Another visit to the Veneto..... - Padua, Italy
Padua, Italy
2015 Sept. 19 - Saturday
Breakfast this morning was again a quiet affair, but the room was busier today as there a group of students staying at the hotel. When I checked out, I only had to pay the tourist tax of €3 per day as my room had been charged to the other hotel. The clerk called a cab for me which arrived within about five minutes.
The trip to the station took about 10 minutes and once inside the front door, I found a huge electronic display that extended across the width of a large room with all the train departures for the next few hours listed. My train AV-9984 (Italo) would be departing from Binario (Track) 6, and I didn't have much trouble finding the right platform, although I ended up taking a bit of a circuitous route due to the ongoing construction in the station.
The train was a few minutes late arriving so departed about 11:41. On this trip I had chosen one of the leather seats with extra room, and I felt the slight extra cost was definitely worth it. As with my previous trip with Italo, the A/C was working well. However this trip wasn't the quietest one I've ever had, as there was a couple next to me with a baby, who was rather noisy. Add to that all the knuckleheads that were playing video games or watching movies on their smartphones, and weren't considerate enough to use headphones. At times it sounded like PacMan convention inside the car! The train arrived in Padova pretty much on time, and when I exited the station I saw the Taxi rank immediately, and was on my way to the hotel right away.
The ride took 10-15 minutes due to traffic with Buses and Trams holding things up. One of the trams passed right beside the cab, and I noticed that it was packed full, which seemed surprising for mid-day. I wasn’t quite sure the driver had the right hotel, as he turned down a street that was blocked off for road work, however it was indeed the right street, and the hotel was right beside the construction zone.
Check-in at Hotel al Santo only took a few minutes and I was given my room key after they recorded my Passport details. I decided to try the hotel restaurant for lunch, which would be closing in about half an hour, and ordered the Tagliatelle with Porcini Mushrooms. It was adequate but different from what I’ve been enjoying in Bologna the last few days.
The room was very comfortable, with a large double bed, desk and above all A/C that worked, and I’m sure I’ll be very comfortable here. Another important point is that the internet works well, without having to log-on every time I turn the computer on, which was the case at the hotel in Bologna. What a nuisance! The bathroom was quite roomy and modern except for, you guessed it, a very tiny shower. This model was rectangular but the opening of the doors was so limited I found I was scraping both ends on the door when I entered the shower, even moving sideways. Oh well, that’s just one part of the European travel experience.
After lunch I got the Wi-Fi password and went back to the room for a few minutes to check a few websites and then went out about 16:00 to explore. One of the sights on my list for tomorrow was the Basilica of Sant’ Antonio, which is only half a block from the hotel so I decided to have a look today.
The Basilica Pontificia di Sant'Antonio di Padova is a Roman Catholic Basilica in Padova. Despite it’s large and magnificent appearance, it is not the principal, titular Basilica in the city. That honour goes to the Basilica of Saint Mary of Padova. Construction of the Basilica of Sant’ Antonio started about 1232 and was completed in about 1310, with some additions after that. The church also contains the tomb of Saint Anthony, who has been interred there for almost eight centuries. Saint Anthony was known for his powerful style of preaching and his knowledge of scripture.
As I entered, I was cautioned by a guard that no photos are allowed, and I nodded to acknowledge that I had heard him. Once inside I discovered that a large service was in progress, so I just stood at the back quietly and watched. When the service ended, I explored further and joined the queue walking past the tomb of Saint Anthony. Since I wasn’t allowed to take photos, I’ll have to try and describe the tomb. It’s located in an offset rectangular area to the left of the church. The sarcophagus is on a raised platform and a walkway goes around and behind it. It appears to be customary for pilgrims to place their hands on the back of the sarcophagus as they pass. The walls are lined with what looks like white marble, with three dimensional reliefs of religious figures in each panel of the wall, which depict the works of the Saint. It’s very impressive to see in person, but unfortunately my description can’t adequately convey the magnificent nature of the scene.
