While riding in a gondola in Venice is one of the most common ways to see the city, it is also one of the most expensive.  A ride on the traghetto, a sort of foot ferry on a gondola, is usually crowded and quick, leaving little time to see the city from the water.  A ride on the vaporetto (water taxi) can be so crowded that you may not even be able to see the water from your standing spot. Although I think a trip to Venice should include all three of the above, on a hot summer day I’d suggest taking to the water on a motor boat. A motor boat will take you nearly everywhere that a gondola will.  The faster pace may be a little less romantic, but the trade off is a little breeze on your […]

Can there be a more iconic experience of Venice than a ride in a gondola?  For centuries this flat-bottomed boat was the primary means of transportation and moving goods within the city Venice, but today they are primarily used for sightseeing by visitors, weddings and funerals, and the occasional regatta.   So yes, riding on a gondola is a touristy thing to do – but that doesn’t mean you should dismiss it out of hand.  This quintessential experience can be relaxing, fun, and romantic.  It will let you see the city from the water, and for a few minutes, let you imagine what the city was like in an earlier era. The cheapest way to ride a gondola is also the quickest.  For about a dollar (depending on exchange rates) you can take a traghetto, a sort of foot ferry shuttling […]

May 1, 2011 celebrates the beatification of Pope John Paul II, the ceremony by which he will becomes a Saint.  The Holy Mass for the Beatification of the Servant of God John Paul II will be held in Saint Peter’s Square at 10 a.m., with Pope Benedict XVI officiating.  The casket has already been exhumed and is now lying before Saint Peter’s tomb.  It will be moved to the main alter during the ceremony, and following will be reinterred in the Chapel of St. Sebastian.  While only a select delegation will be allowed inside for the ceremony, hundreds of thousand of visitors of all religious backgrounds will gather in Saint Peter’s Square to watch and listen as Pope John Paul II becomes a saint.  As is typical for many events, large television will show the events inside to the outside […]

Today is travel planning day!  Summer travel looms, and for the first time in many summers we have no plans firmed up.  Air fare has been outrageously expensive, and although I have been tracking it since last fall, there has been no meaningful movement on it up and down.  I expected fares to be high for peak summer travel, but these price points are shocking even me!  But we can’t put it off any longer, and so today is travel planning for our Portugal and Italy holidays. First up, buying airline tickets.  They’re nearly as much as a mortgage payment, but it’s time to bite the bullet and lock things in.  They’re not going to get any cheaper. Our first stop on our summer travels is Lisbon, Portugal.  We’ll be there for a week,  for a week.  We’ll be looking […]

Do you remember the first time you fell in love?  Was it love at first sight, or was it the kind of love that grows over time?  Did you go through the ups and downs that all relationships seem to experience, or has it been nothing but smooth sailing?  Do you still see the goodness behind the facade, or has your love faded over the years?  When you see your love, whether it’s every single day or with extended absences, does it still make you smile, perhaps your heart skips a beat?  And when you finally must part, do you start planning and counting the days until you are reunited once again? That’s how I feel about Italy. I forged a relationship with Italy rather late in life.  I first knew her through family and friends who teased me with […]