleary eyed, I staggered out into the fading afternoon light. The Piazzo was much less peopled by then and the various restaurants were setting up for the evening ahead, putting out tables and chairs for the next onslaught of hungry tourists. I chose to eat elsewhere, at Fondamente Nuova where I caught my first water bus to, on my way back to my B&B. I had a nice dish of pasta and a glass of wine and a delicious cup of cioccolata calda con panna (artery clogger hot chocolate).

After that I still had over a half hour to kill before my next bus, so I wandered around a bit only to discover a whole other region of Venice that was full of locals with their little ones, socializing in the Campo di S.S. Giovanni e Paulo surrounding what must be the largest church in Venice. A lovely scene, with parents and kids and grandparents, stopping on their ways home from work or school or shopping, to skate board, kick a soccer ball, share gossip, have a drink (usually something in a large wine glass, a disturbing neon orange in colour. I didn’t have the nerve to try it - I thought I might glow in the dark, if I did…). Church congregation numbers may be dwindling, but the activity outside that edifice is still vibrant, and I guess a testimony to the enduring importance of the church in the community.

I so enjoyed the quick peak into this other world of Venice, that I promised myself that I would come back the next day, only earlier in the afternoon, which I did, I’m happy to report! That day was dedicated to just wandering through different parts of Venice, completely without any tourism information and armed only with a map (what little help that offered! Okay, it was useful for using the water bus system, but all that info is posted at the stops, anyway. Once you figure out the water bus system, Venice is really pretty easy to navigate.)

I started out my day at Murano, the island where Venetian glass comes from. It is yet another spectacularly beautiful place. The island is like a miniature Venice, almost, with these absolutely magnificent glass creations in hundreds of glass shops. You would think that after a while you would be seeing repeats of the same old hack hunka silicone. But you’d be wrong. It is simply miraculous, the seemingly endless creative bounty expressed in glass. Bowls, bottles, glasses, vases, plates, sculptures, jewellery, lamps - the list goes on. Of course there are repeats of the little cheesy cheap stuff, but they are very easy to ignore when right next is an eye popping, dazzling thing of exquisite beauty. I was all keen to go to the glass museum there, but sadly, it was closed that day. Huge disappointment. I guess I will have to try again next time, but not on a Wednesday.

Onward to Venice proper, where I disembarked at the Jewish Ghetto. This would actually be a very interesting part of Venice to stay in, but even here I’m sure it is out of my price range. So quiet and subdued and maybe the most mysterious part of Venice, for me. It is where the only Chinese restaurant is, that I saw which looked completely weird and out of place. And of course it is where the Jewish community is centred, with subsequent Ebraico (Hebrew) street names, and business and restaurants.

A couple more stops and wanderings along the Grand Canal, and I realized that Rialto was next. Of course, I had to check out Rialto. Here is the one place in Venice that I would not go back to. The crush of tourists was overwhelming, and they were pretty much there to spend lots of cash at really expensive shops, or pretend to. I think I lasted about 15 minutes there.

I was able to see a bit more that day, and the next, but then I left in the early afternoon for Trieste, by train, feeling anxious to get started on the “eastern” part of my travels, but also vowing to come back to lovely, beautiful Venice.