2008 Mediterranean Spring Break

water shuttle boat

We were late because of the late people, and the glass factory on Murano usually closes at 5, but they stayed open for us.

Glass factory from the ship's shuttle

On the way over we saw some kids practicing rowing - they did it standing up and sculling.

Leaving Burano

Practicing for the regatta

Also saw

a wading bird

Murano tower

We got to Murano and they took us into the factory where there was one man (a master) who made a vase while we watched.

glass furnace

Working at furnace

Taking the glass out of the oven

blob of hot glass

hot dripping glass

Rolling glass out

getting ready to blow the glass

rolling in color chips

shaping the glass

Shaping the glass

Rolling the glass on the metal table

Glass after being pressed into a form

top opened up

It was black glass (although we couldn't really see that until the end because it was hot and therefore red) with little pieces of colored glass in it.

Holding up the finished cooling vase

Taking pictures was difficult because it was dark and the glass was moving. My grandson's photos are better than mine because I was sitting down and had to shoot between people.

I don't like this glass as much (I think it is sort of gaudy) as the crystal that they make at Waterford in Ireland.

Leaving the glass house

After the demonstration, they took us to an area where the very very expensive glass was on display. These were the signed pieces by the Masters. We were not allowed to take any pictures here. We could take photos of the regular (less expensive) area of the shop

glass chandilier

Glass works

Horses on the shelf

Vases and pitchers like the one we saw made

Glass Carriage and horses

My grandson used all his money on a glass fish for his parents. We had to get money exchanged to pay for it. I think the exchange rate when I was in Ireland last year with his cousin was about $1.35 = 1 €. The exchange rate we got in Madrid when we arrived was $1.70 = 1 €, and the ship rate was $1.60 or $1.65 = 1 €, although they charged $10.00 per transaction on top of the price, so I didn't get any changed there.

The least expensive fish signed by the master was €595 (including shipping and insurance), but a rearing horse that I got for my daughter by an apprentice was much less - probably only about $65.00

Isola di Murano (Entrance Range Rear) Light

I am always on the lookout for lighthouses, although I don't always recognize them right away. But there was no doubt that this was one. It was built in 1912. The lighthouse is painted white; near the top there are two black horizontal bars facing the range line.

Isola di Murano light from Burano (back of it)

Isola di Murano (Entrance Range Rear) Light

The lighthouse has a distinct lean in the seaward direction which I may have edited out with my software because I hate to have a water horizon that isn't level.

another one of the Murano light from the back

It is an Active light which is 121 ft above sea level. The white light has a pattern, 4 seconds on, 2 seconds off. It can be described as a round cylindrical stone tower with lantern and double gallery. Located 3.2 km (2 mi) west northwest of the front light, on the southeast side of the Isola di Murano, near the foot of the Calle Giuseppe Briatio

Sailboat in the Lagoon

Mountains

lagoon and mountains

After we got back from the tour, it was about 6:30, so we went right up to the dining room, expecting it to be full, but it was not. I guess people were doing St. Marks at night and the wine tasting tours and the gondolas at night tours. They seated us right away and we got to share. I had the Cooking Light curried butternut squash soup,

spinach and onion turnover appetizer

Chilled Strawberry soup

and no entree, and my grandson as usual had the

sirloin steak and fries

and ice cream for dessert. He had plain vanilla as usual, and I had it with raspberry sauce.

My grandson had demagnetized his key card by putting it in his camera case which has a magnetic catch, and we had to go to the desk and get another one. They clip the corner of the kids cards so that they can't get alcoholic drinks and this card had a smaller clip than the other one.

He apparently did not understand the schedule, and thought we were going home from the ship on Saturday. So he packed everything up in his suitcase and then didn't have anything to wear.

The room steward made the walrus this time.

Towel walrus

I told him that we were leaving and I think he was sad - I had expected to have to pay the $10 charge even if I was not there, but that wasn't the case. So I left him an extra amount to make up for it. We were getting off the ship early because my grandson did not have enough vacation to finish the cruise.

