The Venetian Shuffle

We lugged our Samsonites along from the train station and less than 10 minutes later we got to roll them to a stand still in a rather fine looking lobby. After handing in our passports and checking in, the porter led us to our room.

Just for the record we made the reservation quite late and I was concerned that we wouldn't get our money's worth. Seems I had nothing to worry about. The room was rather large for a European hotel. But the view was well worth the extra pennies paid. Check out the photos.

Of course it was almost too good to be true. The bathroom was most annoying. There was a shower head, but no curtain or door, so showering turned into quite a . . . splash out. And then the worn out shower hose burst leaving me as a contestant in my very own wet T-shirt competition when I was warming the water. However, that was promtly replaced before we got back after supper.

Satellite TV turned out to be more German channels, BBC, CNN and MTV. But looking out the window at the canal and the boats going by made up for it. Keeping the windows closed kept out the boat traffic noises. But the hotel was also undergoing some construction so it was fortunate that we could spend the whole day exploring Venice.

There was no mini fridge - which was a shame in the heat wave we experienced. We bought drinks from a tiny liquor store around the corner. The street is peppered with tourist shops selling lots of glass figures. The room safe came in handy.

Breakfast was buffet style with scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, cereal, pastries, milk and juices. Good jugs of coffee and tea were served.

What a dining experience this was. Almost every place in Venice is within walking distance. Granted after a day of walking . . . walking is the last thing you want to do. We took our guide book's advice and headed for Trattoria Antica Bessetta.

It lies in a bit of a dead end and the sign isn't that big but it's the only one I recall seeing, so you can't miss it. The exterior is covered with vines with the quaint lamp outside.

We were welcomed into the restaurant and our waiter led us to the air conditioned area (Venice was still experiencing 30 degrees celcuis after dusk). The restaurant has quaint antique like furnishings and decor, with cutlery that resembled aging silverware my great grandmother may have had.

The menu was simple but mouthwatering. We started off with some Parma-like ham. Then came the Risotto ai frutti di mare served in a shell (heavenly). Grilled seafood was next - the waiter even deboned the fish at our table before serving it to us. We decided to skip dessert - we were pretty much stuffed by then. We also hoped to enjoy a gelati on the walk back to the hotel.

While we were in the San Marco we booked tickets for the "Secret Itinerary" tour at the Doge's Palace. For 12,50 each, we took a guided tour of parts of the palace not open to tourists who generally come to see the inside of the Doge's Palace. We had a wonderful, articulate guide who spoke very good English and took the time answer questions and interact with the group.

We started with a brief look at the first floor rooms, huge rooms with high ceilings and magnificent art work both on the ceilings and walls. Then we made our way up secret passages to the rather dull and painting free rooms that housed some interesting characters. These 'characters' included a panel of judges that spent their nights ruling over criminals who were housed in cells on the same floor. The prisoner's cells were TINY -- granted, humans are generally taller than they were 1100 years ago. One of the most famous inmates was a certain charmer named Casanova. Part of the excitement of the tour is the tale of Casanova's bold escape. I won't spoil it by retelling it -- it's something one must travel to Venice to see and experience.

We also marvelled at the torture methods used on prisoners to 'give it up'. One notable one was the practice of hanging people by their arms above their heads until they basically dislocated.

The tour also includes information about the governing system of the time -- certainly struck me as being ahead of its time and a pity that it didn't last. One law that fascinated me was that it was illegal and lawfully punishable to litter in the canals . . . one would assume that back then the water was filthier than it is now! Also amazing was how the palace, which is basically a wood pile waiting to ignite, has survived through the years.

After the tour we could use our passes to walk around the rest of the palace. It is quite a large structure so you may want to start your day with the tour and then the palace itself. Of course, you should also take a walk through the dungeons below and the . . . Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs). The only really 'excessive' show of wealth that I noted was the Scala d’Oro (staircase). There's more of a 'tasteful' use of art as opposed to a tacky show of wealth. Unfortunately, one is not allowed to take photos . . . if you try, the old lady will give you a talking to and you don't want a talking to from an old lady.

Finding the Ghetto Nuovo was a bit difficult at first. I guess the use of the word Ghetto threw us off as we probably had some subconscious assumptions as to what to expect. However, when we finally 'found' it, it looked like most 'alleys' in Venice. This view changed somewhat once we'd been on the tour.

Whilst waiting for the tour in the stifling heat, we noticed armed guards in the vicinity . . . it seems that the tentacles of the warring world have reached little old Venice too.

The 8 euro tour begins in what resembles an ordinary looking house in Venice - tall and slim. We made our way up to the top floor and were led into a synagogue. It was told that in 1516 the Council of Ten, whose reasons were not properly explained to us (even after some probing questions), decreed that all Jews be confined to an island, which had previously been occupied by foundries. The Venetian word for foundry is 'geto' (jeh-toe) and hence the name ghetto (pronounced with a hard g because of the German/Austrian Jews) which has later been used to describe Jewish 'enclaves' (for lack of a less provocative word) around the world.

The rules of the time governed that synagogues could not be easily visible which prompted the style of having 5 parallel windows to inform 'insiders' that there was a synagogue in the building. We were shown three different synagogues of different styles, based on whether it was frequented by French, German, or Venetian Jews. The floors of one of the synagogues were made of real Venetian marble. We were reassured that the almost bouncy and unstable feeling to the floor was a positive sign of the stability of what looked like a crumbling building. Two of the synagogues are now mainly only used for special occasions like weddings, etc.

Don't expect a course into the Jewish way of life. Rather a look at how persecution led to, e.g. some of the first high rises in Venice as the only way to expand living quarters was to build upwards.