Venice Panorama Sailaway

1st Full Day at Sea

Our first full day at sea began with a knock on the door from one of the stewards delivering coffee and juice at 7:30. We enjoyed the ocean view and I did some photo editing. We are on the 11th deck toward the back (stern) on the starboard (right) side. The breakfast buffet is all the way forward on the 15th deck. We journeyed to breakfast and later MA elected to go to the “Sanctuary”, an area on the boat reserved for adults and a designated quiet place for sunning, swimming, reading, and, yes, even cookies and milk in the afternoon.

I went back to the room to solve a Greek puzzle. Every time I brought up the blog to post, all the links were in Greek. When someone says, “That’s Greek to me,” I now understand what they mean. I managed to solve the problem and got the blog posted that you read yesterday.

Spent most of the rest of the day editing pictures from Venice. Some of the best were taken on the sail-away which you see on the blog.

Wandered around the ship, checking out things, then we tried our hand at the Trivia game and got 11 of 20 right. Oh well! Who knew what musical instrument used to be known as a “kit” (Violin) or what type of fruit is known as a tsatsami (orange).

We met some really nice people from Canada at the coffee bar. Supper was at 8:30 and met our other two table mates, Bob and Peggy from Manchester, England. Bob is a taxi driver and an avid Manchester United football (soccer) fan. These two days are our “laid-back” at-sea days. On Friday it’s put on the walking shoes and get ready to spend a full day ashore in Greece. Wonder if Zorba’s still around! Later !!

St. Marks Square from the top deck of the Ruby Princess

Venice skyline

Venice.......last day

Last Day in Venice….all aboard the Ruby Princess


Our last day in Venice started at 5:00am, well for me anyway, getting up, finishing the blog and setting out to roam the streets of Venice one last time. I left the hotel at 6:00 am and made my way to the vaporetto boat stop and caught the 6:45 to the Rialto Bridge. Walked on over to St. Mark’s Square and I found it mostly deserted except for street sweepers and workers erecting barricades for the entrance to the Doge Palace and St. Mark’s Cathedral.

As I took a few photos I noticed other photographers in the Square also. Two Japanese guys with cameras kept following me around and using the same perspective that I had just used. I finally smiled and introduced myself. They spoke very little English but they did say they liked the compositions I was using. I showed them a couple more great photos to take and they were very thankful. From what I gathered they were just new to photography, yet carrying around a big Canon and big Nikon. I showed the Nikon guy how to put the Mode dial on Manual and using and f/16 lens stop he could vary the shutter speed. I decided to head back to the Rialto Bridge and catch the boat back to the hotel and have breakfast with MA. On the walk back I ran across a great photo op of St. Mark’s bell tower. It is at the top.

Breakfast at the hotel was great plus I made a ham and cheese sandwich there for a snack later. We got all packed and out of the room by 11:30 and arranged for transportation to the Ruby Princess. At 1:15 our luggage porter met us in the lobby, loaded our stuff on his cart and we were off to the other side of the train station where our transport van was waiting. A short 20 minute ride to the ship and we were deposited at the embarkation point. Our luggage was tagged and sent onto the ship. We got checked in aboard, got our ship ID cards, passed security, and we were ready to go, one of our favorite parts of these trips! We are on the 11th deck on the starboard side near the stern (that’s back of the boat for you land lovers).

We had lunch in the open dining room (notice the consistency there!) and went back to unpack the bags but unfortunately they had not yet been delivered to our cabin. Four hours later we still did not have bags and mysteriously the ship began to rock and roll, not from weather and waves, it was from MA, tracking down the bags. By the time she was finished the ship’s purser himself was down in the luggage area personally looking for three black bags with bright green straps! Good thing too! I hate tears.

We’re off now to our sit-down dinner and to scope out our table mates. Later! WW

MA and I are back from our first dinner with our new friends, Tracie and Jerrod, newlyweds from Long Island, NY who just got married in Venice! Tracie is a professional photographer (weddings & travel) and Jerrod is a police officer from Suffolk County. The other couple is Charlotte and Mike from Nashville, TN. After dinner MA and I walked to the Princess Theater and attended a performance by the Venice Chamber Orchestra. Some of the music was accompanied by an Italian tenor who had one heck of a voice. Well, tomorrow we sail at 8:00 for Athens. See ya. WW

Venice public transportation

Burano, Murano and Venice at Night: A Day on the Water in a Vaporettis

Burano, a very colorful town

I woke up early and headed out with my camera and tripod leaving MA to dream about Italian coffee and gondolas. Got some great photos, then back to the Abazzia for another all you can eat breakfast European style.  The only thing I miss are the eggs over easy with bacon.  