April 5, 2008

On April 5th, the day we were to leave the ship, we went up to have breakfast about 9:30. My grandson had decided to sleep in his clothes. I was still trying to get organized and pack, not realizing that he didn't know that we were going to a hotel first. I had an Eggs Benedict Florentine (with spinach instead of the traditional one with ham)

Eggs Florentine

I also put a couple of the rolls in my pocket.

After we got back to our room, they called us and said our passports were ready and we should be off the ship by noon.
So we went up to get them, and gathered our bags together and walked off the ship about 10:30 to 10:45. I had by now figured out that the hotel was quite close to the ship's location in the port on the Grand Canal instead of at the St. Marks' end and there was almost no chance of any public transportation, so we would have to walk.

Bridges to Venice

My grandson pulled his large bag and wore his backpack and attached my carry on to his bag,

grandson ahead of me

and I just pulled my own wheeled bag. I had several maps of Venice and we worked out where we would have to walk. We had to go up over a bridge across the canal and railroad tracks,

Train track going under the road bridge

and I didn't want to cross the wrong bridge. Because I periodically stopped to take pictures (and rest) this 20 minute walk took us about 45 minutes.

The hotel was quite interesting.

Hotel Santa Chiara

Hotel lobby

We were on the fourth floor (in the attic), and the tiny elevator which said it held 4, but they would have to be very good friends, only went to the third floor

Third floor lounge where we got off the elevator

and we had to walk up the next flight.

Beds and wardrobe

TV

bathroom

ceiling with smoke detector

Bus station area and parking garage from our hotel

The windows looked out on the water bus and land bus circle area, and not on the canal. The desk man brought up our bags.

It was lunchtime by this point, and I decided to feed pizza to my grandson, since we had not had a chance to eat pizza in Naples where I thought it had originated. So we went down to the desk and turned in the key (and I asked them to remake the beds as twins, which they were supposed to have done, and they corrected this) and ordered a taxi for 5:20 the next morning so that we could be at the airport by 5:45 for our flight to Madrid.

Hotel Santa Chiara from lunch - our room has the shutters open

We walked around/across the circle to the restaurant there

and ordered pizza.

Pizza and water bottle

mineral water

My grandson said he was hungry, so I ordered a pizza each, and a bottle of water to share. He ate his and one quarter of mine.

There was the usual charge for bread/cover and the bread was those really tiny thin long bread sticks.

grandson looking at police

The bill for that was 26.30 €. This came out on my visa bill as $41.37 which is a bit high for lunch.

top of the bill

Bottom of the bill

Then my grandson went back to the hotel to get his camera, and I went to the bus terminal to buy us a 12 hour pass. Twice people tried to give me a free ticket. I did not accept as I thought it must be some kind of scam, although I forgot to ask. They are building another footbridge at this end of the canal. The construction meant that we couldn't walk along the canal to the bus stop.

Watch Your Step

This is the Constitution Bridge, designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, which opened on September 11, 2009. The bridge links Venice's railway station with the car, bus and ferry terminal on the opposite side of the Grand Canal. The Constitution bridge is the fourth over the Grand Canal and the city's first new bridge in 70 years.

This bridge is very dangerous to tourist who keep spraining their ankles because of the bridge's irregularly spaced steps, and the disorienting optical effect of the sectioned stone and glass flooring. People are gawking at the sights instead of watching where they are putting their feet.

Passing under the bridge

looking under the bridge to our hotel

We took the #1 water bus/vaporetto which went all the way from the terminal to the Lido. Sometimes when one visits a city, just riding one of the bus routes is a good way to see the sights. Such as riding one of the big red routemaster buses in London. But since the streets in Venice are either small walking paths or canals, the standard bus option isn't available. Instead Venice has Vaporettos which are fat canal boats that trundle up and down the wider canals. We rode Vaporetto Route 1 from Piazzale Rome to the Lido and back and gawked at the scenery and took photos. Get on at the Piazzale Rome end to get a seat in the bow of the boat.

