We Are Going To Venice

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 2/22/08 at 7:41pm

Mrs R just finalized plans for us to spend our 10 th Anniversary in Venice.

We stay at the Danieli. Even though the room rate is obscene, it is much less than the normal rate. We go right before labor day. While we are there,there is also the Venice Film Festival so we may see a ton of stars.

We plan to go back to the Giorgione Hotel for a drink where we stayed 10 years ago. We are taking the direct flight from JFK to Marco Polo Airport. We will than proceed by private motor launch to our hotel.You know it is a long flight when they serve you food.

Anyone have any suggestions while we are there? We already have done Murano, Burano & Torcello. We have also had dinner at Harry's Bar & Ice Cream at Florian's. We took the obligatory Gondola ride last time . We also toured the Doge's Palace, The Accademia and did a lot of random walking at various vaporetto stops. We also had a great meal at the Cafe Orientale which is right near the Rialto Bridge. Unfortunately, nothing will be happening at La Fenice but we will try and take a guided tour .

[jaystarr]

Posted: 2/22/08 at 7:48pm

CONGRATULATiONS GUYS!!!

J*


Updated On: 2/22/08 at 07:48 PM

[AnnaK<3LMIP]

Posted: 2/22/08 at 7:55pm

YAY YAY YAY!
Congrats! Have fun! I love Venice. I really hope I can live there one day.
And the Film Festival? YAY! Have fun!

[mmousefan]

Posted: 2/22/08 at 7:57pm

We open in Venice,
we next play Verona,
then on to Torcello
(lots of laughs in Torcello)
Our next jump is Parma
That heartless, tartless menace
Then Murano, then Burano
Then we open again, where?
La Fenice.

HAVE A GREAT TIME....

[best12bars]

Posted: 2/22/08 at 8:33pm

Sounds like you've hit all the highlights already.

We had lunch at the Danieli the second time we were in Venice. The food was great! Nice relaxed atmosphere by an interior garden, too.

My favorite thing to do there is just wander around and "get lost" on the side streets. You can't get TOO lost, which is a good thing, and exploring the shops and smaller areas is always a lot of fun.

Enjoy, Mr. Roxy! And congratulations.

[erikaamato]

Posted: 2/22/08 at 8:42pm

I am so JEALOUS!!! My husband's been there before, but I never have... (I've been to Italy, just not Venice.)

Anyway, CONGRATULATIONS, and BUON VIAGGIO!

[Elphaba]

Posted: 2/22/08 at 8:43pm

that's the beauty of Venice....you never really get lost, rather you see things you'd never expect.

Go to the top of the Campanile, the best view, and definately, DEFINATELY see St. Marks....and pay extra to see the gold panel, simply amazing.

Heck it's been 10 years, do Murano and Burano again.....

by private motor launch I assume you mean water taxi, ala Katherine Hepburn in Summertime....the ONLY was to enter Venice from Marco Polo

the inside of the Main Post Office is a trip.

Film Festival is VERY busy.....

[Pippin]

Posted: 2/22/08 at 8:48pm

"Everyday life's a work of art that must be seen first hand."

have a blast.

[best12bars]

Posted: 2/22/08 at 8:55pm

The view from the balcony of St. Marks is fantastic too, if you haven't done that. It's a terrific view of the whole square, right across from the campanile.

Plus the controversial REAL four horses from ancient Egypt are just inside up there... They look exactly like the copies that adorn the outside, but that's where they keep the valuable ones now.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 2/22/08 at 8:57pm

The last time we were there we found,by accident, the exact shop & place that Katherine Hepburn visited in Summertime. It was still there but was closed for lunch.

Our only regret is we will miss Jerry Lewis & the telethon. Hey lady - walk on walk on.

Updated On: 2/22/08 at 08:57 PM

[Elphaba]

Posted: 2/22/08 at 8:58pm

exactly.

this just on Yahoo

Water levels in Venice fall to 14-year low after rare low tide


and I think the gold panel in St. Marks is called something like Pala de Oro.....