The exit from the tomb takes visitors past a treasury room that has a lot of ornate gold ornaments inside glass display cases, which are quite spectacular. I went completely to the back of the Basilica and then started up the other side, eventually sitting down for a short rest. While sitting there I noticed more than a few people taking pictures with smart phones, small P&S cameras and in one case a large SLR. I’m sure those people all received the same warning I did, and yet they chose to flaunt the rules and do as they wanted. What a bunch of inconsiderate idiots! I was hoping a bolt of lightning would blow their cameras to pieces, but unfortunately that never happened.
After my visit to the Basilica, I explored the neighborhood further and started looking for a place to have dinner. I could have returned to the hotel restaurant, but wanted to try something different and eventually settled for another hotel nearby. I sat inside to avoid the smoke, but unfortunately the table that I chose had a strong smell of cigarette smoke – not sure why? I ordered the Spaghetti Bolognese as I couldn’t find anything else I liked, and grilled vegetables. The restaurant appeared to be totally staffed by Sri Lankans and they were nice enough but not particularly enthusiastic or attentive. When my dinner arrived, I finished it quickly, went to the bar and paid the bill.
After that I continued down past the hotel to have a look there. Many of the stores are empty, but I found a small grocery store at the end of the block as well as a Salumeria (meat shop). I then returned to the hotel for my after dinner coffee and sat in behind the bar. I was the only one in that section and quite enjoyed the atmosphere of the booths and dark wood tables, which reminded me somewhat of an English Pub. I later discovered that the restaurant section on the other side had quite a few people having dinner.
After my coffee it was back to the room for the night. What a treat to enter a nice, cool room which was most welcome after the hot and muggy conditions on the streets.
2015 Sept. 20 - Sunday
I found the breakfast at this hotel fairly standard for Italy, with one type of cold meat and cheese, toast, juices, strong drip coffee, cereals, yogurt, fresh fruit, etc. The coffee was a nice change but it was a bit strong even for me.
After breakfast I went back to the room to check E-mail, and then got my laundry together. The hotel owner said there was a Lavanderia on Via Marsala, about a ten minute walk from the hotel and he highlighted the route for me on a map. I found it without any trouble, and got started with the laundry. It took me a minute to figure out how to work the machine, and determine whether soap was included. There were two other guys doing laundry but they weren’t much help as they only spoke Spanish, but they did confirm that soap was included.
At about the time I put my clothes in the dryer, a couple entered and they seemed to speak English so I asked where they were from. The guy did all the talking and said they were from Brazil. He’s on a sabbatical from his job as an Economist, and they’ll be here in Italy for a year. I chatted with him for a few minutes while I was waiting for the clothes to dry and then headed back to the hotel. He mentioned that conditions in their rented apartment were quite "primitive" at the moment, as it’s going to take a minimum of five working days for the electricity to be turned on.
As it was after 13:00 by this time, I decided that some lunch was in order. I had passed an interesting looking restaurant called Otivm on the way to the laundry, so decided to stop there as the menu looked interesting. They had a stack of Trip Advisor awards papering the wall, so I figured that was a good sign.
I ordered a chicken burger and fries for a change, rather than the typical Italian fare. Before sitting down, I visited the washroom and got a bit of a shock as the "facilities" consisted of the porcelain footprints and a hole in the floor. Good thing I didn’t have to "sit" on this occasion or I would have been in trouble!
While walking back to my seat from the WC, I also got an example of the more liberal European attitudes. I noticed a woman breast feeding and she wasn’t hiding anything! Over here nobody seems to care about things like that, and this is accepted as normal. As I recall, not too long ago a woman was asked by a security guard to leave the Village Green Mall in Vernon for doing the same thing, even though she was being discreet. It’s hard to understand why there’s such a difference in attitudes between countries.
My chicken burger finally arrived and it was excellent. It was served on a thinner Ciabatta-style bun and included lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. The fries were somewhat different and consisted of small, thin slices of deep fried potatoes and they were very distinctive. After my usual coffee I paid the bill at the front, which is common practice in Italy.