Lady entering the water bus stop

List of stops on Route 1

The stops are

1. Piazzale Roma
2. Ferrovia (railway station)
3. Riva de Biasio
4. San Marcuola
5. San Stae
6. Ca' d'Oro
7. Rialto (Mercato Vecchio)
8. Rialto (Banca d'Italia)
9. San Silvestro
10. Sant' Angelo
11. San Toma'
12. Ca' Rezzonico
13. Accademia
14. Giglio
15. Salute
16. San Marco Vallaresso
17. San Zaccaria
18. Arsenale
19. Giardini
20. Sant' Elena
21. Lido

We sat on the bow.

Front of hotel on the canal

My grandson was in the front seat facing forward

grandson

and I was in the middle facing him. It got quite cold up there while we were crossing the lagoon to the Lido stop. I had on a sweater but probably could have used my coat - I never managed to have the appropriate clothing on. Either I had my coat and was too hot, or did not have it and was cold. After my grandson took about ten more pictures (which added to the ones from the previous day made 119 that he took in Venice) he stopped taking pictures. These are the ones he took.

Riding the Vaporetto Route #1

next to the RR station

Chiesa di Santa Lucia

Church San Marcuola Cannaregio

ferry gondola

Rialto Bridge

Some say this is the true heart of Venice. It was built between 1588 and 1591 to replace the pontoon boat bridge that went to the Rialto market. It remained the only way to cross the Grand Canal on foot until the Accademia Bridge was built in 1854. Antonio da Ponte ("Anthony of the Bridge") competed for the contract against Michelangelo. Actually I told my grandson that it was designed by Michelangelo. I was wrong. I don't know where I got that piece of mis-information from. We only saw the bridge from the vaporetto so we did not go on any of the three walkways including the a wider central walkway leading between two rows of small shops that sell jewelry, linens, Murano glass, and other items for the tourist trade.

Picture I took of him at Rialto stop

bend in the Grand Canal

Accademia Bridge

Bell Tower next to the Palacio Grassi

Water taxi

Accademia Bridge

domes

But I continued - I had 209 photos from this section. Some of them:

Distant Bridge

Venezia Santa Lucia station from the canal

Railroad Station stop on the Grand Canal

Statues on the top of a church

Hanging out on the Academy Bridge

Closeup of the gondola insides

Hotel Continental

I took a lot of photos of the different colors of gondola mooring poles. The stripes on the mooring poles in Venice reminded me of barber poles. I was thinking - Hey ... It's the Barber of Seville -- Not the Barber of Venice. The gondoliers wear striped shirts, but they aren't barbers.

Actually the pole colors represent families of the aristocracy of Venice that owned the pole (serving as a parking place), and the gondoliers wore corresponding shirt colors. The poles really have no relation to barber poles.

I have pictures of red and white, blue and white, yellow and salmon, yellow and white, aqua and white, green and blue and many other combinations. Some poles are unpainted, and some are a solid color. I wonder if those are kind of like loading zones, or official vehicles only or something like that.

According to Wikipedia, "the red and white stripes symbolize the bandages used during the (barbering) procedure: red for the blood-stained and white for the clean bandages. Originally, these bandages were hung on the pole to dry after washing. As the bandages blew in the wind, they would twist together to form the spiral pattern similar to the stripes in the modern day barber pole. The barber pole became emblematic of the barber/surgeon's profession. Later the cloths were replaced by a painted wooden pole of red and white stripes."

Blue and white with a police boat

The Palazzo Flangini is a Baroque style palace on the Grand Canal, located adjacent to Campo San Geremia in the sestiere of Cannaregio in Venice, Italy. The palace was built by the Flangini family, a Greek Cypriot family in Venice

Palazzo Flangini

Chiesa di Santa Lucia

The Chiesa de Santa Lucia had an inscription on it which says

LUCIA
VERGINE DI SIRACUSA
MARTIRE DI CRISTO
IN QUESTO TEMPIO
RIPOSA

ALL'ITALIA AL MONDO
IMPLORI
LUCE PACE

Roughly translated, this means

Lucia, Virgin of Syracuse, Martyr of Christ in this Temple Rests
Italy Implores all the World, Light Peace

