5 June 2010: Venice, Change of Hotels

5 June, Saturday

I woke up tired. I've done a ton of walking this trip and going to bed too late reading a good book (Sarah’s Key). I got up at 7:30am and enjoyed breakfast on the terrace. It was a beautiful day and it was a pleasure sitting outside under the umbrellas in the shade watching the boats go by. Breakfast at the hotel was pretty decent with yogurt, ham (the waitress told me it was prosciutto but I knew better), cheese, fruit, breads and pastries, coffee, tea, juice.

It was time to move to my next hotel. After checking out, I walked with my luggage to the Academia Bridge and took the #1 vaporetto to Ca d'Oro stop. From there it was just a 5-minute walk to my hotel, Hotel Giorgione. It was a lovely hotel, my first in Venice with elevators and large lobby! In addition, there was a beautiful outdoor garden area with tables and chairs with a water fountain in the middle. Breakfast is served in a dining room off the garden. There’s also a bar and pool table room. The hotel serves afternoon tea and cookies. Check in was not till 2pm so I headed out to walk around the area.

Nearby was an outdoor fruit and vegetable market, a Coop grocery store, and a wine shop that I had gone to a few years ago. This particular wine shop had large vats of wine, several types, and you can bring in an empty bottle to have filled.

I had lunch (a pasta dish with pancetta and mushrooms) at Hosteria Al Vecio Bragosso. I sat outside in the shade eating lunch and watching the throngs of people walking by. I couldn't imagine being in Venice in late June or July. It was a very hot day, the hottest day yet.

After more walking around in the area (and more photo ops)
I went to the hotel and to my room, #215. I requested a single room and was told I would have a single bed; however, the room had a full size bed in the corner with a pretty corner headboard. The bathroom was much smaller than at La Calcina and no shelving for storage. If hotels didn’t install bidets, there would be more room. The best part of the bathroom was the large mirror and decent lighting. The room faced an inner court area, so it was quiet at night. The bedroom area was a nice size with a small closet, flat screen tv., and a mini bar.

Since it was such a hot day (and also having to carry my luggage in the a.m.) I had to take another shower before going back outside.

I walked along Strada Nova, which is a long stretch of street that runs from the train station towards the Rialto Bridge. There are lots of shops with souvenirs, leather shops, and cafes and restaurants. There's even a McDonald's. Why would anyone eat there?

After some window-shopping, I walked back to the wine shop and had my water bottle filled with Pinot Grigio for just 2.20 euros, all for a liter. What a deal!

I was back at ai Tre Spiede for dinner. They have good food and the prices are reasonable. I was served a glass of spritz, which is made of wine and martini rossi. I had the carpaccio, ever so thinly sliced, that had thick slices of Parmesan cheese and truffle oil on top. It was a deliciously large portion. Next I had spaghetti with mixed seafood-clams, calamari, shrimps, etc. With 1/4 liter of red wine, dinner came to 28.56 euros.

On the way back to my hotel

Back at the hotel I met a woman, Leslie, sitting out in the garden having a drink. We chatted for about an hour have a couple of drinks. I brought my wine down from the room. It was a beautiful night and we had a nice time talking.