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Italy & Switzerland
  • Martha Sleutel
September 2023

Italy & Switzerland

A 25-day adventure by Martha Read more
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  • Martha SleutelItaly & SwitzerlandMartha Sleutel
    Bronze horses stolen from Constantinople
    Decoration of Main Alter areaMarble slabs on walls, golden mosaics aboveHighly ornate Byzantine altarpiece studded with 1000s of jewelsBiblical scenes in mosaics of precious stones and goldMore of interiorMore views of statues, Byzantine art and mosaicsGolden glow throughout from gold mosaicsDifferent views of vaults with mosaic scenes1Chad and Laura listening to audio explanations

    Venice, Day 4

    September 27, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    After a morning walk through the twisty, medieval neighborhoods, we enjoyed a relaxing gondola ride. Our sumptious lunch was Italian specialties, mostly local seafood. After gelato, we had a tour of St. Mark's Basilica.

    Built in the 1100s to replace an earlier church, St. Mark's is a feast of gold, jewels, and walls of decorative mosaics. Walls, ceilings, vaults and domes of completely covered in gold-ground mosaics depicting saints and biblical scenes. The high altarpiece dates to 916 AD and was built by Constantinople craftsmen in gold, silver, precious stones, and cloisonne enamel.

    The church's Eastern style is a mix - Byzantine, Romanesque, Islamic, and Gothic. Much of the incredible columns, reliefs, sculptures, and artifacts were stolen from other churches, palaces, and monuments during the 4th Crusade. (The style has been described as "early plunder". Charlie pondered the hypocrisy of a church comprised of stolen goods, then decided that they must rationalize that stealing is OK if it is from infidels!).

    This is our last night in Venice. Tomorrow, we head back to Milan, and Laura & Chad fly back to England.    Read more

  • Martha SleutelItaly & SwitzerlandMartha Sleutel
    1

    WWII Bomb - Seriously?

    September 28, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F

    We said good-bye to Chad and Laura on the Vaparetto dropping us off at the Train Station stop, while they continued to the bus station stop just beyond.

    Our train from Venice to Milan was on schedule and pretty full. We talked to another passenger (Sarah) who was American, but lived in Italy and was fluent in Italian. She wanted to know about my CO2 monitor.

    I use the CO2 monitor to check for air quality/ventilation - more than than 800 is unhealthy. Usually, on trains and planes, CO2 ranges from 600 (GREAT) to 1500 - 2000 (bad). I've never seen it higher than about 4000. (At 800, 1% of the air is exhaled from someone else. At 2000, it's 4%. At 3000, it's 7%, at 4000, it's 10%).

    We were shocked to see it climb well above that, to 7000, then 8000 and on up!

    Thirty minutes after Verona, our train stopped and stayed stopped for 45 minutes. The CO2 levels soared up to 9999, then had an ERROR message. (the monitor doesn't record higher than that!). The levels were off the charts with a stopped train full of people - even with their AC running! Horrific!

    Finally, there was an announcement in Italian. Sarah translated that they had found a WWII bomb and trains could not proceed to Milan. (See photo of sign in English).

    They were re-routing us back to Verona and through Bologna to get us to Milan. So we reversed and returned to Verona 30 minutes later. And then waited. And waited. An hour passed. Sarah heard the train folks (in Italian) debating what to do, and talking about sending the train back to Venice!!!!!!

    Sarah had an important meeting in Milan she could not miss, so she began calling rental car places. We agreed to go together (thank heavens for Sarah!). We walked 1/2 mile to Avis, and then Sarah drove us to Milan! By the time we got to our hotel near the airport, it was late and dark. We should have been there about 3 pm. We don't know if our train ever got to Milan. (They should fix their ventilation system!)

    Long, eventful day. Grateful to be near the airport for our flight home tomorrow!    Read more

  • Martha SleutelItaly & SwitzerlandMartha Sleutel

    Food Oddities and Observations

    September 29, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    We will miss the (mostly) wonderful food:

    1. Breads and croissants here are baked fresh daily and are exceptional. They have croissants made from different types of grains, and there is one in particular that we both really liked - a hint of rye? Or pretzel dough? We can't tell, but it was our favorite.

    2. Restaurant meals in Switzerland were a bit expensive. About half have been fabulous, and half have been just good/OK. None have been bad. Most in Italy were fabulous and tended to be less expensive.

    3. Train station food is pretty decent. Train stations have bakeries with grab-n-go sandwiches, pastries, and salads. And croissants - see #1

    4. Hotel breakfasts are odd.

    -- They usually provide cold meats, cheeses, breads and yogurt. Only one provided fruit.

    --Several had raw eggs and a contraption to lower them into boiling water. I tried this, and it took 10 minutes for hard-cooked eggs, and another 5 minutes before I could peel them. Why on earth don't they just offer already cooked eggs?

     --Coffee at breakfast was also weird. They never had coffee or tea available to help yourself. We always had to order for what we wanted and wait for them to bring it. Charlie's coffee was always in a single tiny cup.

    5. No tips expected, AND no place on the receipt to add it!    Read more

  • Martha SleutelItaly & SwitzerlandMartha Sleutel
    Group photo at St. Marks Basilica
    Ambulance by boat!Afternoon stroll through neighborhoodsPosing on bridgeMe at the front of the gondolaView of our gondola approaching another under a low bridgeOur fabulous lunchRialto Bridge with boats

    Good-Bye Italy!

    September 30, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    Hoo-Boy! LONG flight. Milan to NYC went fine. Mad dash to get through Border/Passport Control (or whatever they call it now) and make our connection to DFW. Got to the terminal. And waited. Flight delayed. Delayed again. Delayed again.

    Why? NYC is flooded, and the flight crew couldn't get to the airport! We took off 2+ hours late, arrived home at 9ish (about 0400-ish Milan time). Tired. Happy to be home!

    Final pics from our last few days!    Read more

    Trip end
    September 29, 2023
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