Have I mentioned that I love Greece?

Welcome back aboard the slowest moving blog train... Sorry guys we haven't been s diligent as we should have been. We are loving Greece so very much everywhere we have been in Greece has been wonderful! I have spent a lot of time reading ... My book count for the trip is at 13 so far and I figure by the time we leave I should be close to 20...who said there was no time for reading! Continuing our journeys in Venice, I had read about the old Jewish area of the city and wanted to visit the area. This is the city where the term ghetto originated, the word geto in Italian means "foundry" and it was in this area of Venice that the foundry was located. There was a really touching holocaust memorial made of bronze that stretched along two walls of the square. We checked out the museum which was pretty neat and then we had the chance to tour 3 synagogues which was fascinating. Neither of us had been inside a synagogue before and the 3 we were in were a few hundred years old...very cool! Just up the road was the site of the oldest pharmacy in Venice which has had some sort of pharmacy in the same location since the original one in the 1600's. It was a neat place to visit though they didn't have any cool souvenirs. We continued walking until we hit the north shore of the island and just wandered our way back into the central part of town. Cuttlefish can be found on almost every menu and Lyle had decided that he wanted to try it before we left the area. We found a nice looking restaurant and had dinner inside to avoid the constant stream of smoke that can frequently be found in outdoor dining areas. We both started with pasta dishes, I had lasagna and Lyle had seafood spaghetti which was a reverse of the evening before. My lasagna was the winner (we have developed a challenge of our meals to see who's meal is better...we have a small leaning tower of Pisa that goes to the winner). I can't even remember what I had for dinner but Lyle had the cuttlefish (which is an inking fish) served with polenta and potatoes. I didn't think I would like the cuttlefish but surprisingly I thought it was quite tasty though Lyle was very disappointed with the whole meal which is unfortunate. I don't like when one of us is totally disappointed in a meal. Anyhow another strange thing to check off on the list of foods we have tried. After dinner we wandered back to shore near St.Marks square and decided to just sit down and play cards to kill sometime before we had to catch the bus back. A grueling game of war can keep your occupied for a long time :) and playing on steps net the water will leave your card coated in a layer if salt... After nearly missing our return bus the day before we left early enough to not have to worry...or so we thought. We got to the people mover station and put our money in the machine for tickets, but the tickets never printed. There is no help desk and we weren't going to pay twice so we just jumped the gate... I know, I know. Well soon after a voice came on saying something in Italian... Um we still don't speak any Italian really so we just kept heading up stairs. The voice continued to come on repeatedly but I had no idea what to do since there seem to be no human to try and explain the situation to. When the next train arrived the doors wouldn't open and the sign above it now read buy a ticket in Italian at least that I understood, but still was not going to pay for another set. Lyle tried some sign language with the security camera and eventually a voice came through a box nearby. It had a two way mic so I somewhat tensely told the man that we had already paid for tickets but that his machine was broken. He replied that I had paid with a credit card that didn't work... Try again buddy we paid with cash! I not so calmly told him that we were not paying for a second set of tickets and that he should fix his machine... Microphone turned off and the doors opened... Mission accomplished lol. Oh the adventures we have! Have I mentioned I love Greece? So last night I went to the reception and asked if there was a computer repair shop nearby. I had previously tried unsuccessfully to find one on the Internet. Normally I would expect either a "no, sorry!" or some directions, not in Greece! Instead, he calls up his friend who works for a computer repair company to come to the resort and take a look at the computer. Did I mention it was 10pm? So not only did he take the computer to check it out and fix it, but if we choose not to have it fixed it would cost a staggering 15€. Who the heck makes a house call to fix a computer at 10pm and only charges 15€ to look at it. I might just send him my computer next time it breaks in Canada. So by wednesday night we should have a working computer or at least an idea of what to do. I love Greece! Ok, so tangent finished and back to Venice. This is one of our most eventful days of the trip. It was the day we planned to take the boat transit to the surrounding islands, including Murano, which is where they make their world famous glass. We woke up early and got on the bus. A few minutes into our trip we got into some traffic and slowed down. Something happened that we found out later was a minor scrape between our bus and a landrover. None of us really noticed it and nothing seemed odd until we were going very