VENICE!

Oh finally, I have been dying to get the Venice Post done, but I wanted to keep things in order. We arrived in Venice on Saturday and were so excited this part was the Presidents conference which was kind of the best of the best. I was so proud of Chris for making this part of the trip because only the top 30-40 agents in the nation qualified. Pretty awesome for the first trip he had made. We immediately boarded our water taxi and headed over to the costume shop for our final fitting for the masquerade ball. It was pouring rain and there were about 50 of us who descended upon one tiny costume shop. Half of us had to stand out in the rain outside the shop, and by this time the 5 Euro umbrella we had purchased in Florence was broken on one side, so we stood under an awning for a while until we got inside. I finally got fitted for my cloak. I have to admit I had fantasies about this masquerade ball and when they asked for our bust, chest, waist and height measurements I was certain we were going to get gowns, but no, all we got was a fancy cloak, satin gloves and a decorative mask (that we got to keep). The men on the other hand got the works. They had tights, knickers, buckles for their shoes, velvet vests, billowy satin shirts, a cape, and a hat. I still don't get why if they had to cut back on costumes why they cut back for the women. We LIVE for that stuff. But I have let it go, and we still had a ball (haha). It was pretty awesome to get Chris in a purple satin blouse and tights, I mean when do you see your husband with that on! I so should have gotten pics of Chris pulling those tights up.

While we waited for the rest of the group we found a little cafe and had some hot cocoa and freshly baked croissants with apricot jam baked inside. Oh my goodness they were fantastic. We stayed and chatted and then began the exodus to the Trattoria de la Madonna for lunch. My umbrella lost another support and was drooping terribly, so on the way we quickly purchased a 10 Euro umbrella. After quite a walk down winding alleys, and over many bridges we arrived. There are no cars allowed on the island by the way not even scooters. You are on foot or on boat.

Every restaurant offers bread, pasta, a vegetable dish or salad, main course, dessert and coffee. So you are stuffed completely for every meal. I have no idea how I managed to avoid gaining weight but I didn't gain a pound. If you have ever travelled and had one of those experiences were you eat something so amazing and delectable it practically haunts you forever because you know you may never have it again. This was one of those moments. They had a Lasagna that was about the most incredible thing I have ever tasted. If I ever discover the cheese that just oozed from that wonderful creation there will be no hope for me. It was made with a white sauce and had pieces of ham and peas inside. The pasta was so tender and fresh and that CHEESE! Oh my gosh. Someone asked what type of cheese was in it and all they could remember was that it started with a P. It was a melty soft cheese so it wasn't parmesan, and I searched every market. But someday I am telling you I will find it. The same thing happened to me in France. I had a almond croissant pastry that I still can't forget and a melon sorbet that tasted like the ripest sweetest canaloupe you have ever tasted that melted in your mouth with perfect texture. Italy's melon gelato was very close but not quite, it was too creamy. Sorry I am obviously obsessed with food, but at least only excellent food. Thanks heavens I have tolerated dairy very well for having U.C. it usually is a taboo for some people with the disease, but frankly even if my system couldn't tolerate it, nothing could keep me from gelato and cheese in ITALY! Ramble, Ramble, Ramble.

Ok I'm back on track. We then took another water taxi over to the Molino Stucky Hotel. It was a new Hilton that they had just converted from an old flour mill and turned it into a huge Hotel. It actually had a POOL (not too common especially in Venice)! The rooms were big and just beautiful. Every inch of the bathroom was marble. Our other hotels didn't hold a candle to it and they were supposedly at least 4 star. We had the night to ourselves (no Horace Mann activites). We found a nearby laundromat and watched some interesting italian TV while our clothes were washing. On the walk back we passed our exact cruise ship heading down the canal on it's way out to the mediteranean again. It was hard to believe it had only been a week since we had been the ones leaving. We were getting hungry so we took a water taxi with friends over to St. Marks square and wandered around to find a restaurant off the beaten path. We had some great pizza, and then took in the square and the shopping surrounding it. We decided to wait to go on a Gondola ride for a night we could be alone.

