Travel Time…..Munich to Venice via Villach (June 17)
Our bad weather has moved on, and today we backtracked to Salzburg, to head to Villach and then on to Venice! A full day on the bus, but no one minded because the scenery was spectacular. Lush green mountains with clouds hanging below their tops, deep green valleys, onion-domed churches, occasional water falls….I stayed awake the entire time! Upon arrival in Venice, we went by ferry to the Lido island, where our hotel was located. The hotel was very modern and was actually a sports resort…..large pool, tennis courts, football field, beach, etc. But of course, we were there to see Venice, not play! ACIS bought us 36-hour vaporetto tickets, so we could ride the water buses to our hearts content!

Buon Giorno, Venize! (June 18-19, 2008)
We had one day to visit this magnificent place! We got an early start by taking the vaporetto over to Piazza San Marco, where we each had ACIS independent walking tours so each person could go at his own pace, where he wanted to go. I decided that since it was my third trip to Venice, I should really see the Accademia museum (Bellinis and Tintorettos), and Renée and Lisa and I headed off in that direction. Just the walk over there was a treat, because we got out of the tourist crowds and walked through little piazzas and streets! We stopped in one of the many churches to see a Vivaldi exhibition of ancient stringed music instruments. We all felt more cultured and a bit more intelligent having seen the religious paintings in the Accademia. Since we had the 36-hour vaporetto ticket, we took the water bus back to Piazza San Marco to meet up with some of our folks, and then walked to the Rialto Bridge to meet up with some more. On the Vaporetto, we passed part of our group taking a gondola ride! It all worked “swimmingly”. There were so many people there, it is amazing that we could find each other both accidentally and on purpose! Our plan was to have a little lunch, shop the market, and then catch the #1 vaporetto for a tour through the Grand Canal. Rick Steves told us exactly how to do it, and it worked! So, for what you can pay a tourist boat to do, we did for free! We cruised the entire length of the Grand Canal, getting off again at Piazza San Marco, where we all split up for more shopping. (I only spent $19 euros on a scarf and a necklace for myself!) We had gelato (gotta do that in Italy). We were to be back on the Lido at 6:40 to meet the group for dinner, so we headed that direction. Maggie, Debbie and splurged and drank bellinis in a sidewalk café, and I finally was able to call home from a pay phone! We had an excellent dinner at another sidewalk café, and then headed back to the hotel for packing. The ACIS part of the trip is over. Our group got up at 2:00 a.m. to make the crossing to the airport for their 6:55 flight. Renée and I got up to see them off, and then went back to bed until 7:00 a.m., when we got up to start our own adventure. As I am writing this, we are on the train to Milan. We should arrive there at 13:55, and will find a hotel on our own. Abi, our tour manager, picked up another group in Venice, and they will be in Milan tomorrow night. What fun it would be to run into her again!