After 2 days at sea, we docked in the port of Piraeus at 8:55 this morning. We disembarked shortly thereafter and met up with our tour mates in the port arrival hall. We located our driver outside, and were a wee bit concerned as he was not too personable. However, shortly thereafter, our guide, Voula, arrived and kicked things into gear. She was a small woman, with a huge passion for her country and it’s history. The whole drive in to Athens she narrated the history of Greece in general, and Athens in particular. It was like a whole history lesson for dummies, in just 30 minutes. Amazing!
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Today we set out for our last adventure in Venice….a visit to St. Mark’s Square and Doge's Palace. We wandered the back streets for about 45 minutes, again oohing and ahhing over the window displays we passed. Then, as we turned a corner, we knew we were in St. Mark’s Square by the mass of people we encountered. Talk about a sea of humanity!
Exquisite, Enthralling Doge's Palace We wove through to get to our first destination, Doge’s Palace, where we checked in about 20 minutes early for our “Secret Itineraries” Tour. Tickets in hand, we entered the courtyard, and took a step back in time to Venice’s great past. We marveled at the architecture, and took the few minutes before our tour to take some lovely group shots in the majestic setting. I must start my post about Venice with a confession: I have never held Italy in high regard. Why not? Well, when I was 13, I went to Europe with a marching band. We spent 17 days on a whirlwind tour of 8 different countries. When it came to Italy, I only remembered some rude men looking me up and down, saying “Ah, American”. Apparently that made a strong impression on me, as it overshadowed all other memories of that country. Now, today, 23 years later, I have finally changed my mind.
After a brief nap this afternoon, we set out on foot again to see what adventures awaited. We started out on a different path than we took earlier in the day, happy to wander and absorb whatever awaited us down the road.As we walked amidst the wonderful smells and sounds of the city (no cars!!), we decided that we definitely needed to take a gondola ride. We came across a few gondoliers, but they were in the peak traffic areas. Deciding we would like to take a voyage off the beaten path, we strolled a little further. Soon we came across Mateo, who hollered across the canal to offer his services. We asked him if he sings, and he said no, but when he quoted a price of 80 euros we couldn’t resist his service. We were thrilled with the price, as the gentleman at our hotel thought we would have to pay at least 90. We boarded his boat, and immediately began an unforgettable experience. |
AuthorLisa is the travel loving, animal adoring, Mickey Mouse hugging owner of Dreams Delivered Travel. Archives
April 2024
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