Chiesa di Santa Lucia has in it the urn containing the relics of Santa Lucia. Actually there are two St. Lucias both from Syracuse which makes it confusing. After the death of the Saint in 304 A.D., his body was moved around and in 1204, the Venetian Doge Enrico Dandolo, sent it to Venice where it was put in the church of S. Giorgio Maggiore. On 13 December 1279 some pilgrims to the shrine drowned after the capsizing of boats in a sudden storm so it was decided to take the body of the Saint to the church S. Maria Annunziata or "Nunca" situated in the Cannaregio district, where they were placed the precious relics transferred from S. Giorgio. In 1313 a new church dedicated to St. Lucia, where the relics of saints were placed permanently.

Closeup of the inscription

Since we did only a trip up and down the Grand Canal on the Route one vaporetto, we obviously did not get to walk around any of the six sectors of Venice. When I looked on a map, I found that the Cannaregio district would have been on the side of the railroad station. One of the churches in this section was San Marcuola Cannaregio (which has the district in the name).

It looked unfinished, and it was. Apparently the architect thought he would cover the surface with white marble but didn't get around tuit. It isn't a new church - it was built between 1728 and 1736 by the architect Giorgio Massari. Giorgio Massari b. Venice 1687 - d. 1766 was Venice's most important architect in the first half of the 18th century. It was not uncommon for facade to be left unfinished in Venice. Finishing them cost a great deal of money and was usually left for last.

The church is dedicated to Saints Ermagora and Fortunato—yet its name is San Marcuola. It is near to the Ghetto Nuovo

Church San Marcuola Cannaregio door

In front of a San Marcuola Cannaregio

side canal just past church

Cannaregio, 2255 on Rio della Maddalena

Palazzo Fontana is located in the Cannaregio district of Venice, and was built at the end of the 16th century by pupils of leading Renaissance architect Jacopo Sansovino. It was the birth place of Pope Clemens XIII in the late 17th century. This historic and atmospheric palazzo is extremely well located, just off Strada Nuova, seconds from the Ca d’Oro vaporetto stop

Palazzo Fontana

I know that Venice is a big city for art, but we just did not have either the time or the inclination to visit museums when we were there. I did take photos of them however. The one that I liked best from the outside was the Ca' D'oro which was once the most beautiful in Venice because of the colours of its facade. But the building fell on hard times until Baron Giorgio Franchetti bought it at the end of XIX century to create an art gallery. Inside in addition to the art, you can see what remain of the decorations that once made beautiful the facades of the buildings near the Gran Canal. Downstairs, in the backyard it's possible to admire the well by Bartolomeo Da Bon, a masterpiece of 1427 made with red marble of Verona.

Approaching Ca D'Or

Ca' d'Oro

Facade of the hotel

Waterfront

Palazzo Mangilli-Valmarana was built in 1751 by Antonio Visentini for the British consul Mr. Joseph Smith, protector and patron of Canaletto. Consul Smith used to show Canaletto's paintings at the Palazzo.

Smith Mangili Valmarana Palace

Old uncovered scaffolding

Boat on the Grand Canal near the Rialto bridge

Tiny canal with boats

Ponte Di Rialto - Rialto Bridge

From under the Rialto bridge

Hotel Rialto

Reflections in the Rialto stop windows

Bend in the canal

Houses along the canal

Palazzo Grassi which apparently is the site of revolving exhibitions. What attracted my attention to the building was what appeared to be an enormous skull made from metal scraps which was outside the building.

Palazzo Grassi with skull

Campanile and vaporetto top

Garden along the canal

Brickwork

Scaffolding at ground/water level with banner

Academy Bridge as we proceed down the canal

Typical Venetian architecture

Entrance

Gondolas on the Grand Canal

One way Canal (?) by Parrochia de S.Izoise

Campanile on the way down

Statue

Venice is a network of footpaths that intersects a network of canals. At the intersections there are bridges so that people can cross over to the other side of the canal. There are some big bridges over the Grand Canal, but there are a lot more of the little narrow bridges that cross the side canals. The most famous one is the Bridge of Sighs.

