Gondala Venice.... that joke would work if Gondala din't have an "L"
So I left Rome 2 days ago. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see the Sistine Chapel. :( Oh well… that just gives me a good excuse to go back sometime. I shared a train to Venice with a couple of guys that stayed at the hostel in Rome with me. Come to find out, they were also at the Firenze Inn the night I made hamburgers for everybody. They told me it was the only thing on their trip so far that reminded them of home. Well that and the presence of a Mc Donalds on every corner. Those 2 really bloated my Texas Ego. Dang O I tell you what.
Last night I stayed at a campground just outside of the city of Vinence. It was great because of the 65 degree weather. However the brochure failed to mention the fact that we were strategically positioned at the foot of the Venice Airport. Luckily the airport shut down at 11 pm. Yesterday morning was a different story…. Follow me here. Imagine you’ve been sleeping in a tent for about 7 hours…. Everything is nice and quiet…. When all of a sudden it sounds like a 747 is blowing full afterburners directly at you from only 100 feet away. Oh wait…. That’s exactly what happened!!!! Needless to say, I was on the 1st bus into town from the campground.
So I arrived into Venice… It was a beautiful morning. I could hear birds chirping (no aunt Cindy I don’t know what kind it was), people are running amidst the streets (it that’s what you call a 4 foot wide alleyway with the occasional bridge), and I’m on my way to the Peggy Guggenheim. I was told by some people who have already been to Vinece that it has one of the greatest collections of the twentieth century arts.
Side bar: Venice is a very difficult place to navigate as it is filled with dead ends and strategically placed bridges. So I decided to get a small map… Oh hay check it out…. My map has a marker on it that shows me exactly where the museum is…. NICE.
So I start making my way allllll the wayyyyyy across town. After two and a half hours of wondering aimlessly (my map wasn’t very accurate) I finally get to where I was directed. Now that I’m on the little island that I’m supposed to be I search for another 15 minuets looking for the museum. I finally submit to my stupidity and find an old couple that was speaking English. I ask them if they know where the Peggy Guggenheim museum and they proceed to inform me that my map is completely off. I’ve been wondering for the last two hours and forty-five minuets in the wrong damn direction. Son of a Guggenheim!!!! Well this time I’m taking the public trasprtation. Luckily the English couple has been there twice and knew exactly which metro boat I needed to take. Twenty minuets later I get off the boat and take a quick walk to the museum. YAY I can see it. As I approach the front door I see a sign on the front door…. It reads as follows;
Due to the National Independence day, the Guggenheim museum will be closed from Thursday to Sunday. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Inconvenience, INCONVENIENCE… Son of a Guggenheim. Now there are two people I want to sink to the bottom of the Canal, The man that wrote that damn map, and the man that decided celebrating Italy’s independence should be a four day event. Now I admit… the crack about the independence was uncalled for, but I still want to tie a rock to the man that made the map and toss him off into the Grand Canal.
On a good note…. I got a few amazing pictures of Vinece. And now I have a good excuse to come back.
Yesterday evening I came back to the Firenze Inn and cooked 2 meat and 3 veggie lasagnes for the customers of the hostel and then made a lemon pepper and butter garlic shrimp over a bed of spaghetti noodle with a little oil and fresh basil. I totally made it up on the spot when we were standing in the grocery store but whatever…. It worked.
So now I’m about to go pick up Tiff and the two of us are going to Livorno for the weekend. I drop her off on Monday and then I’m headed to Paris. Time to start learning a little French.
Till then…..
Last night I stayed at a campground just outside of the city of Vinence. It was great because of the 65 degree weather. However the brochure failed to mention the fact that we were strategically positioned at the foot of the Venice Airport. Luckily the airport shut down at 11 pm. Yesterday morning was a different story…. Follow me here. Imagine you’ve been sleeping in a tent for about 7 hours…. Everything is nice and quiet…. When all of a sudden it sounds like a 747 is blowing full afterburners directly at you from only 100 feet away. Oh wait…. That’s exactly what happened!!!! Needless to say, I was on the 1st bus into town from the campground.
So I arrived into Venice… It was a beautiful morning. I could hear birds chirping (no aunt Cindy I don’t know what kind it was), people are running amidst the streets (it that’s what you call a 4 foot wide alleyway with the occasional bridge), and I’m on my way to the Peggy Guggenheim. I was told by some people who have already been to Vinece that it has one of the greatest collections of the twentieth century arts.
Side bar: Venice is a very difficult place to navigate as it is filled with dead ends and strategically placed bridges. So I decided to get a small map… Oh hay check it out…. My map has a marker on it that shows me exactly where the museum is…. NICE.
So I start making my way allllll the wayyyyyy across town. After two and a half hours of wondering aimlessly (my map wasn’t very accurate) I finally get to where I was directed. Now that I’m on the little island that I’m supposed to be I search for another 15 minuets looking for the museum. I finally submit to my stupidity and find an old couple that was speaking English. I ask them if they know where the Peggy Guggenheim museum and they proceed to inform me that my map is completely off. I’ve been wondering for the last two hours and forty-five minuets in the wrong damn direction. Son of a Guggenheim!!!! Well this time I’m taking the public trasprtation. Luckily the English couple has been there twice and knew exactly which metro boat I needed to take. Twenty minuets later I get off the boat and take a quick walk to the museum. YAY I can see it. As I approach the front door I see a sign on the front door…. It reads as follows;
Due to the National Independence day, the Guggenheim museum will be closed from Thursday to Sunday. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Inconvenience, INCONVENIENCE… Son of a Guggenheim. Now there are two people I want to sink to the bottom of the Canal, The man that wrote that damn map, and the man that decided celebrating Italy’s independence should be a four day event. Now I admit… the crack about the independence was uncalled for, but I still want to tie a rock to the man that made the map and toss him off into the Grand Canal.
On a good note…. I got a few amazing pictures of Vinece. And now I have a good excuse to come back.
Yesterday evening I came back to the Firenze Inn and cooked 2 meat and 3 veggie lasagnes for the customers of the hostel and then made a lemon pepper and butter garlic shrimp over a bed of spaghetti noodle with a little oil and fresh basil. I totally made it up on the spot when we were standing in the grocery store but whatever…. It worked.
So now I’m about to go pick up Tiff and the two of us are going to Livorno for the weekend. I drop her off on Monday and then I’m headed to Paris. Time to start learning a little French.
Till then…..