slow on a two lane highway with no one in front of us. I looked up and the landrover was driving in the middle of both lanes so no one could pass. We were all perplexed. Eventually the highway narrowed to one lane because of construction and the landrover actually came to a stop. The Italians were having none of this and before we knew it there were a half dozen angry drivers who left their vehicle, including our driver, and began yelling at the landrover driver to get off the road. The highway was completely backed up and then the police arrived, probably from a call from the landrover driver. After a few minutes of yelling in Italian, the cop convinced the landrover to pull off to the side so that traffic could go through. Once he did this and we pulled in behind him, the same group of half a dozen angry Italians, our driver included, pulled off the highway and got out of their cars and started yelling and hand waving and dancing... We were all enjoying the free spectacle from the bus. The best part was the cop was on the phone talking to someone else and having nothing to do with the feuding Italian drivers. After a good 10 minutes of this, the cop was still talking on the phone and the other drivers realized that waiting around to talk to him was useless, so they gave their info to our bus driver and went on their way. By now, we had gathered that the landrover had tried to pass the bus while the bus was changing lanes and got scrapped. All the other drivers were simply there to corroborate the story and gang up on the landrover for being an idiot. After they left, the cop finally got off his phone and played world's worst mediator between the landrover with cranky wife and our bus driver. Eventually the owners for the bus showed up so that the bus could drive us to Venice. We never found out what happened after that, but it was one heck of an adventure to start the day. We arrived about a half hour late to Venice, but in the end it wasn't a big deal. We walked over to the train station where we could buy tickets for the boat transit. Venice has a system of boats that go along the grand canal and around the perimeter of the city. They also go to the surrounding islands and a 24hr ticket cost a pretty Pennie, so we wanted to get to all the island we wanted to this day. We started with Murano. It is an island located to the east of Venice and is where the famous "Murano Glass" is made. We found out that it can only be called Murano Glass if it is made on the island. As soon as we got off the boat (which more or less slams into the pier in a somewhat controlled fashion), we headed for a glass blowing demonstration at one of the many factories on the island. In order to become a master glass blower/maker it takes an apprenticeship of 15 years, or you learn it from your youth from your father as teacher. Needless to say, these guys are incredible. Stepping into the workshop we marveled at the glass chandeliers that were masterful works of art. We watched as "the master", as they call me, made a beautiful horse from a mound of hot glass in less then 30 seconds. He then made a beautiful vase with handle in less than a minute with incredible precision and symmetry. Once we get the computer back we will upload a video of how he made the vase. For the finale, he started to blow glass into a giant ball and with just a tiny tap on the ground it exploded with a huge bang. The thin pieces were like flimsy plastic, it was so interesting. We went to their gallery and drooled over the beautiful works of art the master had made. This specific shop didn't sell their works anywhere but in their own gallery, so we got something that was pretty original, but that's a surprise for someone;) We visited another workshop where the master looked exactly like a Chinese emperor with no head hair an a long white goatee. All of their works are very original and incredibly high quality. We furnished our future mansion in our minds with all the artwork. We got lost in the residential part of the island, eager to see what everyday living would be like for an islander. We eventually made our way to the canal that has shops on both sides and we walked and shopped until we stopped for some food. We learnt a valuable lesson from our lunch . . . Never eat at a place that does not list their prices for food. A lot of places have premade paninis that you pick out and pay at the end of your meal. We ordered two sandwiches and two cokes. For the first time since England we were served a coke in a LARGE glass with ICE! Amazing! Unfortunately, what should have been between 12-15€ was 20€. Lesson learnt, never eat at a place that does not list their prices. So we were feeling down about being ripped off there (a feeling we would feel several times while in Italy, and only Italy). We felt better after we had finally been able to find a charm for Heather's bracket. It is a glass heart with a white loop that the lady attached the charm clasp right on the spot. It looks really nice. We then bid farewell to Murano and headed to our next island; Mazzeflo. This island is a bit further east and is support to be the island of cats. Small wonder why we wanted to visit the island. When we got off our bumper boat we though we were on a deserted island. We walked in one direction and only came upon an orchard, but no