Now that we’ve been home for over two weeks, I’ve had a chance to sort my thoughts on this year’s European junket. Here are some words from this wiseacre if you’re planning to head to Europe in the near future:
- Getting Covid while on vacation sucks. Airports and airplanes, not to mention crowded public spaces, are fetid cesspools of viruses. Social distancing is non-existent. Bring plenty of N95-equivalent masks and wear them. Get the latest booster shot before you go.
- One visit was enough for Venice. Going during peak tourist season was crazy. Everything was priced to take maximum money out of tourist pockets. Julian had originally wanted to attend the Regata Storica (Historic Regatta, where craft of all kinds go up and down the Grand Canal), but I wasn’t up for standing in the heat, humidity, and crowds all day. Instead we walked up to the Jewish Ghetto, which was interesting. We had lunch at a South Asian restaurant across a canal from the Ghetto.
- Sometimes the best places to eat are chain restaurants or buffets. This was a surprise to me. We had two dinners at the Italian equivalent of Olive Garden, Rosso Pomodoro (Red Tomato), a couple blocks from our apartment. Yes, it was touristy, but so were all the other restaurants. The salad with cantaloupe was first rate. The buffet restaurant near Schiphol Airport where we had the family reunion was excellent.
- Renting an apartment is the way to go in Venice. This was especially true as we were still dealing with Covid.
- If you do stay in a hotel, chat up the staff. We met a lovely young woman in Santa Cristina who was from Sardinia who helped us figure out the laundry facility in the hotel. The manager of the hotel in Misurina was very accommodating of our illness and made sure we could stay away from other patrons when we ate at the hotel.
I’m not sure where we’ll head on our next vacation. We’ve got to pay off this one first.
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