Standby Adventure

Our standby adventure came to a close on December 31st. The plan to get home was to get on a British Airways early morning departure from Milan Linate to London Heathrow, then connect to United non-stop back to Chicago.

What happened was that the BA flight was delayed by two hours and so we missed the early connection to Chicago, and by the time we arrived at Heathrow the second Chicago flight was full. So we wound up getting on a Washington flight at the last minute thanks to the sharp eye of the agent at the Chicago gate, and then connected in Washington back to O’Hare. We were originally planning to arrive home at 1:30p but got home at 6:15p. So about five hours later, but we were home. Overall I’d call the trip a success. We didn’t sit in a premium cabin but we made it there and back and had an unplanned adventure to boot.

Some of the the moments we enjoyed on our trip:

The high water each morning in Venice was a bit of a surprise but we managed around it. While we were unable to exit through the front door of the hotel, we were able to exit through a side door where the water was much lower. Or at least lower than the crest of our boots.

But hotels were quite enterprising by selling temporary wellies to guests. Everyone was wearing them in the mornings when the tide was in.

Tides are measured in centimeters above sea level. A tide of about 80cm (0.8m) will cause low lying Piazza San Marco to flood. Our hotel on the Grand Canal was at 90cm. The first and second mornings we were in Venice the tide was at 145cm, which meant our hotel was about 2 feet below the sea level.

This tape marker below on a bar shows where the water would be at 187cm (1.87m), which is where the flooding was in November 2019. The infamous flood of 1966, and the highest ever recorded in Venice, reached 194cm.

If you go to Venice, get the free app called “Hitide Venice”. It’s what all the locals use and will tell you all about current and forecasted flooding around the city.

They have an interesting system to deal with the tides in Venice.

In high traffic areas they have these temporary platforms that raise you above the tide and allow people to get around. Then when the water recedes they dismantle them. What a pain!

Cicchetti are our new favorite food. They are little sandwiches served in bars and are priced around €1-€2 each.

Our most favorite ciccheti was a pickled onion with an anchovy wrapped on top (below, on the left side of the plate). OMG delicious.

And our favorite cicchetti bar was Cantine del Vino già Schiavi in Dorsoduro. The nice white haired lady below is named Alessandra De Respinis, and she has been making cicchetti for decades.

She constantly invents new cicchetti but is known for her award winning tuna with unsweetened cocoa powder. We tried it, but still loved the onion/anchovy better.

While we’re on the subject of food, many carryout storefronts would put sandwiches like these in their windows as the clock wound towards lunchtime. They looked amazing, although we didn’t have enough mealtimes to try one. If we did, I would have had the egg salad right here on the top shelf.

For Christmas Eve dinner I had goose. Yes, goose. When was the last time you saw that on a menu? It was delish.

Another incredibly delicious item was a veal steak I had in Florence. Whenever you see veal on a menu in America it’s always beaten flat and served with a sauce of some sort. But you don’t see it served as a steak.

I will be looking for it now, though, as this was one of the most flavorful steaks I’ve ever had.

This is not the guy you want running that campaign!

Food adjacent, we slipped in a hot chocolate stop at a cafe in Venice. Ooooooh so smooth and creamy and chocolatey.

Our new favorite cocktail is an Apertivo.

In Florence it is Aperol, Prosecco, a shot of soda, slice of orange. In Venice it is Aperol, Prosecco, shot of soda, lemon slice, and an olive on a long stick. While I love olives, it didn’t really add to the cocktail other than making it more festive. Most cicchetti bars sold these for €4-€6, but unscrupulous bars and restaurants would charge €10-€15. While delicious, it’s a €4-€6 cocktail so don’t overpay.

During one evening walk we passed by a small shop where a man was sitting in back blowing glass that he then sold. We desperately wanted to buy something from him but he had no boxes for his delicate items, only wrapping paper. We were afraid that anything we bought from him wouldn’t make it home in one piece, so sadly we passed.

The reason this was so important is because most of the shops in Venice have gone to the dark side and sell cheap crap from China. It’s easy to spot because you see the same crap in shops around the world. If you travel please promise us you won’t support the spread of this – buy local from sellers who sell local goods.

Even in Florence the world famous leather market has been replaced by cheap bags from China. It’s so disheartening.

This was really cool. One night walking around in Venice we came upon a white church that was lighted up in ever changing colors. It had the effect of making the church look like a hologram. Every minute or so it would change to a different primary color. We were mesmerized.

In Milan we went into a shop that will make a personalized scent for you. The middle of the shop had a round table covered in bottles of different scents. You’d just lift the bulb and smell it. Fun! Also expensive! This was Milan after all.

I grew to hate the Rialto Bridge in Venice. It was all those stairs! The bridge was very close to our hotel and so a primary conduit to cross the Grand Canal. But after walking all day I promise the last thing you wanna do it climb these stairs on the Rialto.

We wound up walking about 50 miles while we were in Italy. Still sore!

In Venice we lit a candle at Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo for Erica’s daddy since Erica couldn’t be with us.

Watch out for the pigeons in Piazza San Marco, they are fearless and shameless. They will fly right onto your table and peck at your food mere inches from your hand. And wildly waving your hand doesn’t phase them. Their behavior drove more than one customer away.

So you can imagine our glee when we espied this pigeon walking about with a wad of gum stuck to it’s right foot. At first you’re sympathetic…and then you think it serves the ##%#%$& right for being so }#)$&%% annoying.

Why is it that your coach is always at the opposite end of the train?

You can’t quite read the name in lights at the top of this building, but it is the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Milan. Smack in the heart of coffee country. At the moment there are just three of these: Milan, Seattle, and Chicago.

Mmmmm, creamy, dreamy Prada. We didn’t dare ask how much.

After experiencing an extraordinary few number of tourists in Venice, Florence was a shock. Lines for everything, so many people that they spilled off the sidewalks into the middle of the streets.

This was the unreserved line to see Michelangelo’s David.

But we were rewarded with simply marvelous weather every single day we were in Italy. This blue sky is not made up.

We had a great time, and are glad we made the last minute choice to go. Thanks for coming with us, Happy New Year as we ring in a new decade!