Travelling around Venice Part 1

My first and  and all time favourite impression of Venice is walking out of the Santa Lucia Railway station, which is just like any other railway station in Italy, into a completely different world. Different buildings, different transport system, different noises – the quiet purrs of canal boats, the low murmurings of people, and No Traffic! 

Today was even better   - there were hardly any people around!   We checked into Hotel Abbazia, one of our favourite  hotels  - beautiful rooms, and foyers and better still, handy to the railway station so you cannot get lost looking for it – on other occasions we have spent much time looking for hotels along Venice’s many narrow and identical (to us) ‘road’ ways – never again……

It is always a delight to stroll around Venice, especially when there are no crowds!  As always upon our visits here, we discover new places.   Today’s discovery was one of a chain of  small Irish pubs!  Not quite the same as other Irish pubs world wide but definitely Irish, warm, friendly and with reasonably priced beer and cheap sandwiches -  ideal for a walking city!  And yes, we were doing a lot of walking on this day – St Marks Square – still no crowds apart from a few groups of tourists, my favourite lingerie shop, the Black Cat  Shop for our Black Cat Calendar, the Rialto bridge and markets and well, generally strolling – oh look – there is another of those little Irish pubs……..

Titanic Exhibitions in Ireland - a one hundred year commemoration

As it is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic there is much interest in the ship and the travellers who sailed on her. In Belfast where the ship was built, a new state of the art exhibition centre (nicknamed “The Iceburg’ by the Befast residents) was erected and opened in March 2012 and by Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Belfast in late June had already received over 250,000 visitors. Everything is ‘Titanic’- the height of the magnificent building is the same height of the bow, an inside wall replicates the cladding on the ship, while outside the exact size of the ship is outlined on the ground. The high technological displays engages all the senses - sights, sounds, vibrations. A strong focus of the exhibition was of the building of the vessel, the people, who and why they were on the Titanic for that partcular trip, and the times. There is also a very touching movie featuring the team led by Robert Ballard of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and what they initially saw on the sea floor in 1985. The only item that is not on public display is the Grand Staircase. This is s huge bone of contention amongst locals and visitors. Apparantly one has to attend a VIP function in order to view this famous Titanic artefact. Down in Cobh, fromerly known as Queenstown, Cork, another Titanic exihibition was available to visit. Ths town is the headquarters of the White Star Line company, which looked after the embarkation of passengers and mail before Titanic set sail. This exhibition had a different focus on the tradegy of the Titanic, focussing on the footsteps of the passengers and the times in Cobh. While there was some discussion about the high cost ot visit this exhibition, those of our fellow tourists who did visit felt that the exhibition was well worthwhile. In Cobh itself the town has preserved the buildings of the times in respectful memory of the people on Titanic and the subsequent disaster that befell them, three and a half days from setting sail from this pictuesque town, overseas to see the world. We have visited several Titanic exhibitions around the world, and the development of technology has enabled us to understand more about the boat, the times, why the disaster occurred. Many people have become quite emotional at Titanic exhibitions particularly in Ireland as they are descendents of the builders as well as the staff and passengers who had embarked on that fateful voyage. It also makes one humble and most grateful for the maritime safety rules and regulations in place today as a direct result of the inquiry into the Titanic disaster.

Friendly New York

I have to say that we have found the people of New York the most friendly out of all the overseas places we have travelled to in recent years.

The people working in the touristy and transport areas we have visited here, are effeicient, smile and look as if they are enjoying themselves. Even the people the streets are friendly and will stop to see if you need any help.

Why is that? Area they so all the time? Or is it because the recent Labour Weekend Holiday is the 'Last Hurray of Summer?'

While striding most of the way along 5th avenue today I thought about all the different types of people we have met around the world - in the tourism, service industries and in general, around the world.

For example, in St Petersburg the people are efficient - sometimes, but stoic and don't smile. Pushy in the streets, but according to our guide 'they just want to get there'

In Sweden - helpful when they realize you speak English.

Most European places that we visited - no shop service as we know it.

Italy - tending towards arrogance at times.

Spain - don't swagger like the Italians and not so 'full on'

Australia - no shop service as we know it.


Cuba - easy going - helpful when you get to know them

Washington (USA) effecient, friendly, but don't smile - as much as New Yorkers.

As we trundled out of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which included a huge display about John Lennon and Yoko Ono, I could understand why John loved New York so much.

It was not just all its numerous nooks and crannies - it was the friendliness of the people!

International Pets

Did you know that it is ok to have pet Snakes in Australia?

My grandson has one. It is a Coastal Carpet Python, one of two types which are ideal for children. This one is the more lively of the two types. It is about half a meter long, with an interesting patterened skin, loves to coil around your hand, well, anything really, and is quite inquisitive.

Rocky, except when it bites (when it gets a fright) eats, pinkies, which are new born rats, about once every 10 days. It has its meal in one gulp, dislocating its jaw to do so. It take about 10 - to 15 minutes to completely swallow the pinky. Then it goes to sleep.

Rocky lives in a white box, about metre square, with a type of straw on the bottom and a little brown cave to sleep in. The cave is kept warm by absorbing heat from lights in the box. At 28 degrees temperature Rocky is quite lively and this temperature helps him to absorb food.

To be handled easily by its owner it needs to be kept at around 22 degrees.

Pet snakes in Australia are becoming very popular today. A licence is required to keep one even the poisionous species, of which Australia has the most venemous.

We travelled to my grandson's home to inspect Rocky the snake, enjoyed the cool sensation as it coiled inquisitively over our hands.

Does anyone around the world keep a snaks?