cats. We saw a tour group get off the next boat and head the opposite direction, so we decided to follow them. We ended up seeing a few cats, but nothing to fame an island. The group we were following we're actually headed to the island right next to Mazzeflo called Burano. A small bridge connects the two islands. We followed them to Burano and there the camera really got put to work. Burano is known for lace. Those of you who know me well, know I don't like lace at all. Just like Heather doesn't like the feel of sandpaper, i don't like the feel of lace. However, the lace that is handmade by little old ladies on the island is very beautiful and I can appreciate the artistry and attention to detail it takes to make what they do. We enjoyed our walk around the island, and noticed that there were many more cats than Mazzelflo, ironically. I found one cat that may have fallen asleep as I rubbed it's belly because when I left it was lying on its back with all four legs spread out like a star. It was very cute! Burano also has some beautiful houses that are painted the most vibrant of colours. We were able to get several pictures that National Geographic would be proud of. Again, once we have my computer back we will upload the pictures. We cooled off with some gelato and made our way to the bumper boats for our next island, Lido. Traveling by boat between the islands is really a neat experience. There are little island everywhere with remnants of when they were once inhabited by people from all over europe. As we neared Lido, which is south of Venice, we decided we would get off at the first stop and try to find the old Jewish cemetery. We ended up finding it but it was closed for the day, so instead we walked along the shoreline sidewalk and admired Venice in the sunset from afar. The other side of Lido, which is only about a 20 minute or so walk is where the beaches are, but by this point in the day we were very much ready to eat something and call it a day. We jumped back on the bumper boat and took it all the way to Venice and down the grand canal to the Rialto. We got off there are searched for a place to eat. We settled on a little place a block or so from the bridge that posted a sign,"free wifi". The wifi was free, but they just have to screw you somehow. This place their specialty was "cover charge" and "service charge". So in Italy they think they have the right to charge you just for the privilege of eating at their restaurant. So unknown to us, when the bill came we were charged 2.50€ each for the glorious privilege of "renting" a 1980's chair and table to sit at. We were also charge 15% service charge, also known as a tip, no matter how bad the service was. That really irks me because you have already charged me to be at your restaurant, now I must pay you an extra 15% to bring me my food. The pizza was good, but it wasn't that good. Having now experienced Greece and looking back on things, Italy was a rip off at every turn. I am more than happy to tip for good service and as Heather and most people I eat with know, I tip very well. But I find it incredibly obnoxious and rude to demand a tip if I am not satisfied with the service I receive. I am more than ok with restaurants charging 15% for large parties because of the added work it requires, but two people who order water and a simple meal and then wait and wait and wait for the bill does not merit 15% in any universe. I wasn't happy then, and I'm still irked about it (if you couldn't tell). So we go out of there and returned to the bumper boat which took us all the way to our bus stop without us having to use the useless people mover. And that was our exciting day in Venice. The following day was our very last day in Venice and we had a short list of things we wanted to see and do before we left. We had bought a painting earlier in the week and wanted to find the spot where it was painted that the artist had showed us. We wondered our way to the place he had marked on our map, but then realized that we couldn't remember what the painting looked like because it had been a few days. We kinda laughed that one off and took some pictures that we thought might be where he had put himself to paint the picture (I don't think we got the right spot.haha). We took a little detour to check out a store that was advertised around the city for woodwork that looked like clothing. Imagine a brown leather jacket hanging from a hangar, but made entirely out of wood, or clothes on a drying rack, or a suitcase overflowing with clothes. It was really neat to see despite only being able to look in the window because it was closed at that time. After that we wanted to go inside St. Mark's Basilica as well as feed the pigeons in the square. When we arrived we were very surprised to find a giant parade of sorts going on that had the entire square gated off except the perimeter and stands with dignitaries and soldiers and a marching band in the square. We asked around and found out it was the annual celebration of the Italian navy. It was pretty neat to watch for a bit and listen to the band. We caught then end of it, which wasn't a bad thing because we couldn't understand anything anyway. We tried to make our way over to the church but soon found ourselves in a dense mass of people moving one way and the lineup to get into the church going