Photos from Italy…day 1…

Posted: June 14, 2008 at 12:15 pm by John

By special request, I’m going to attempt to post my photos along with the original journal text. This is going to make some of these entries long…but let’s see how this goes. We begin our two-week photo recap of Italy with Day 1…the flight from San Francisco to Frankfurt (on United) and on to Venice (on Lufthansa). (The original journal entry from May 15/16 is here.)

And we’re off.

The theme for the day was sweat…a sweaty journey full of hot planes, hot terminals, a hot bus, and a hot boat. Nevertheless, at the end of this tale, we ended up in Venice.

No complaints…just a story 🙂

We left SF on a record, high-90s day. After a 30+ minute delay out on the tarmac, UA flight 900 was bound for Europe. Somehow, only ONE upgrade came through–how does THAT happen–so we grabbed what we could and Jeff sat up front. (Jeff snuck me snacks and sent the flight attendant back with a surprise glass of red wine 🙂

Once in Frankfurt, we made our way to our connecting flight like two seasoned travelers. A sweaty bus from gate to plane, and a quick flight across the Alps to Venice. (Our first time at this airport.)

“our gate in Frankfurt…really a gate to a shuttle bus”

“on the FRA tarmac”

“boarding the old fashioned way”

“clouds over the Alps”

“our first-ever aeriel view of Venice”

We caught an airport-based water bus…Alilaguna…which got VERY warm when everyone closed their windows to keep the splashes out. We hopped (slowly) across the Lagoon…to Murano, the Lido (our first glimpse of this popular, car-ridden beach destination), and a couple stops in Venice before reaching the last stop in Venice–our stop–Zattere in the Dorsodoro. Our hotel–the Hotel Belle Arte–was only a short walk away.

“Alilaguna stop at the airport”

“a wet view of Murano”

“the full, steamy water bus”

“pulling into the Zattere stop”

A quick shower to de-sweat, and then off for a short welcome-walk and then dinner. After a long day, we went straight for the reliable Rosa Rossa. Pizzeria. Pizze Diavola and Pizze Funghi. Tiramisu to finish.

“Venice is full of color”

“chatting in the rain”

“a classic view of the Bridge of Sighs”

“continuous water everywhere”

“Rosa Rossa Pizzeria”

“relaxed”

We ended the evening on the hotel’s loggia overlooking their compact garden. Oversized cushioned chairs and a cool breeze coaxed us toward sleep, which was soon to follow.

4 Comments for Photos from Italy…day 1…

Kim

Must admit – Venice from the air looks a bit scary. As usual – gorgeous photographs. One of these years I will have to meet you there so I can have such professional tour guides and great company. Nice to see you in a picture!

Jeff

Well, it was scary. We were on approach to land in gusts of wind, and just as we were going to land, we took off again. I freaked out, and I wasn’t even sitting with John to console me. We finally circled and landed the other direction into the wind. I was so happy to get on the ground after that flight. The only thing that kept me sane was that the efficient and practical Germans were flying.

Sherie Jane

great pix as usual. can’t wait to see more!

Matthias

Three Words: Best Post Eva!