Bridge Of Sighs

There are a lot of stories about this bridge. The view through the windows of the bridge was supposed to be the last view of Venice that convicts saw before their imprisonment. The supposition was that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice through the window before being taken down to their cells. In reality, the days of inquisitions and summary executions were over by the time the bridge was built, and the cells under the palace roof were occupied mostly by small-time criminals. In addition, little could be seen from inside the bridge due to the stone grills covering the windows.

There is also a local legend, that lovers will be granted eternal love and bliss if they kiss on a gondola at sunset, under the Bridge of Sighs, as the bells of St Mark's Campanile toll.

what is the mirror for?

Along the waterfront on the Riva degli Schiavoni (after you leave the St. Mark's Square stop) is an equestrian statue to Vittorio Emanuele 11 (1887), modelled by Ettore Ferrari (1848-1929). There is supposed to be a detail of the roaring Lion of Saint Mark but it must be on the other side. People in Venice call it just "The Monument" as you will notice there are not very many statues in Venice.

Victor Emmanuel II was the first king of unified Italy. First he was the Monarch of Piedmont, Savoy, and Sardinia from 1849 to 1861. On February 18, 1861, he assumed the title King of Italy to become the first king of a Italian unification, a title he held until his death in 1878.

The Castello is the largest district of Venice’s six districts. It is an area situated east of St. Mark’s Square in the former city centre of Venice. Once called Olivolo, it was the center of ecclesiastical power. Nowadays it’s a quiet neighborhood and a large part of the district is covered by the Giardini Pubblici park and the Parco della Rimembranze which provide a green respite from the crowds that throng the Riva degli Schiavoni.

Vittorio Emanuele 11 statue

Stack-up of ferries

Waterfront property

Giardini Pubblici

The Giardini Pubblici (the public gardens) were created by Napoleon who issued a decree in 1807 stating that "the good city of Venice must be equipped with a public space where people can stroll".

The gardens were laid out between 1808 and 1812 according to the landscaping project of Giannantonio Selva. Several churches and monasteries were demolished to make the gardens; the arched doorway to the church of Sant’Antonio (on the left, along the canal) is all that remains of those buildings. The pleasant walking area and playground is next to the gardens of Biennale, the international contemporary art exposition which takes place every other year.

Gardens created by Napoleon

Statue of Garibaldi

Orange scaffolding cover over a building

Gas Station In front of a church

Are there gas stations in Venice?

Yes, but you won't see them unless you look for them - they are gas stations (maybe for diesel) for boats right along the edges of the canals. Otherwise none of the vaporettos and water taxis could run, could they?

Construction right next to gas station

Coast Guard boat at the fuel dock

Aid to navigation looking towards St. Marks Sq.

Industrial section - cranes and stacks

This is the red 20 - Channel to the Lido

Waterfront with ferries

How long is that ferry?

car ferry

Hilton hotel shuttle boat and another boat

Gondilier bundled up against the April chill

Coming back to the Grand Canal from Lido

A lift or a pump?

Palazzo Salviati

Some people think the glass mosaics on the Palazzo Barbarigo and the Palazzo Salviati are tacky. The murals on the Palazzo Salviati dates from 1924 and were done to advertise the Salviati glass factory

Palazzo Salviati

But one commentator says: "After pretty Gothic Palazzo da' Mula comes 16th century Palazzo Barbarigo, disfigured by some tacky 19th century mosaics. The building gives on to Campo San Vio, one of the few campi on the Gran Canal."

Palazzo Barbarigo

The first museum that I became aware of (seeing it on the map I had) was the Peggy Guggenheim Museum (photo 3), which is billed as "the most important museum in Italy for European and American art of the first half of the 20th century". It is located in Peggy Guggenheim's former home, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, on the Grand Canal in Venice. The museum was inaugurated in 1980 and presents Peggy Guggenheim's personal collection of 20th century art (among other things).