the other way. It was very close to what it must feel like for fish swimming upstream. Heather was not too happy because she had some extremely pushy Italian lady behind her that kept pushing her in the back. I really wanted to change places with her to drive the lady nuts, but Heather wouldn't let me;(. We eventually were able to switch direction and get in the line for the church. In front of us were a couple that we started to chat with and learned that they were from Vancouver. Small world eh! He was actually german but you couldn't tell at all from his accent. We ended up spending most of the day with them as we went about our travels. Going into the church we got to the front of the line and were then to that we could not bring our backpacks in, but that there was a free coat check around the corner. We went around the corner and went to what we thought was the right place but were then yelled at before we walked in that it wasn't the right place. I was dumbfounded that the guy just yelled at a bunch of lost tourists and didn't even bother to tell us the right way. So I rudely asked where we should go and he pointed in another direction. Looking back, it was at this point that I really became disappointed with what Italy was now and what I remembered it was like from my last trip. I felt like a burden on the people and only there to spend money. I would encourage people to see Venice, but don't bother to linger longer than you need to. We returned to the front of the line at the church and got in for free. Once again, I felt disheartened when "free admission" is only a scam to get you inside. Once inside, it cost 5€ to climb to the balcony, 3€ to see the treasury, 2€ to see this, 2€ for that. We paid 2€ to see some gold artwork in the front by the alter, but it wasn't worth it. We left after being disappointed with the inside. The best part of the whole church were the incredible mosaic flooring that was either covered by chairs or covered with a mat for the visitors. Seeing just the sides made us sad we couldn't see the whole floor. Once we got out we decided to have some fun by feeding the pigeons. It's a lot like trafalgar square in England (or what trafalgar square used to be like before they got rid of all the birds). We had some crackers with us and Heather and I crushed them in our hands while our Canuck friends videoed our adventure. The birds came flocking to us and ate out of our hands. I put crumbs on my shoulders and head and was covered in birds. With birds all around me it was one of the most exhilarating experiences I've had. Heather managed to conquer her fear of pigeons and had them in her hands and along her arms. We attracted a lot of attention and we gave crackers to the kids that we watching and they got to feed the birds. It was really great. When we were ready to leave there were several people doing the same thing we were, something that I find very unique and exciting about the place. Unfortunately, an egotistical tour guide thought he would play cop and said it was illegal to feed the pigeons. As tourists, we gave him the ole "shove it" action by continuing to enjoy our adventure. And bytheway, not a single bird pooped on us and we sanitized our hands afterwards, just to calm the nerves of the germaphobes out there. After that, we had some lunch. Heather had a hot dog and we enjoy our first sip of Pepsi since Canada. Oh how I love Pepsi! It's rare over here, but so great! We wanted to tour the giant sailing ship we had seen a few days ago and it was supposed to be open for tours at 2 in the afternoon. Apparently someone missed the memo, because it was out in the middle of the lagoon with no sign of a tour going on. We went to the place they had advertised the tour and they said that it was indeed supposed to be at the port, ready for tours at 2. They suggested we come back tomorrow . . . Great suggestion buddy! So, we shrugged that one off and then spent the rest of the day walking through Venice on quest to find the last few souvenirs. We ended up walking way too much because both Heather and I were nearly exhausted and ready to snap at any moment by the time we stopped to eat. We tried to find a place that was recommended to us by some other tourists but we couldn't find it, so we ate at another random place. We both had pasta, but Heather took the torre (italian for tower, which is our prize for best meal) with her gnocchi and four cheese sauce. It was wonderful. We were in a rush to catch the people mover to catch our bus, so we asked for the check when they took our plates away. After a few minutes of waiting, we asked again for the bill and reminded them we were in a hurry. After a few more minutes and seeing no effort to give us the bill, I was very abrupt about giving us our bill because we had to leave. I think they go the message, because the waiter finally got his act together and brought the bill. See, now why should I pay you a generous tip when I had to ask three times for the bill and was ignored. Whatever, no time to argue that one. We paid in cash and feebly hobbled our way to the bus and spent the rest of the night packing. Our shuttle to the train station left at 8:30 and we had plenty of stuff to shove in our bags. Ok folks, we have an action plan in place and are hoping to get blogs up daily. Enjoy! Love to all, L&H