Italy and Greece Day 4
Italy and Greece
Day 4 - Tuesday, September 11, 2001
Another early morning, got up at 6AM as our luggage had to be out by 6:45 and we had to be at the bus by 7:45. We had our usual continental breakfast of coffee, rolls, hard boiled eggs, croissants, juice, cheeses, and meats.
The seat rotation had begun and as we started on the left side of the bus we would have the opportunity to sit on seats with great views.
We left Rome and took the Italian Highway 1, their main highway running north and south toward Ravenna and Venice.
The countryside was nice, with old communities and some fortified areas that appeared to be castles. The area became more and more mountainous and we were able to see olive and grapes being grown in this arid land.
Two hours into the trip we stopped to give everyone a break, have some coffee, eat a pastry, go to the bathroom, or have a smoke. It was a cool morning so it was pleasant.
We got back on the bus and went past the Abbey of Pomposa and arrived at Ravenna, on the east coast, just after noon. We went with Michael to see the Church of St. Apotlinaris and then to lunch at the restaurant next door.
Most of us had lasagna. It is surprising how they can cook their pasta where it is tender but not mushy, it was quite good.
At 1:30 we were back on the road on our way to Venice following the Adriatic coast. About 1:30 hours outside of Venice we were given the news about the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Michael had gotten a call from a friend and the lack of concrete information caused a great deal of anxiety and speculation on our part. Most of us wanted to get to our hotel to see CNN and the BBC for news.
Michael and our bus driver, Ferdinando, continued our tour, swinging west toward the city of Padua, the Breta Canal and the Palladian Villas, this area has been settled by the well to do of Venice as a retreat. It still has canals, offering those who lived there a way to get from Venice to their homes.
We finally got to the outskirts of Venice, one cannot drive to Venice, and went to our hotel, The Antony.
We were able to get more news on the events of the day but it was still very limited. Michael insisted that all of us make the night visit to Venice, so at a little bit after 8PM we got on the bus to go to the embarkation point.
We were able to get on a water taxi that took us into Venice and allowed us to see the sights at night. We were dropped off at the piers by St. Mark's Square and were given a history of the area, monuments, and sights.
We also had an opportunity to see a jazz group playing and enjoy a light beverage. Gennie and I found an internet spot to communicate with our son Eduardo about the events of the day.
Everything was fine, but many of his friends were in shock as they had families and friends in the "city".
We took another water taxi back to the bus area and returned to the hotel where we got to bed close to midnight.
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