Athens to Thessalonica

I skipped breakfast and left the bad hotel early after a night of no sleep. The situation at the train station was not good--all trains were booked all day long which meant standing room only to Thessalonica. The ticket agent was demoralized, and I took it as a sign that the train was a sucker move, so I got a cab to the bus station and took first bus to Thessalonica.

We stopped for a gyro about noon. I appeared to be the only non-Greek on the bus, but the man sitting next to me spoke English. He said he knew the Seattle Supersonics and used to watch Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton when he was a kid. Also, he told me about a twice daily train from Thessalonica to Istanbul, and this is the way I decided to go.

In the train station, I met a young man from Greece who was a newspaper writer. He was going on a visit to Thessalonica's sister city in Southern Turkey near Syria--Sanliurfa. He had a reproduction of a piece of ancient art and some official looking paperwork for his visit. That reminded me of what I'd heard from the Greek cab driver in Athens. He had said students were going from Greece to Istanbul for an exchange type program. Maybe it's part of the same thing. I don't know, but the exchange is promising. Maybe EU isn't far away for Turkey.

Venice to Athens

I'm glad I decided to get a cabin. We're getting close to Corfu now, but we haven't gotten south of the "heel" of Italy yet. It looks like we'll arrive in Corfu first, then I'll get off at Igoumenitsa for a train (?) east. Mountains or large hills are visible to the east with a layer of fog at sea level up to say 500 feet. Above that, the smooth ridge line is a pale blue fading into a misty powder blue sky above that. The water out here is a medium blue and there are still no swells that I can see. The electronic map says our heading is 130.3 degrees. We're on the Minoan Lines "Europa Palace", and it is 9:44 AM.

Breakfast was good, but it should've been for 16 Euros. Last night after I got settled in, in compartment 7-140, I went to the rear deck and stood in the wind to watch the sunset on the Mediterranean. It was beautiful. The sun slipped behind wispy clouds as it got closer to the horizon and a warm orange glow shone through. As the sun set, it turned pink and then the color deepened. The glow through the clouds looked like a large orange arm submerging the sun under the water. Then, as the bottom of the sun peeked below the clouds just above the hilly horizon, it looked like a bright red smile. I missed the Mediterranean sunrise, so I hope I'll be able to see another one some day. The coastline view is clearing up--those aren't hills I see, they're mountains covered with scrub vegetation, small bushes, and lots of bare places with streaks of sand and rock. We should arrive in Igoumenitsa in 2.5 hours then in Corfu another hour after that. We're off the coast of Albania approaching Greece.

It's now 12:30, and we're arriving in Igoumenitsa. Igoumenitsa is a vacation town nestled in the base of small, smooth, green mountains in a harbor. I noticed several European tourists on the ferry. Some people got off here. Others will continue to Corfu or Patras (like me) later today. Igoumenitsa was a nice beach town with a large natural harbor and many 5-6 story condominium buildings. The streets along the water had 2-3 cars in motion at any one time, so it was a quiet, relaxing atmosphere, and I bet the houses on the lower slopes of the small mountains have great views of the harbor. It was sunny and warm, but not hot. I stood out on the rear deck and watched the cars, tourists, and cement trucks unload. There are no trains in Igoumenitsa according reception, so I'll continue on to Corfu and then Patras.

We are now in Corfu. The Minoan Lines brochure says "Corfu has the most extensive tourist infrastructure in Greece." Corfu has an old fort on a point that appears to be from the middle ages. The buildings look older than Igoumenitsa and almost all are tan colored stone or stucco with the same white, orange, and yellow kind of palette Venice had. The architecture is much simpler though. There's another tower fortress in the middle of the town.

I made it to Patras and immediately took a bus to Athens since the last train of the night had already departed. I barely caught the last bus and arrived in Athens at about 1:30 AM. The cabbie at the bus station may have overcharged me a bit, but he helped me find a hotel in Athens and the train station at 1:30 AM--not bad for 10 euros. The hotel was a complete dive though, and my room on the 7th floor resonated all night with the sound of shrieking motorcylces from the streets below.

Venice

I enjoyed the peaceful, early morning canal view with my coffee one last time. They served a very nice salad this morning of tomatoes with basil. Afterwards, I walked over to San Marco just to sit in Caffee Florian and write my cousin a postcard, but I was unable to conjure the spirits of Henry James or Lord Byron.

Then, I mailed the postcards and said goodbye to F--- and B--- at the Locanda Orseolo while I was in the neighborhood, and thanked M--- when I checked out of the Al Ponte Antico. It was a good visit.

I think mornings are best here. Everyone else gets a late start, so the streets are empty and the temperature is perfect in April--about 65 with a breeze and that mist that softens the buildings in the distance. Tiepolo got the sky right--powder blue with wisps of almost-clouds (but not quite) above.

I caught the #82 ferrovia from Rialto to P.le Roma which was perfect. The #1 is packed and makes all the stops. The #82 goes directly from Rialto to the train station and P.le Roma without all the stopping and passenger shuffling. We had a nice easy cruise back up the canal to end my stay here in Venice.

The Minoan Lines courtesy van came and I almost missed it because the big logo said BUSCELLI, and a much smaller one said Minoan Lines. Other cabbies helped me spot it though, and I made it here to the ferry terminal. I checked in and noticed lots of cars, trucks, and construction and transport vehicles waiting for the ferry. Yesterday the dock was totally empty because there was no ferry that day. It makes sense, but it's a surprising contrast. My Eurail pass got me free deck passage and although the fresh air and shade under the lifeboats here on deck is perfect, I may get a room so I can try to sleep. I'm not sure though since it's only a 22-our voyage to Igoumenitsa. We'll see.