Palazzo Venier dei Leon-AKAPeggy Guggenheim Museum

Construction at the end of the bridge

Palazzo Grimani

Bridge as we return up the Grand Canal

Palazzo Mocenigo detail

A congregation of gondolas

The Ca' Pesaro (photo 5) is a baroque marble palace facing the Grand Canal of Venice which has a large collection of Oriental art. There is also a contemporary art museum with works by Klimt, Klee, Kandinsky.

Ca' Pesaro

Lining up for the water bus - Venice

Murano glass store

Passing vaporetto

Tourists getting gondola rides

Waiting for our turn at the vaporetto stop

Private Balcony

San Clemente Palace boat

Sitting along the canal

Small shop along the Grand Canal

Standing to row

In my junior year of college I took a semester of modern art, and learned to love the pictures of the impressionists - Renoir, Van Gogh and especially Turner. Seeing the Grand Canal in person was like having a Turner painting come into focus

Fading spring sunlight - fit for painting

Bridge from the Piazzle water bus stop - Venice

From the water bus near the north end of Route 1

Hotel approaching from the canal bus

For dinner, we walked down the canal a ways

Kiosk at the end of a bridge - Venice

passing some souvenir places

Souvenir stands

to a little restaurant

Looking across from the restaurant

Inside restaurant

Specials board

and I had lasagna and salad

My salad and lasagna

and my grandson had beef which was a very thin piece of meat, and also fries.

beef

Italian ketchup

Canals at night

Dining room at night as we went back to our room

April 6 - Leaving for Madrid

My grandson slept in his clothes again as he claimed he couldn't get into his taped bag. Shortly after we got the wake up call at 5, I sent him down with his luggage and my carryon. I asked him if he wanted a roll, and he said no, but I ate one. I followed with my bag at 5:11. The taxi driver was there when I got down. He was very informative, and we were at the airport by about 5:35.

departures board

When we checked in (and we were flying business class this time because there were no other seats available, so this part of the trip was almost more expensive than the cruise), the girl told us that we could go and wait in the Marco Polo lounge.

My grandson had his toilet kit in his backpack, and they took it out and examined it and took away his body wash and shampoo which were in big bottles, although they left him his deodorant.

He hadn't realized that it would be a problem.

Marco Polo Lounge

The Marco Polo lounge proved to be a boon - they had bathrooms, a TV with the news (in Italian of course, although I could see that Charlton Heston had died), and an internet cafe although I did not try to use it as I think you had to pay. They also had food and drink, so we got our beverage of choice and some rolls to eat. I put some coins (I think 1 or 2 €) in the change jar. We ate breakfast and watched the sun come up over the lagoon.

sunrise

We were in row 2 D and F with no one between us. This was a bulkhead row (I should have picked row 3 when I was given the choice.) We put my carry-on in the overhead, but my grandson wanted his knapsack with his electronic toys in it, so they strapped it into the middle seat between us. His mom said that wouldn't be allowed in the US.

Grandson playing with electronics on the plane

Flying out I had a marvelous view of Venice from the air including another ship at the dock which we determined (from looking at my pictures afterwards) was an MSC ship which appears to be based in Venice.

Sunrise over the marshes and lagoons

Italian farm near Venice

Farmlands

Farm house with swimming pool and canals

Venice from the air

Venice - RR bridge on the right end

They served us breakfast on the flight - and omelet, ham, two pieces of bread/toast which had the crusts cut off, a yogurt, OJ, a bowl of fruit, a croissant, jam, butter and a small bottle of olive oil, and tea or coffee.

breakfast on plane

Tea

We flew over snow capped mountains,

Snow capped mountains

River

dammed up rivers,

patchwork quilt farms, orchards and the coastline.

fields

Coming in to Madrid

We were in Madrid before 10:30.

Large clock in terminal

Terminal from the moving sidewalk

Grandson on people mover

Baggage area signs

When we landed, we retrieved our luggage (which did survive including the duct taped bag), and this time I had the foresight to take the printed material on the hotel from the internet with the hotel address on it out of my computer bag so I would have it with me in the cab, and we got a cab to the hotel. The cab driver had to stop and get out his omnibus map book to find how to get there, but we arrived in a timely manner about 11 am.

