Venice & The Dalmation Coast

Trips involving multiple locations are designed for me to discover whether I would like a place well enough to spend more time there.  It is usually more expensive to stay in hotels than apartments.  This trip was a hybrid.  First and foremost I was going because I wanted to see Amalfi and Cinque Terre.  The rest just worked its way in between.

When I decided not to stop in Naples and go to Pompeii (yeah, what was I thinking right?  Pompeii in Aug?!  Met a guy who had just returned from Pompeii.  He didn't look like he felt too good.) I chose to delve a little deeper into Slovenia and Croatia.  Both countries are lovely and this time I headed further down the Slovenian coast to Izola, Piran and later Split Croatia.  Stopped in Venice for a couple of days prior. 

There were a couple of apartments I wanted to check out in Venice and Piran.  Good thing I did because it turned out neither location will work for us.  After this short re-visit to Barcelona and realizing how much I still want to return, I will make a more concerted effort (subject for another post) to find an apartment for next time. 

Split felt completely different from Dubrovnik.  I prefer Dubrovnik much more.  Split seemed to have a large number of pregnant English girls living there?  And numerous shoe stores.  One from which I purchased a pair of sandals.  Once you get off the Riva (their equivalent of a seaside boardwalk), few people spoke English. 

Make sure you remember what the currency exchange is roughly because everything will be priced in the hundreds (Kuna).  Their credit card machines don't have you verify how much you are paying before asking for your pin...  And there is sales tax.  I'm so used to the VAT, I right away thought an error was made after my transaction went through, until I remembered.

D and I were in Venice last June.  There was a noticeable difference this time maybe due to the Euro crisis and also tighter pockets of tourists who still want to see new places but have reined in their leisure spending? 

Firstly, there were a lot of empty seats at restaurants and lots of signs about cover charges or no cover charges.  It made things look a bit tacky.  We have such wonderful memories of relaxed dinners in pleasant restaurant environments watching boats go by.  There was an air of desperation this time which ruins the magic of Venice. 

From what I could see, people were just eating ice cream for lunch and dinner.  Don't blame them, it was 37 degree Celsius, full sun, no breeze and humid.  Others were walking around with pizza slices (5 Euros).  The ones sitting down at restaurants were eating pasta or pizza vs seafood.  Last year we had trouble finding an open table and school wasn't out yet. 

I did discover a delightful new to me restaurant, tucked away in a courtyard.  Two antipasti, a bottle of mineral water, an espresso plus tip came to 50 Euros.  Even thought prices were higher than I remembered, the food was worth it and the people working there were happy, friendly and relaxed which made all the difference to me.

There were a tonne of tourists but not many were spending.  I also noticed a decrease in number of smaller neighbourhood cafes.  Shopkeepers gestured from inside the store at window browsers trying to get you to go into their shops.  Not what I was used to.  There were also more people begging -- Italians!  Not gypsies.  Some of them will follow you.  Just turn around and look them straight in the eye so they know you know. 

Watch out for cover charges at restaurants and outdoor cafes.  Depending on where you are, you can pay up to 20 Euros for a cappuccino.  Ask before you sit. 

Split Croatia

The Riva, Split Croatia

On my way to apartment check, Venice.

Delivery day on the Rialto.

These yummy treats are sold by weight. 

Found in a little cafe west of the Rialto market Venice.

They aren't misshaped.  I had gotten to them before the photo.

Izola, Slovenia

Piran Slovenia

Main square, Piran

Salt flats Slovenia.  They are well known for it.

Venice

Venice was very much like what I thought it would be and better. I wasn't prepared for how much I would love all the back alleyways, all the small bridges where you can experience total silence for a long time before seeing anyone.

It's not as confusing as you may think. We only got turned around once and we didn't have to use a map. Once you get out of the San Marco area you'll find the real neighbourhoods with local cafes and restaurants with their much more reasonable prices. It was refreshing not to hear the sound of lawn mowers and cars. We didn't realize how significant that would be until we came home.

Sure, we did the tourist trap thing and ate (not the best food) by the Rialto bridge and paid through our noses for the privilege. One of which is being entertained by the traffic chaos of multiple commuter ferries, gondolas, private boats all come within inches of each other, criss crossing the canal all over the place. There is no right of way, traffic lanes or no wake zones in Venice that we were able to see.

One time, we saw a fire boat tear down the middle of all that, creating such wake that the water splashed up on the sides of the restaurant seating. The gondoliers all hunkered down the best they could to avoid having themselves and their guests dumped on the water. You know you are in Italy. Imagine Rome traffic but on water! It was great fun. D and I were grinning ear to ear and shaking our heads.

Our first ferry ride was captained by a trainee whom I got quite impatient with because all he was concerned about doing was singing and dancing to tunes on the radio instead of watching for available docks. His trainer didn't seemed concerned.

Loading docks were on a first come first serve basis and we sat there in the water for almost 20 min watching other more assertive boats get the available spots as soon as another boat would back out. I wanted to go up there and take over! All our other rides were captained by seasoned fellows who just pushed their way into spots. I loved it!

Over all, there are surprisingly ample opportunities to get off the beaten path in Venice. The food wasn't as bad as some tour books would lead you to believe. And like most cities, you pay more in the areas where everyone goes. As this was our first immersion in the city, we paid more. The next time will cost less as we will be renting an apartment in one of our favourite districts.

I am so glad D and I got to experience this together. Incidentally, we haven't gotten a real answer to D's time off without pay question. They are still investigating. Guess this particular manager has never been asked that before. We are staying hopeful.