Today's journey is courtesy of Jay Mangum.  He and his wife Jan visited here last month and he told me not to miss the Island of Burano.  So we gathered our gear and headed to the water bus, called the vaporetto.  It is a long slender boat with a stated capacity of 220 but they usually pack in about 300 in peak hours.


Learning the vaporetto system (I call it the Venice subway on water) will get you anyplace you want to go by boat.  Everything, and I mean everything and everybody moves around Venice on the water.  That includes the garbage boat, ambulance, even the cops are in boats.  We bought two 24 hr passes and hopped on the first vaporetto headed for Burano.  We met a couple from Australia who taught us how to navigate the system and how to get to the cruise terminal tomorrow when we leave. Anyhow we arrived on Baruno and it is one colorful place.  See photo above.

On the boat I noticed a Japanese man carrying a Nikon D3, similar to mine.  He spoke English and we quickly got to comparing notes about D3s.  His name is Sako Kazuo and he lives and works in Germany not far from Luxembourg.   

I carry a Canon G9 digital camera as a backup but today I set it up for MA to take her own photos.  She has a good eye and now she doesn't have to get me to take photos of things she spots, she does her own.  They are very good so I will put them in her own Smugmug gallery.


Our self-guided tour started toward the east and south to put the sun behind us for photo purposes.  This little town is just stunningly beautiful.  Every house is painted a different pastel color.  We had already noticed a tall bell tower that was definitely leaning like the Tower of Pisa.  Needless to say, it's part of the Burano photo gallery.

MA ducked into a shop to get the some family souvenirs. The Italian lady didn't speak English but they quickly got accquainted in French. (Yes, we're still in Italy!) 

I spotted two Italian police officers, introduced myself and showed them my retiree badge. I told them they were much appreciated.  They smiled and introduced themselves as Roberto and Frank.  There were both corporals and I said I was a sergeant and I outranked them.  We all had a good laugh. Cops everywhere in the world have a bond that unites us all.


After two hours of exploring Burano and photographing practically every house, window and laundry line there, we hopped on the next boat to the Island of Murano, famous for its glass making. You'll see signs in the shop windows that say "not made in China!" 

We were ready for lunch so we stopped at the Ristorante dela Mora on the canal and ordered salads and pasta.  It was very good.  At the next table we met two ladies from Quebec, Canada who as it turns out were both accountants and both traveling on the Ruby Princess.  Right away MA resumes her French lessons.  She tells everybody her teachers Pasqale and Valerie gave her homework assignments to speak French whenever the opportunity arises. This usually brings a nice smile of understanding when she accidentally slips into Spanish.


From Murano we boated over to St. Mark's Square. We were hoping to get into the Doge's Palace and the cathedral but there were thousands of people in the square and hundreds waiting in lines so we decided to do some more walking instead and headed to the Rialto Bridge.  Along the way we had a $10 coffee and ice cream (Did I mention it's expensive here?), hopped aboard vaporetto #1, took a water cruise and eventually ended up back at the Abazzia.


We weren't there long before we decided to have supper and split a pizza. (One pizza, two beverages, $48!  But I digress!) MA was up for taking night photos in particular because of a beautiful quarter moon hanging in the sky.  We hopped aboard another boat back to the Rialto Bridge, I shot more pics and MA got busy taking pictures for other couples there on the bridge.  It's a courtesy thing many travelers do, just don't hand your camera to a pick pocket type, only to another obvious tourist.

 On the way back, I started talking to a young couple in the seats in front of us and we learned they were from Brazil.  MA now had someone to practice her Portuguese with.    WW (2 Pics below)

Gondolas on the Grand Canal

   Rialto Bridge at Night 

Nice to Venice on a Baboo, Sunday

Panorama of the Grand Canal at Dusk

Grand Canal at Dusk

Sunday was a travel day for us.  We got up early, finished packing and had breakfast in our room in the Hotel Diana.  Randy and Nola arrived at 11:00 for a short drive to the Nice Airport.  We said our goodbyes and rolled our luggage into the airport looking for Baboo Airlines.  That's right, Baboo.  It's a Swiss Air affilliate so I was not worried.  After getting our boarding passes and checking in our luggage, we found the security checkpoint and got in line.  In Europe you don't have to take off your shoes.  After not too much delay we made it through, got our stuff and went looking for the Baboo gate.  This is another airport were you board the aircraft on the tarmac. 

