Arrivederci, Italia

Tuesday
Our last day! As we had a full schedule, we were up and out by 10:30 or so - Connor fixed pancakes and Ben went out for pastries at a bakery he stumbled upon during his morning walk. (During which he got turned around and ended up following some gondoliers on their way to work - once he got to the canal he took the vaporetto back.) The pain au chocolate were not Paris-level, but they were good, and brought back nice memories of our trip last May with Kelsey and Carly.

Our first destination was the island of Murano, famous for the glass we have seen and admired all over Italy. We took the vaporetto and after a somewhat rough ride on the big water we arrived at the stop where the Museo del Vetro (Glass Museum) is located. With help from some locals, we found it and went in. The first gallery was filled with small bottles, tubes and shards, most of them from the first century. While attractively displayed in artistically arranged hanging cubes, once you've seen one bottle you've pretty much seen them all. Connor and Ben feigned sophistication and interest by s-l-o-w-l-y looking at each cube while Griff and I rolled our eyes and hoped for something better in the next room.

Well, that hope was unfounded, and we whipped through a display intended to show the progression from cloudy to clear glass. Yawn. Then there were some examples of hideous centerpieces, one so big that if Griff ever does live in a Doge-size palace it might work. Finally, we got to a gallery that had some cool stuff, but really not anything more spectacular than what we'd seen in the shops. We watched part of a glassmaking video - and I will say that the monitor had a spectacular glass frame - then left to go to the glass-making factory.

It was closed. We decided to shop until the vaporetto came, and this decision turned a completely lame expedition into a huge success, as Griff found the perfect souvenir, one he had been looking for from day one. Sometimes it is the small things...
　
We hopped back on the vaporetto, or "evaporator" as some of us called it, and headed back toward San Marco. By the time we got there it was about 2:00, so we decided to do Harry's Bar for lunch. What an experience! Opened in 1931, and frequented by Ernest Hemingway so often that he had his own table during the winter of 1949 -50. Here he wrote much of "Over the River and Into the Trees" - and Harry's Bar is mentioned many times in the novel.

As soon as we opened the door, we were greeted by a white-jacketed waiter, who inquired if we were there to have drinks or lunch. We told him lunch, and we were escorted to the last empty table - the place is very small, only about 15 tables or so. It feels like you are on a boat, but not just any boat - a yacht. It was easy to see why Hemingway was so comfortable there, given his fondness for his own boat, The Pilar. It's all white tablecloths, golden wood and glowing lights inside, but the atmosphere is relaxed, not stuffy. And the service is impeccable!

Everyone ordered a Bellini - the iconic cocktail invented here. WOW. I've had a Bellini before, but nothing like this. White peach puree, prosecco...perfection. Even Ben, who never likes drinks like this, enjoyed his. While we perused the menu, our waiter brought us each a roll that was flaky outside, tender inside. It didn't need anything but none of us could resist the tiny cubes of butter in a glass dish on our table. Then a basket of regular bread and house-made grissini appeared. I am almost embarrassed to say that it had to be replenished pretty darn quickly - I'm just going to say we were starving and stick to that.

We ordered: Connor had the hamburger, which was huge, perfectly cooked and came with a homemade bun cooked right onto the top - and the cheese was not just a slab o' american, but a cheddary sauce that complemented the beef perfectly. Sided by hot crisp fries, Connor did not miss pizza Margherita at all. Ben had a specialty of the house: chicken curry. It was seasoned aggressively but not overly, and the morsels of chicken almost melted in your mouth. Griff had a ribeye saute, again perfectly cooked, which was a relief after his experience with the overly rare meat the day before. A plate of grilled vegetables - peppers, zucchini, cauliflower - came with and he shared those with me. I had the risotto with shrimp and cardoons (cardoons are in the artichoke family) and it was redolent with flavors of the sea and garden. Creamy but not rich, it was a large portion and I ended up sharing with Griff, who apparently did not hear me order - he "hates" seafood - and never would have taken a bite had he known what it was. So much for false assumptions - he thoroughly enjoyed it, and cleaned his plate.

We had the white house wine, which is selected by Mr. Cipriani every year - he chose well for 2012. Griff had a screwdriver, which was about as far from the American drink of OJ and vodka as milk is to beer. It is made with blood orange juice to start, and I couldn't identify the other ingredients but it was tasty and refreshing.

As Kelsey says, it is best to have the "full experience" so we ordered dessert. Gelato with a chocolate sauce and sugary sprinkles, chocolate cake with a mascarpone sauce and apple pie - and Griff enjoyed his screwdriver so much he had one for dessert. It was a meal where food, service, atmosphere and history all coalesced into an unforgettable experience. Thanks, Rick and Jenny for treating us.

Back out in the real world, we crossed the Piazza to visit St. Mark's Basilica, stopping briefly to see if Griff could get some pigeons to sit on him. (I have no explanation for this, and am glad that the pigeons did not cooperate.) We went into the Basilica, a fancy Byzantine structure with three domes, many columns and impressive mosaics on the front, which was built to house the remains of St Mark the Evangelist - the gospel guy. The remains were stolen by some merchants in Alexandria in the early 800's, and St Mark replaced St Theodore as the patron saint of Venice.

The interior is dark, with ornate carvings and fancy floors and ceilings. We toured the main part, then back to the vaporetto stop for our final ride.

No dinner tonight, we are all too full from lunch. Just packing, and C & G want to check out some bars by the canal. We have a long, long day tomorrow and need to leave our apartment for the bus to the airport a little after 7:00. A short flight from Venice to Frankfurt, then a long haul to Newark, then another short hop to Cleveland, then a four-hour drive to Cincinnati for C & G. This trip has been the perfect length: it went fast, but we are all just about ready to be home.

I'll do one more blog shortly after we get home, and put together a photo album.  It's been a great trip!