This hotel was booked for us because it was really close to Alcalá and the Ciudad Lineal metro station, allowing an easy and quick access to the Madrid Barajas Airport. But in fact we didn't use the metro to go in to Madrid because we were too tired, and we used a taxi to get to the airport. This hotel was in a business district which was basically dead on Sunday when we were there.

Sunday traffic in an industrial area

There were no nearby restaurants to walk to. The people at the 24-hour front desk were very helpful with maps and information about Madrid. Amenities at Eco Hotel Alcalá Suites in Madrid included a cafeteria, terrace, lounge, outdoor swimming pool (which it was too cold to use) solarium and a fitness room.

Their information says: In-room facilities include individually controlled air conditioning, heating, free wireless Internet access, complimentary electronic safe, direct dial telephone, and LCD flat screen satellite TV and DVD player. Other amenities offered are a coffee machine, mini bar and a writing desk. An extensive breakfast buffet is served in the restaurant every morning from 7.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. It was a very luxurious hotel with a fancy bathroom (one of those

Free-standing bowl sinks

and a

black tiled shower

Twin beds

, a microwave, mini bar, coffee brewing setup, kitchenette with a sink AND utensils,

Desk and TV

and a large wardrobe. Also free wi-fi. You needed to put your key in the slot in order to have electricity.

Freeform wooden chair

My grandson immediately took a seat in the freeform wooden chair... I know I have a photo of him sitting there, but I can't find it anywhere

We were tired. I knew that I would have a struggle to get him to go into Madrid, so we just stayed at the hotel and vegged out, and I wrote up part of the trip. A missed opportunity.

We went down to lunch at the snack bar (which they called a cafeteria). Guess what my grandson had???? Right. We both had pizza.

Outdoor patio

pizza for my grandson

He was watching European indoor football (aka soccer) on the TV. Eventually I told him he'd feel better if he had a shower, so he took one and agreed that he felt better. I took one myself later.

For dinner I contemplated walking to a restaurant, but I really didn't feel like it so we ate there again. I had

pumpkin soup

roasted chicken

which was OK. My grandson had.... (anybody?). Right. Pizza

April 7, 2008 - on to Miami

He put my coat in his bag (he COULD still get into it), and we went down and had breakfast at the breakfast bar. He had rice krispies and a couple of rolls, I had some tea and rolls and put a couple in my pocket. The breakfast buffet was 14 € each.

Breakfast bar

I put it on the hotel bill and then paid that bill. I had asked for a taxi at 8:15, and we were ready for him when he got there.

We actually got to the airport by 8:39 for an 11:10 flight.

On the way back to the airport

After we found the AA airline counter, we got into a long line of people waiting to check in. I sat on my cane and we waited.

Instructions on the back of the cart

Directions on the handle of the cart

Eventually one of the line herder ladies came and asked me if I wanted a wheelchair. I said I thought I'd be OK. So she went away. A little later, she came and asked again, so I said I would surrender to the wheelchair.

The wheelchair lady took us to the business class check-in. First we had our passports validated that we had had our baggage for "years, months, days" and we said years, and that we packed them ourselves etc. She put a sticker on the passport. Then we actually checked the bags and got our boarding passes. The wheelchair lady then walked us very fast up elevators and down corridors to security. She horned us into the front of the security line.

Here for the second time at Madrid, when my grandson went through the magnetic doorway, it beeped. The procedure seems to be that they ask me how old he is (in Spanish so it takes me awhile to figure out what the question is) and then they look at his passport to verify, and then ask my permission to search him. Then they pat him down - they don't use the wand. I don't know why he sets the detector off here as he has not done so anywhere else even wearing the same clothing.

I walked through the doorway and was fine. We did not have to take off our shoes anywhere in Europe. We repackaged ourselves and the lady, walking briskly took us to the gate and said she would be back in 40 minutes. It was now 9:45. They pulled us out of the regular line at 9:00, and with priority handling, it had taken us 45 minutes to get to the gate. So I was glad that I had opted for the wheelchair.