I asked the owner how the name was pronounced (given the fact that the “u” is printed as a “v” in the Greek style) and he first complimented me on my Italian and then gave me a lengthy explanation, which I only understood a portion of. According to the usual reference sources, the word “Otium” is a Latin word which can have a variety of meanings but often refers to leisure pursuits such as playing, eating, drinking or other retirement activities after work in the public or private sector. The last part of the owner’s description were the words “non fare niente” (doing nothing), which elicited a chuckle from the people behind me. That’s probably also a good word to describe retired Hydro employees! Italians have a similar expression to describe another of their similar attitudes – “Il dolci far niente” or “the sweetness of doing nothing”.
I had no trouble finding my way back to the hotel and it was good to get the laundry finished as this should last until I get to Austria. The woman at the desk asked how my morning had been. By default I started to tell her in English, but she “encouraged” me to use Italian. My language skills have been getting a good workout since I arrived in Padova, but I still struggle with it. It’s nice that the people here are “pushing” me a bit to get the practice.
I got re-organized and then went to the station to try and buy reservations to go with my ticket from Verona to Salzburg. It took me a few minutes to find the Tabac shop to buy Tram tickets, but of course it was close to the stop (I should have guessed). I was sure to validate my ticket using the machine on board the Tram, and the trip to the station took about 10 minutes. The Tram was surprisingly full for a Sunday, but I was still able to find a seat.
When I arrived at the station, I found the Biglietteria and walked up to one of the desks, but was told to go back and get a number, which I did. The woman informed me that since the train I was taking was a German train, she couldn’t sell me reservations. They’re optional anyway, so maybe I’ll just take a chance, although I could probably try the OEBB website as they should be able to sell them. While at the station I took a few minutes to watch one of the trains departing to Bologna, where I had just come from. It’s always interesting to observe the routine, with tearful hugs “goodbye”, people validating tickets, the arriving train disgorging passengers onto the platform and the departing passengers scrambling and shoving to get on board before the buzzer sounds and the doors close.
I used the same Tram ticket on the way back (not that anyone checked), as it’s good for 75 minutes and still hadn’t expired. The trip back was considerably more unpleasant, as the Tram was packed solid this time. Although the cars were full, people kept boarding at every stop and it was just about impossible to move. As might be expected, it was like a sweat box inside the cars!
Back at the hotel, I started looking for a place for dinner but the hotel restaurant was closed and none of the other choices appealed to me. I decided to head back towards Otivm where I had lunch as there seemed to be a greater number of restaurants in that part of town. The street in front of Otivm was very busy with pedestrians doing their evening Passegiata as it was about 18:45 by this time, so I turned left and started walking. I passed a few small restaurants but nothing looked appetizing so I kept going. I happened to walk past a small doorway with a chair blocking the entrance and had a look inside and at the sign above the door. It was called Ristorante Vecchio Falconiere and appeared to be very posh but they didn’t open until 19:00. After looking at the stack of Trip Advisor awards and the menu, I decided that I’d found my spot for dinner, and it was worth waiting for! While waiting I noticed a small take-out place called “Bubble Tea” across the street, and it had a queue extending outside the door into the street. I’m not sure what they sell there but whatever it is, it’s very popular!
Athough Ristorante Vecchio Falconiere had a really nice back garden patio, I decided to sit inside to avoid the smokers (although there was absolutely no one else there at the time). After I placed my order for a salad, Spaghetti Aglio, Olio e Pepperoncino and wine, I sat and just enjoyed the ambience. They had some really nice easy listening / jazz playing, which one would have expected in the Sutton Place, Four Seasons or other posh hotels at home. It felt a bit strange to be alone in that large room and enjoying the music without any background noise such as conversation.
The Spaghetti was delivered with perfect timing just as I finished the salad, and it was incredible! I savoured every bite along with sips of Chianti (although in hindsight I probably should have ordered a white wine). I finished with a mixed bowl of fresh fruit which included blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, etc. and of course coffee. It was a wonderful meal, which I conveyed to both the server and the owner in Italian.
I thought the walk back to the hotel would be a simple matter of retracing my steps as I had earlier from the laundromat, but it was now dark so not as easy as I thought. I found the Tram tracks and knew that if I followed them I’d eventually get to the area of the hotel. I finally resorted to Google Maps which confirmed that I was going in the right direction, and that eventually led me to the “short cut” that ends up at Via al Santo.