Venice

This morning, I had breakfast overlooking the Grande Canale. The food is simple and excellent--salami, cheese, bread, yogurt, coffee, juice, crepes, and cappuccino. I've gotten spoiled on Seattle coffee, so the cappuccinos are only OK, but I really like the simple Lavazza drip coffee in the morning. It's mild and still has a nice flavor.

Mornings are beautiful here. M--- checks in with everyone at breakfast and is a very gracious host. He is very proud of his new location and he should be. He approved of my plan to see San Rocco and San Polo in the morning, followed by the island across from San Marco in the afternoon. I left the hotel and went over the Rialto into the fish and produce markets across from the hotel. It's a huge farmer's market, and you can really smell the fresh vegetables and fish. It's very nice.

After that, I walked along the canal and saw a few of the famous buildings up close and then made my way to San Rocco to see the Tintoretto there. It was great, but I prefer Titian and Tiepolo. Tintoretto's works are too stormy and dark. Titian's works are brighter emotionally and chromatically, and Tiepolo's have even more color. I know it's not fair to compare Tiepolo to others because people build on what came before, and I think Tiepolo was younger.

Life must've been pretty good in Venice then for these artists to have the time to create beautiful paintings and architecture. I'm sure many of the stoneworking skills are lost to history and progress, and marble or stone buildings aren't likely to become popular again, but it's nice to think about a revival of those building techniques and styles.

After seeing San Rocco and San Polo, I ate lunch in a touristy restaurant in the area. It was a simple meal, not bad, but it didn't come close to the Osteria and Restaurante I went to last night and the night before. I spent hours after lunch trying to find the Minoan Lines ferry departure terminal. I walked from the Piazzale Roma bus station to 1. a wholesale seafood market, 2. the regional ferry service terminal, and finally 3. the right place. I got lost before that and ended up exploring a neighborhood on the west side of Venice near the Architectural school. Apparently, the water bus service can get you there.

Eventually, I made it back to the hotel but didn't have time to see the island because I had to wash clothes. I did that at a laundromat near Santa Maria Formosa and had a pretty good slice of pizza afterwards. I bought fruit outside the laundromat and the angry vendor said, "Please don't touch the fruit!" His wife helped me to a couple of mediocre oranges and two (hopefully) good apples.

After that, I went home, slept, and had a weird dream about a heavy woman with pulled back black hair who was behind a door saying, "No. I'm OK. It's OK signore." but she wasn't OK. She had burned her face somehow. Another more attractive woman was there with me--a dark-haired woman from Zurich with a lace bra. We could not find a water hose or a bucket in the square and we were both running around screaming in slow motion, but the scream sounded like a low alarm clock, with an alarm that was slow and sustained--"burrrummmmmrr....burrrrr...." It frightened me, and I woke from a deep sleep.

Venice

After my morning shower, I enjoyed breakfast and conversation with pretty, Venetian B--- who mentioned how they had bought the Locando Orseolo in 2003. I had a nice morning meal and a pancake (crepe) that she really wanted me to try. I enjoyed it, and she seemed pleased by this.

I left my bag there since I was moving to their other hotel later that day and then I spent the next couple of hours wandering the streets and admiring the Piazza San Marco. Incredible architecture. It seems like you could spend years studying that one square and still not see all the little details in the buildings there.

Hours later while everyone was thronging the square, I went to the Gallerie dell'Accademia and saw many wonderful Tintoretto works, plus Titian, Genovese, Tiepolo and many other Venetian artists from 14th-19th centuries. It was wonderful. Afterwards, it was time to move to the new hotel.

The Al Ponte Antico is right near the Rialto Bridge, in fact the breakfast area has a patio that is on the Grand Canale! That is damn nice, especially when you're looking right at the Rialto bridge. M--- says they spent a fortune on it, but I think it was a good investment. I checked in, and went back out to the Arsenale area for more great seafood and authentic tiramisu at Trattoria Corte Sconta. Tomorrow, maybe I'll hit the Caffe Florian. Apparently past fans of the cafe include Henry James and Lord Byron.

I made one memorable social gaffe today. While waiting for my 7PM dinner reservation, I stopped in one of the local tiny wine pubs and had a soft drink. I did not realize you could not take chairs outside and people looked at me warily. Then a waiter brusquely asked me in Italian to get up so he could return the chair. My style of dress and physical features (tall, blue eyes, blond hair) marked me as a tourist, and I felt out of place in that neighborhood.

While trying unsuccessfully to blend in, I noticed that the old dudes go wine bar hopping here. They don't sit down at these small places, they just walk up and get a glass of wine either inside or outside at the little window. Once I had lost my chair, I got the hell out of there and went to another place where I stayed inside.

Funnily enough, the same old dude rolling a Johnson 8 horsepower outboard on a dolly came by this bar too and ordered more wine. We didn't see each other until I left, because he was outside and I was around a hidden corner inside. It was a funny coincidence. I guess there's nothing else to do before dinner if you're on vacation or retired.

After the pineapple juice and tea, I was done and went to the waterfront to wait where I felt less out of place. I get the feeling the people in that neighborhood don't like tourists, and I understand that. That kind of misunderstanding with the chair would be bad in Turkey I think, especially with younger people [this turned out to be false, in fact, people were very kind to me in Turkey]. It could have been a lot worse. I decided to go easy and to stop trying to blend in with the locals.

I still don't have a ticket for the Cesme/Izmir ferry I'm planning to take, so I'm going to wing it and see if I can buy one in Ancona. I'll lose a few days if I miss the boat, but if it doesn't work, I'll save the $500 and go by train or bus to Istanbul instead. I just realized my Eurail timetable has ferry times in it to Greece.

The thermostat temp is set at 18 degrees, so I had to work the conversion backwards from 72 F to find the right setting--22.2 C.