Sure enough as boarding started (10:30), another wheelchair lady came back and both of us boarded in the first group. (I had group one on my boarding pass, but my grandson had group 4 on his.) I took a photo of the flight sign,

Picture of departure gate screens

and was told that I couldn't take pictures in the airport, but they didn't try to take my camera or anything. That was the only time anyone said anything to me about airport pictures.

There was another lady there in a wheelchair which was apparently her own chair and was going to have to be checked - must have been the mother of one of the couple who were with her. The lady with her made some comment about "if people who did not need it got .. (I don't know what it was that she wasn't getting that she wanted), that they would certainly hear from her". I don't know if she was referring to me or not, but I didn't ask for any favors, and don't feel at all guilty

Madrid Airport from the plane

We got on the plane and took off in due course. A lot of the Espania 2008 kids that we had flown over with were on this return flight too

Although my daughter said they weren't going to feed us, they did in fact feed us lunch and then another lunch as we got to Miami.

The first lunch was kind of nasty -

Beef and gravy

which my grandson didn't want, and

Pasta and vegetables

and stuff in it, which he also didn't want, a roll, cole slaw which wasn't very good and a small piece of cheesecake. The only thing he liked was the roll, so I gave him mine. He had a couple of cokes, but I was worried that he would be hungry. When I peeled the cover off the beef and gravy, it flipped up and got gravy on my shirt.

We browsed through the Sky Mall magazine and he showed me stuff he liked, and I read the regular magazine which had an article on the St. Mary's Co. Oyster Festival. They showed two movies, and I slept through the first one.

We got the second lunch about 1 pm Miami time. It was pizza,

Pizza for lunch

but it had mushrooms in it and he didn't like those, and also large grapes with seeds which he also didn't like. He ate his pizza after picking out most of the mushrooms, and about three grapes. So I ate the filling out of my pizza and gave him the crust - it was one of those big thick crusts. He gave me his cookie, which he also said he didn't want.

After lunch my grandson did the sukado in the flight magazine and I did the crossword. He finished first.

Miami Beach

As we came in over Miami, I observed power boats making circular wakes below us.

Boats doing donuts

His cell phone had no battery life in it when we were on the ship and I told him to recharge it in Venice, but he didn't. Apparently he did it while we were in Madrid because as soon as we landed, he texted his mom, and she said she would meet us outside of Customs. So we went through immigration fairly rapidly (he now has two stamps in his new passport - both from Madrid), and handed in the customs form, and claimed the bags.

We were one of the first ones down to the baggage carousel and I was sitting and he was standing next to it. People kept trying to get their bags off of it, and not being able to lift them and being carried around towards us and crashing into my grandson as they tried to get their bags. The baggage carts are free in Europe, but here you pay for them, so we didn't get one. My daughter picked us up right away and we went to watch the last part of my granddaughter's tennis lesson.

Granddaughter's Tennis lesson

picking up tennis balls

When my grandson told his mom a lot about his experiences, I found out a lot that I hadn't actually known about - particularly about his time on the ship when he wasn't with me. I found this very interesting.

When we got home, I called Bob, and printed out my boarding pass and we shared our photos with the rest of the family. Also my grandson gave his sister the pink dolphin that squealed when you pressed the fin that he bought her in the Aquarium.

April 8, 2008

I'm flying home today. My daughter dropped me at the airport to curb check my luggage ($2)

checking in to go back home

Curb Check

and asked the skycap to get me a wheelchair, which he did. I went to a kind of corral and eventually a lady came to push me to security. Then they had a hard time finding a golf cart to take us to the gate (D45).

Had a reasonable flight back.

taking off from Miami

Florida coastline

Landing at BWI

I got my luggage and Bob picked me up a couple of minutes after I went out to the curb with my luggage

and we drove home

In the Summer of 2008, we made a couple of trips on our boat, and our oldest granddaughter was married.

Then in November we took a cruise Back and Forth Through the Panama Canal