Saturday, May 26, 2012

We spent the day island hopping. We started out with a half hour vaporetto ride to an island called Murano. The island is famous for its glass making. We had a short demo at one of the factories where this fellow has been blowing glass since he was 12 years old (over 60 years). Glass blowing here is a dying art as there are not enough young people interested. Of course they don’t help the situation when they don’t allow women into the club!

We moved on to one of their showrooms for a sales pitch on the value we would be getting if we made purchases. The glass was beautiful (and expensive) but it would be too hard to pack. But wait – included in the price is shipping and insurance. But wait, for you only today these 700 euro pieces are only 500 euros! Our guide had told us about the sales pitch ahead of time. She said to buy if we loved a piece but not to feel pressured into it.

We wandered around the island for a bit, had a coffee, and then caught another vaporetto for another half hour ride to Burano, which is an island famous for their lace. This was such a special place and we spent most of the afternoon there. The houses are painted in vivid colours and that, combined with all the plants and flowers, is an image I will remember. The pace was very slow and there were many vendors selling their lace – all of it beautiful and works of art.

We had a long vaporetto ride home but we had a seat and a breeze so we were happy. I had time for a limoncello and a nap before dinner. After dinner Pat and I walked some of the streets near the hotel. Now we’re sitting on the patio enjoying the canal traffic and the cool breeze.

There are a couple of things I wanted to mention to you but in my hurrying to catch you up on our travels I haven’t had time. First a few words about the washrooms. Our hotels have had a variety of washroom designs. The first room had a lovely bathtub and shower, but there was only half of a shower door – it was like we got one half of a sliding door and someone else in another room got the other half. Our hotel in Florence had a big, walk-in shower – no problems there. Our hotel here has a big tub and shower, but no door at all! Makes for an interesting morning trying to get ready and not flood the place.

And on to the facilities themselves. I’ve mentioned that in many spots you have to pay to use the washroom. When we go to a coffee shop we first check to see if they even have a washroom. If they do, then we decide if we will sit at a table (costs more) or stand at the bar. Yesterday at lunch we had a table and I took advantage of the facilities. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing when I entered. You will be familiar with the toilet brush and stand we use at home. This particular washroom had one of those sets, and the washroom was lower to the floor than the handle of the brush! And today I experienced my first co-ed bathroom – and yes, I checked the door and I wasn’t in the wrong place!

My next concern was shopping. Since arriving in Italy members of our group have been doing some heavy shopping. There hasn’t been anything that sparked my imagination, but I realized that going through customs after spending a month in Italy without any purchases would look very suspicious. I’m happy to say that Venice has eliminated that problem for me. Just tonight I was thinking of the clothes I might leave behind so my suitcase would still be under the weight limit!

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad