December 16
Our final day in Venice and we planned on just spending it wandering aimlessly through all the alleys. Luck would have it that we were at Piazzo di San Marco right at the opening time for the ascent up the tower to view Venice from on high. We walked straight in, in contrast to the queue that we had seen outside yesterday.
Speaking of queues, we would have hated to be here in the summer when 50,000 tourists a day descend on Venice. We had no queues ever in Venice and, in our wanderings today, we came across streets with NO-ONE in them. I could not handle that many people and it would be so hot, and overcrowded. Ah much as it is cold, I so prefer this weather and less crowds. I think that is why we travel at this time of year.
And as for the ‘bad’ weather compared to summer, the day of cold and fog that we experienced on the day of our arrival just added to the ambience of the place . .. the ‘elegantly’ decaying buildings that gives Venice its attractiveness is even more ethereal when viewed through the fog! Then we had some beautiful sunny days with blue skies to follow including today! Our photos certainly do not do it justice.
So this morning, we wandered and wandered and were a ‘little footsore’ from the cobblestones by the time we called it a day around 2pm. It is amazing how far you can walk in a few hours and Marc adores walking and exploring. Not the normal tourist treks for him but down little alley ways and up and out over bridges and into even smaller alleyways and even venturing into places where there was not one person. I had to grip his hand a little tighter then….a little bit scarier…but of course my darling husband Marc was all smiles and cheerful as we wound our way up and down in and out and around , around the pathways and numerous bridges of Venice.
I have to admit, by the time we had returned I was a little tired. We are also not drinking a lot because when you drink you have to pee…and when you are in a Strange country and strange places, public conveniences are not so easy to find. Even though on the streets of Venice there e markings of WC and an arrow pointing the direction….they wee not easy to find, so we did not drink, so obviously we did not have to pee!!
Forty-eight hours in Venice including two wonderful nights in an exquisitely plush hotel had been great. We felt we had seen most of Venice including the newly built as well as the less attractive areas and, as it turned out, were glad to move on.
VENICE TO BORMIO
The trip from Venice to Bormio was going to be tricky due to possible closures of alpine passes so we decided to leave Venice this afternoon and travel to Iseo as a half-way stop.
The A4 took us west through some ugly parts of Italy. Obviously the area has lots of industry and the smog not only smelled strongly of sulphur but was bad enough to make your eyes sting. How do the people live here. The sky was tinged reddy-brown from the smog. The houses were grey in colour. No green anywhere! Traffic was heavy adding only to the gloom we felt driving through this area. It was heavy and impending and gloomy…such a contrast from Venice and Tuscany. We both felt we did not like this part of Italy at all and wondered how people managed to live and actually breathe here.
We finally turned off the autostrade and followed the signs to Iseo wondering whether we even wanted to stay overnight in this area. Imagine our surprise when after passing through some long tunnels, we broke out into hills overlooking Lago d’Iseo. A beautiful lake with villages scattered around the edges and CLEAN air above. After a few wrong turns including one that took us through the pedestrian-only mall, we found a small hotel facing the lake. This wrong turn made a few locals laugh as we found ourselves driving in the pedestrian only section…..and after a few gestures from a fe locals, we finally found the ‘ road again’. Nothing like something new to challenge you!!
Off course I have to blame Marc he was driving !!!!
Again, like Poppi, an Italian-only dialogue with the manager and we find ourselves in a basic but quite comfortable room with a view over the lake for the night. Iseo is another small Italian town with a medieval centre. Quite cute. It would probably be very busy in summer but we only came across one other English-speaking family during our evening passiaggata.
We shouted ourselves to a lovely fish dinner (seemed only natural given that we were on the banks of a large lake). The first time that we have actually had fish, up to now it has been pasta and vegetable soup…..zuppere. We are still finding that we can only have one course for dinner unlike the Italians who seem to be able to have appetisers, first and second courses +/- sweets plus wine!
How do they manage to stay that thin???
Iseo was a beautiful lake but that was about all. A lovely place to cool down in summer and there would be lots of people by the amounts of tables and chairs outside cafés and bars…but we were happy to move on ready for the next destination to Bormio.
December 17
We walk around Iseo enjoying the fact that Lyndell’s alimentary system’s problems have now abated. ( I am being careful in what I eat re fat content and so far it seems to be working) We enjoyed the clean fresh air and the lack of the claustrophobic feel of Venice (how much worse must it feel when the narrow spaces between the buildings are crowded with people!).
We came across an open air market and Marc bought himself a cheap skivvy and some warm socks. Lyndell found a lovely jumper but felt it accentuated to wrong ‘bumps’ even though Marc thought it looked lovely on her. Vanity won out and she did not buy it. Beautiful colour but the shape for me was definitely not right!!!
A slow but essentially non stressful drive to Bormio – that is except for the narrow roads too narrow for two trucks to pass, even two cars at times find it difficult – got the picture? You have to be courteous in your driving..or be pushy or a combination of two….Now imagine travelling along and finding a car trying to pass you despite there not being any straight section and you cannot see around the next bend. I had to hit the brakes a couple of times to give the passing car somewhere to go to avoid there being a three car pile-up. Lyndell did very well as a passenger and only held her breath on a couple of occasions.( not only a few times…mad Italian drivers!!!!!!!!)
A little more driving through polluted areas then rose up onto the Aprica Pass and we returned to clean air and basically stayed in clean air until Bormio.
The other remarkable part of today’s journey was the number and length of the tunnels. The longest was over 9kms. Lyndell’s claustrophobic returned a little during the longer ones, especially those without escape doorways built into them.
I have to add here that the Italian roads so far where we have been are filled with tunnels. Some short, some long, some I feel quite claustrophobic in like the one Marc previously mentioned. It is amazing but obviously they cut off the round the mountain roads which I would hate to travel along believe me. I would be holding my breath the entire trip and not breathing……When I look at some of the roads that are now closed beside the tunnel entrances I am rather grateful for these tunnels,,,claustrophobia and all.
Out hotel is lovely with a southerly aspect to the room with lots of sun. It is the San Lorenza hotel…beautifully positioned…even I can find it on my own…and a beautiful lounge area as well as a little balcony where I am sitting and writing this entry, mind you I am wrapped up in a jacket and gloves and scarf but the fresh air is wonderful. Europe hotels and B and B and shops are always centrally heated and sometimes it is overpowering as you move from the cold to the warmth and then back out into the cold. The on off of coats can sometimes be challenging!!!
We spent the afternoon meandering around the small town area…and Marc found the place to hire his ski gear. The people here at the ski hire were lovely and called Marc señor Marc …..and when they found we were from Australia , we were introduced to her parents as well. Nothing like a little bit of notoriety when you are so far from home. I think that is what makes it interesting because they knows Australia is so far away. We have found though that we have sen and heard many British tourists and Australian tourists in this village .
Something else interesting in Bormio is that this was the first time that siesta was actually in place for the entire village. Between 1230 and 330 the shops , including the tourist office shut. When we walked the lights were off , the places vacant and empty and the streets dead. After this time, it was like a new world……people everywhere.
We enjoyed the two different worlds of sightseeing.
La cuchina (dinner) was at a small trattoria where again we had soup and pasta and then wandered home back to the hotel for sleep.
Another interesting leg of our journey.
More instalments tomorrow of Marc’s skiing and our time in this village.