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 2/22/08 at 9:03pm

We saw the gold panel.

The most annoying thing is no pictures or vidoe is allowed which is a bummer.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/22/08 at 9:04pm

Our favorite restaurant in Venice--among so many wonderful restaurants in Venice--is Al Covo, near the Arsenale. It is owned by a Venetian man and his Texan wife, who learned how to cook all her husband's nonna's recipes. The clientele is a combination of chic Venetians and American tourists. I have sent many people there, and some enjoyed it so much on their first night there that they went back a second time.



Al Covo
Campiello della Pescaria, Castello 3968
041-5223812

Here is the review from the Frommer's guide:
Al Covo Frommer's Exceptional

[Elphaba]

Posted: 2/22/08 at 9:05pm

well, in 2002 they allowed pix and video....I filmed the panel and the inside of St. Marks......shouldn't be a problem this time

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 2/22/08 at 9:06pm

Pal Joey: I LOVE Al Covo. We stopped by it by chance, and my mom started talking to the owner's wife when she came to see how we liked the meal.

It turns out they both grew up in the exact same little Texas town, and they knew many of the same people. Small world.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 2/22/08 at 9:07pm

Wow, great news especially since we now have a digital camera

Thanks for the info. For Christmas, we will either visit friends in Florida or our eternal fallback plan - Las Vegas @ Christmas.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/22/08 at 9:44pm

I've been there when Diane greets a fellow Texan. Her perfect Venetian accent disappears and the Texas comes out. Then when she turns to speak to one of the waiters, it comes out in a HUGE Texan accent.

Roxy--be prepared for everything in Europe to be SUPER expensive, thanks to George Bush and the Republican theory of the weak dollar being good for foreign investment. Good for Big Business, bad for American tourists abroad.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 2/23/08 at 10:53am

yes, but......traveling there can still be affordable.
As I've said many times, one does not have to stay at 4 or 5 star hotels, and eat only at the finest restaurants when one travels.
We stay and eat where Europeans stay and eat, and that way we also get a much more intimate view of each culture.

Europe can still be done on a budget. The only thing I did different for our upcoming trip was pay for the hotel in Stockholm when I booked it, as they city is ridiculously expensive.

Updated On: 2/23/08 at 10:53 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/23/08 at 11:16am

Speaking of staying and eating where the locals do, the Sandra Gustafson guides to Italy, Paris and London and among my favorites. Originally entitled Cheap Eats and Cheap Sleeps, she changed it several years ago to great. but the idea is still the same: she reviews the most affordable options and then gives you reviews of a few places where you can go for a splurge and not feel ripped off.




Sandra Gustafson's Great Eats Italy: Florence - Rome - Venice; Fifth Edition

Updated On: 2/23/08 at 11:16 AM

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 2/23/08 at 12:36pm

I have no advice on Venice, having never been there, but it sounds like a FINE trip and an excellent way to celebrate!

Congrats!

[Dollypop]

Posted: 2/23/08 at 1:58pm

Try Salute Cathedral (it's right across the Grande Canal from the Piazzale S. Maco.

Also, the Lido is nice for bathing or the casinos.

Updated On: 2/23/08 at 01:58 PM

[vmlinnie]

Posted: 2/23/08 at 2:13pm

"We open in Venice...!"

[Dollypop]

Posted: 2/23/08 at 7:48pm

I'm so very glad to know that Mr and Mrs Roxy are going to Venice this summer. They aren't planning on coming back, are they?

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 2/23/08 at 9:01pm

That's the Dolly I have come to know.

Have your meds kicked in yet my boy?

Updated On: 2/23/08 at 09:01 PM

[Dollypop]

Posted: 2/23/08 at 9:14pm

The sad thing, Roxy, is that I'll be in Europe just about that time. It would be truly unfortunate if our paths crossed. If that does happen, I'll ignore you thay same way I've done in the past.

Updated On: 2/23/08 at 09:14 PM