Thursday/Friday (SFO to Venice)…

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. Neverthelss, 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 Eupope. 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.)

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.

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.

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.