The next day we had an awesome breakfast buffet at the hotel. It was so good they had every type of fruit you could imagine, different cereals and granolas, one whole wall was different types of cheeses, another table was different types of cut meats another table had bacon, sausages, potatoes, eggs, and waffles, a juice bar, and a whole table of different breads, pastries and croissants, and a juice bar. They even had the different foods color coded into low fat, low carb, high energy, etc. After that massive breakfast we then went on a tour of the Murano and Burano islands. Murano is famous for their glass making. We got to see a demonstration of a glassmaker, and tour their gallery. They were so amazing if you were loaded you could pick up chandeliers, stemware, vases, sculptures etc. There were a few things under a hundred Euros but most of the stuff was over 2,500 Euros ($4375). Even the stemware was still over $80 for a wine glass. Their chandeliers were all over $10,000 it was just scary to walk through some rooms.
Then we went over to Burano island. They are famous for their lacemaking. As we were pulling around to the dock all of the houses were painted very bright colors. It is a local legend that the wives of the fishermen painted their houses all different colors because when the men came back from the pubs they were a little inebriated and the island can get quite foggy. So with all of the houses different colors it helped their husbands find their way home. It was a very clean and charming island we headed over to a restaurant for lunch where we had bread, spaghetti with clams, salad, a variety of breaded and fried seafood (the tiny little calamari had eyes) that was very good (apart from the eyeballs). The shopping was great we found glass WAY cheaper than the gallery had it. Chris' mom had really wanted some venetian glass so we got her a dolphin and a big angel fish. We found Cate a Burano Lace umbrella and a decorated mask for her room and were running back to the boat to get back over to the hotel. That night was the masquerade ball! When we got back to our rooms they had already delivered the costumes so we showered and got ready in our costumes. We headed down stairs to catch the taxi's over to the Hotel Monaco where the ball was being held. I guess it was a famous spot that Cassanova had frequent rendevouz at. I will never forget the looks on people's faces when they saw 80 people dressed up like us getting off the boats near St. Marks square. Even the locals were stopping to take pictures. We all stopped and got individual pictures on the bridge in front of the bridge of sighs. While we were waiting for our turns there were a few couples who had lines that had formed to get their pictures taken with them, it was pretty funny. We were sure we were going to end up on You Tube somewhere. We all walked a short distance the the Hotel Monaco. It was a neat hotel. The bottom floor was ultra modern in it's decor and then through a doorway and up some marble stairs you felt like you were going back in time. They claim that everything was as it was in Cassanova's time. They served cocktails and hors'deouvres while we mingled and talked. They had a String Orchestra playing, and you felt like you were in some kind of fairytale. Then we all went into the dining room for dinner. They had a live band in there too, and after a few announcements from Corporate we had dinner: Rissoto, a beef filet encrusted with olives and herbs, and a crispy merengue dessert it was all amazing! We ate and danced and socialized, and then took tzxi's back to the hotel. Everyone thought it would be hilarious to stay in costume and head up to the hotel sky bar for drinks. We went up and talked while everyone drank, fortunately by this time people had stopped offering us drinks because they knew better. It was areally fun group and we made a lot of friends. After a while the jokes were only funny if you were drunk so we went back downstairs to our room to catch some sleep.

