La Zucca in Venice

This is a bit backtracking, but I have to post this because Sarina mentioned she was going to Venice when I bumped into her at the airline lounge in Qatar.

Sars, if you are reading this, you must try this small, casual, but very delicious restaurant in Venice.  It was recommended to us by our apartment host, saying it was one of the more popular restaurants in Venice, and it was right around the corner from the apartment.

 La Zucca is right across this bridge, to the right.

In fact, we kept passing it everyday not noticing it was La Zucca until it was almost too late. On our last night there, we confidently made a reservation for dinner (in the morning) and were told they were already booked for the evening. We said we could eat even at 10 pm, and they said just come on over and we'll see.

 That's us outside the restaurant (to the right), waiting for a table to free up

It was a two-minute walk to the apartment and we could just walk home and eat our spaghetti in the fridge if they really didn't have a table for us. But how can you not take pity on us, waiting patiently outside?

Well, we got our table, and we ordered what we could before the kitchen closed.

It's a simple, casual restaurant and the food is excellent.

A very popular starter is the pumpkin flan. After our fist bite, we understood why.

Then of course we had to have at least one pasta.

The lamb chops were very good.

But a hands-down favorite was the duck with apricots.

This was a potato dish the kids inhaled too.  The kids like to eat all kinds of food too so it's nice to bring them out to eat.

 

I'm glad we got to eat here. Hope you can too!

Why I Like Traveling by Train

We took the Frecciargento of Trenitalia from Rome to Venice

 

One of my most favorite ways to travel around Europe is by train. It's much easier to get in and out of train stations (than airports) and  I like the freedom of not being strapped to a seat. There's also always something interesting to watch--outside the window.

I actually prefer to drive if we can, because we can stop and explore spontaneously.  But if we don't need a car at the point of origin nor at the destination, then the next best option is a train. In exchange for the freedom of a car, in a train we get to relax without having to bother with maps and navigation.

 

Trains usually have  first and second class cars. But unlike a plane, there is hardly any difference between the two and I never bother paying for first class.

Train tickets can be booked online.  If you keep checking the train website,  you might see big price fluctuations and chance upon a great promo. Sometimes, for the cost of one airline ticket , you can buy four train tickets. That alone makes train travel so appealing.

The website "The Man in Seat 61",  has lot of train booking tips.

The only drawback about train travel is that suitcases are stored in racks at the end of each car (and you also have to carry them on and off yourself). If the train has multiple stops, I usually have visions of someone getting off with my suitcase--an image that contradicts my thoughts of why a thief would lug off a suitcase and risk being  caught with a week's worth of laundry.

So far, B and I have come across the Ave in Spain, Deutsch Bahn in Frankfurt and Thalys in Rotterdam. They were all very comfortable and very fast.

Unlike a plane ride, where the objective of the journey is to fill up the hours with mealtimes, movies, and sleep, a train has no in-your-face video screen tempting you to numb your brain. A meal is always available in another car, never trapping you in your seat for hours.

What I look forward to most of all is the quiet time with beautiful scenery speeding by. The view is usually compelling, enough for me to keep my eyes off my smartphone.

And then I get profound thoughts.

Like how the speeding landscape is a metaphor of life, or how a simple journey like this sort of mimics a life goal. (I know, I know--but what can I do it the kids are usually glued to their kindles and B is absorbed by his android?!)

So here I am, being introspective and deep, re-evaluating life goals, dreams and strategies. In our modern busy lives, this block of reflective quiet time is a luxury--and also a gift. (And B wonders how I come up with all my wild ideas?)

I'm usually in the best frame of mind when I arrive at our destination. I'm filled with the  enthusiasm of a traveler, but with a clear mind and wisdom of someone who has also gone on a little retreat.

Travel is definitely educational--seeing new places, experiencing other cultures and traditions. But the journey of getting from one place to another, specially if done mindfully,  can be equally enlightening.

Tiny Mosaics in Murano

 miniature mosaic of Van Gogh's Starry Night

I'm such a sucker for art stores. This one in Murano got me excited, I immediately wanted to buy these packets of glass tiles and create some art back in the apartment.

But who am I kidding? My last two purchases of travel watercolors and paper have yet to be opened. Oh but what I can create with these little glass chips!

Between trips and life in general, I haven't found the time to paint, what more create a mosaic? But that will change in 2014. I will paint again. (Declaring it is one step in the right direction!)

This tiny store has everything you need to create a mosaic. There were even instruction books on how to create a mosaic. No such store exists here in Manila. Oh no, now I'm getting non-buyer's regret! I should've bought a couple of packs of Murano glass chips, to add to my art stash at home.

The intention was there, but there were too many choices and too many colors. As usual, I got confused and decided not to bother.

Maybe that's a good thing. I have to use my art stash, not add to it! 

Twenty Minutes in Burano

We spent exactly twenty minutes in Burano,  only enough time to take in the colorful houses, and buy a couple of candy souvenirs.

We hopped on a vaporetto headed towards Murano and Burano, not knowing how far it was from Venice. Not a very good idea, specially on the day we were checking out of our apartment and taking an overnight train to Paris.

But sometimes "spontaneous" is our middle name, and we were already halfway there when we realized this was going to take longer than we imagined.

In hindsight, had I known it was 45 minutes away, we probably would've never gone. So it's also good not to know everything.

We spent ten minutes of out of our twenty, in this store selling glass candy.

The girls bought one souvenir each, plus one more for a friend at home.

Burano is a treat for the eyes.

Rushing to catch the next boat back to Venice.

An Afternoon in Lido

I'm quite obsessive about planning our trips but only when it comes to plane tickets and accommodations. Except for a couple of meals that may have probably been planned ahead, I like to leave chunks of time free--sometimes even days--and just decide what to do on the day itself.

 

Like on this day in Venice. With nothing really planned, we got on the vaporetto and after a few stops,  decided to go to the end of the line to Lido. 

By the way, if you are in Venice for a couple of days, go ahead and buy the 48-hour vaporetto ticket--or the number of hours that match the number of days you're there. It will turn out to be the most economical choice.

 

We made the mistake of buying  the 7-euro ticket, which got each of us a one-way ride. We quickly realized that no one goes one-way unless you are leaving Venice and heading to the airport or train station. With the  more expensive "time-limited" ticket, you pay one price, but you use it for the duration you're in Venice and can go everywhere.  It's really the best way to go around. You could use water taxis of course, but that would cost even more. 

While I was mesmerized by the view from the vaporetto, the girls were, what else---reading.

"Look up and enjoy the view," I nagged them. They looked up for a minute and then went back to reading.

 

We had no idea what we were going to do when we got to Lido, but I picked up a recommendation from the Trip Advisor app: biking! We rented a bike (quadcycle?) and pedaled around the almost-deserted island.

Don't they look so thrilled to be biking?

We stopped to check out the beach. It's big, wide, and filled with people--but our beautiful island beaches in the Philippines are still much nicer. No wonder all the Europeans go crazy over our beaches.

We circled half of the island and before we knew it, an hour had passed. B and I were aerobic from all that biking.

After we returned the pedicab, we got picnic stuff from the grocery and headed back to Venice.

Waiting for the vaporetto. Now where was this crowd while we were biking around the island? 

Lido sure looked deserted.

Again, the gorgeous scenery couldn't distract these two from their kindles. At least I never heard the words "are we there yet?"

Over-planning pays off specially when it comes to finding good airfares and  hotels deals. But  unplanned days, allowing events to unfold naturally, is for me, the true essence of being on vacation.

 

A spontaneous picnic on the bank of the canal, watching gondolas glide by.