Baboo was 20 minutes late getting the bus around to our gate.  The bus took us out to the aircraft.  This is a twin engine turbo-prop, Dash D-800 with tiny overhead storage compartment.  I planned for this by hand carrying my Nikon D3s around my neck and shoulder and two lenses stuffed in my vest pockets.  I really didn't care when they said my carry-on was too big for the overhead and it went with the checked luggage.  It only had a flash and some filters and my battery chargers.  We got strapped in and the flight took off for Venice.  We flew over the French Riveria (Cote d'Azur).  MA and both had coffee and a snack. 

We arrived Venice right on time.  The airport in Venice is 20 miles from the city and it's a 30 minute bus ride to what is called the Roma Piazzale, where all vehicular traffic ends.  From there you walk or go by boat to get into the city.  The Hotel Abbrazia was a short walk from the bus terminal, however, we had to navigate over a bridge with steps with two large bags and two carry-on bags.  There were several guys who offered to help, but I didn't trust anyone, so we said no.  We finally got the hang it of how to navigate the steps and both of us manage to get up the bridge and down with the four pieces of luggage.  I found it easier to carry the two large ones and MA rolled the two smaller. 

The Hotel Abbazia is very near the Scalzi Bridge, about 2 blocks.  After checking in, we decided to walk to St. Mark's Square.  We just started walking and following the signs to San Marco and finally made it  I felt like a rat in a maze. At one of the squares near the Realto Bridge a group of people were line dancing.  It wasn't the Cotton Eye Joe, so I passed on joining them. MA found a self-service restaurant where we had some dinner and rest.  MA found a delicious baked white fish and I had spagetti.  Both of us were exhausted at this point so we started running the maze back to the hotel in a north-westerly direction.  Some how we arrived at the Scalzi Bridge and our hotel.  Tomorrow is another day.

Saturday; Lunch with Friends in Coursegoules

Coursegoules Village

Saturday turned out to be a day in Coursegoules, the small mountain village where Nola and Randy live.  It's about 15 km from Vence and a 1000 feet higher at 3000 feet above sea level.   MA and I got up earlier, walked to the Boulangerie for a pastry to take to Henry's where we have "cafe creme" every morning. We sat there people watching, a fascinating passtime for us here.


MA walked back to the hotel and I took some photos around the square of people selling their produce.  One lady in particular whom I've seen every morning has the most wonderful tomatoes I have ever seen or tasted.  I usually buy one, slice it up right there and have it for a breakfast dessert.

Michel and Chantal arrived at 11:00 and we all drove up to Nola and Randy's "maison".  We had coffee on their beautiful terrace and then off for lunch at the Le Bistro in Coursegoules.

Lunch was a choice between steak, breaded turkey steak or pork loin.  It came with carrots, peas, ravolli and stuffed vegetables with a salad or sausage plate as a starter.  After lunch we strolled around this beautiful old village and of course I took many photos. 


We said "au-voir" to Michel and Chantal and the four of us took off for a visit to a close friend of Nola and Randy's.  Her name is Karen and she has a beautiful apartment with a great view of the Mediterranean.  In the course of the conversastion it came around that we would be welcome to do a vacation rental with Karen perhaps next summer.  Guess MA will stick with her French lessons for another year!!  Was there ever a doubt? !! Later last evening MA's other sister Maureen surprised her with a call from California.  These sisters! They sure love to talk!


Time to pack up and head for Venice on Baboo airlines.  That should be fun.  They have super strict baggage rules on Baboo so we've been packing carefully and weighing and balancing everything to keep at 44 pounds per bag. Had to pack my backpack in MA's carryon to stay at the one bag carryon limit. Two days in Venice and we board Princess Cruises.  It's all good but we also miss our other life in TLC and Houston and getting to talk to our grandchildren and their parents!


Later! WW & MA