The next day we had the whole day to ourselves besides the farewell dinner so we took a taxi to St. Marks square again and got right in line to tour the Doges palace(pronounced DOH-jay). The Doge was an elected sort of king who served until death. The architecture was incredible. When the palace was at it's peak (the 1300's) it was a place that struck every visitor with a sense of their power and prestige. It was built to intimidate. You could not take pictures inside, but even outside on the balconies the ceilings were covered in 24 k. gold leaf. The inside had amazing tile work and oil paintings by Tintoretto everywhere. The largest oil painting in the world was in the room where the Venetian senate met. We then were able to cross the bridge of sighs over to the prison. The bridge between the two buildings was called the bridge of sighs because after their trial prisoners let out their last sigh before being put to death or imprisoned. It was so crazy to walk through that prison where you know thousands of people were tortured, died or lived out a miserable life. We went back across the bridge to the Doge palace and went under a large alcove from the palace to St. Mark Basilica (the private chapel of the Doge at the time). It was interesting to note that the long bridge /tunnel to the basilica from the palace was meant to symbolize the connection between the church and the government. The architecture of the basilica is unlike anything in the world. It is so ornate. It is a mixture of gothic, renaissance, and even middle eastern architecture, it was amazing. The campinella or belltower (the orange brick tower with the gold angel on top) is actually a reproduction. The original tower was leaning like many towers in Venice (as you probably noticed in the pictures) and actually toppled over in the 60's. It is said that the angel on top landed right in front of the basilica entrance standing upright.

After touring the basilica we wandered through the streets heading over to the Rialto Bridge (one of only two bridges that cross the grand canal). We found some interesting sights along the way. A gondolier patiently waiting on a bridge for the next passenger, a large building with an exterior winding staircase similar to the tower of pisa (this was tucked away in some winding alleys, what a discovery). We took some pictures of the Rialto but it was COVERED in people. I couldn't get over how crowded it was. St. Marks square wasn't that bad. We did some shopping and toured some really neat churches and opera houses along the way. We found a great variety of decorative pastas for family, I found my dad some Italian Pepperocinni peppers, and got the kids some of the famous venetian "S" shaped cookies (shaped like the canal). I found a beautiful silk scarf, and we bought an oil painting by a local artist. We were hoping to hit the Peggy Gugenheim museum at the end of our tour that day, but didn't make it. We were pretty pooped out by the end, and took the taxi back to the hotel. We took a little nap and then went to the farewell dinner. The dinner was a bit of a dissapointment. It was a buffet, and our table was called second to last so pretty much all of the good food was gone, and there was no real organization to any of it. I think the event coordinators wanted a buffet, which Europeans just don't do. They do everything in courses. So they tried to put all the plates in different spots on the buffet tables to accomodate some kind of course menu, but with the American mentality it was a disaster. We were most excited for the lasagna as it was so spectacular at the restaurant the first day, but it was gone. The waiters kept saying they were bringing more out in ten minutes, then twenty minutes, and then they brought out a tray of french fries, which didn't sit well with anyone and was frankly insulting. Finally after everyone had just finished dessert they brought out a tray of lasagna that was obviously a last ditch effort and still cold in the middle. We were pretty ticked about the whole thing. I mean everyone talks up the presidents conference like crazy saying how they treat you like royalty and it is so extravagant. It was for the most part, but some things like that dinner just should not have happened. When the event staff came to our table to tell us the order of the tables they assured us that they would not run out of food, and when they did the event staff was nowhere to be found to patch things up. After the dinner, everyone felt pretty down and underappreciated and we really did not want it to put a damper on the whole evening especially the last night. So we decided to head back to St. Marks square even though it was like 11:00p.m. and go on our gondola ride. We found a gondolier right off the taxi and he offered us a tour for 80 Euros which was pretty standard. I think he was the last one out there because the canals were empty. We only ran into one other boat on the entire tour. It was so awesome. To see Venice at night from a Gondola, when it feels like you have the whole city to yourself was indescribable. It was so romantic. It left all the negative feelings we had earlier in the dust. We were so glad that we waited to go alone at night. After the tour we went to St. Mark's Square to see the dueling orchestras. There are two restaurants that have their own orchestras outside that "duel" for applause and the crowds it was pretty funny to watch. Most of the square was empty also. There were only a few other couples out. A man came up to offer me roses, which is usually a scam, (beware of the rose guys) we had experienced this many times in Rome. But with an assertive "we are not interested in anything but the rose" Chris bought me one, and we sat down to listen to the music. The rose guy even started dancing, it was pretty funny. We took some pictures and headed back to the hotel completely enchanted by Venice.