Although I didn’t do any touring today, I did accomplish a few things. It was nice to have a day just to relax and “live like a local”, doing laundry and riding the Tram.
2015 Sept 21 - Monday
When I woke up this morning, I was still undecided about making a day trip to Venice. I went for breakfast and figured I’d make a decision after that. After breakfast I went back to the room and checked the train details, and decided a trip to Venice wouldn’t be a problem as travel time was only 26 minutes in each direction with many of the trains. I got my gear together and took the Tram to the station.
I hurried to buy a ticket but needn’t have worried as the train was 20 minutes late (unusual for a Freccia in my experience, but it does happen). I took a few minutes to visit an ATM in the station and get some more cash. I was a bit annoyed when the machine presented me with the Direct Currency Conversion option, which I declined and processed the withdrawal in Euro. The trip to Venice was uneventful, and I had a nice chat with the couple seated next to me who were from Ireland.
When the train arrived at Venezia Santa Lucia, I visited the WC and then headed down the steps to the Grand Canal. I bought two Vaporetto tickets and a Map and then caught the boat to Piazza San Marco. After the Vaporetto pulled away from the dock, I found an open spot to stand and was enjoying the view. Suddenly I heard my name being called. At first I thought I was imagining things but eventually spotted the source. It was the couple from NYC (retired Federal agent and his wife) that I had dinner with in Monterosso on my last night there. What a small world! We continued our previous conversation until they reached their stop, Accademia, where they disembarked.
When I arrived at the San Marco stop, I wasn’t sure I had made the right decision as the place was dreadfully crowded with both individual tourists and groups. However, I carried on. It was a bit of a disconcerting feeling to realize that I didn’t have a “home base” to go to if necessary for a rest or a bathroom break, as I wasn’t staying there and it was a long way from the “home base” I did have. All I had for “comforts” were the items packed in my travel vest.
As it was about lunch time, I decided to stop for a meal so started looking in the back streets, rather than close to San Marco as I figured the restaurants would be cheaper. One thing that irritates me to no end, is stopping to look at a menu and then having restaurant staff mysteriously appear and try to pressure me to take a seat. Another irritant is menus that are presented as pictures, implying that their customers are idiots and can’t read a menu or ask servers for information. In reality, most of the pictures displayed by this type of restaurant are kind of gross and disgusting, and certainly don’t entice me to eat the food they show. I eventually found a small Osteria in a back street that had good prices, and I ordered the Penne alla Amatriciana. The food was average, the service a bit slow and the interior very cramped, but at least I got lunch.
After my mid-day repast, I continued to walk around looking for photo op’s. I eventually found my way back to Piazza San Marco and stopped at Albergo Doni to have a look, as I had stayed there in 2006. Apparently the place has changed hands, and the couple I chatted with didn’t seem too talkative. I found some benches in front of the Doge’s Palace, and it was a welcome relief to be able to sit down. While sitting there, I had a nice visit with a couple from Wales and a group from Canada.
When I got back to San Marco, most of the posh restaurants ringing the square had musicians attired in formal wear (tuxes or whatever) playing the usual type of high brow jazz / easy listening music that bands of that type play, including In the Mood, Beer Barrel Polka and the theme from Lawrence of Arabia. I decided to make a repeat visit to the historic Caffé Florian, which has been in operation since 1720. The exterior of the restaurant has a slightly shabby appearance but it still has an aura of old-world elegance, an impression added to by the waiters with their white jackets and sparkling gold epaulettes. A number of notable people have frequented Florian over the years, including Casanova, Charles Dickens, Goethe and Lord Byron. Casanova may have found it to be particularly appealing, as it was the only coffee house that allowed women. I ordered a Café Americano but stood at the bar as that only cost €5 (a bargain - it would have been much more expensive if I sat at a table).
I walked completely around the square, browsing to window-shop in the posh stores. I spent a bit more time at the Rolex store as they had some beautiful watches displayed, including one that was priced at €11,900! I’m not sure what makes a watch worth that much, but they had a few where the bezel was ringed with diamonds, and I’ll bet those were considerably more expensive (they didn’t display the price, but of course if you have to ask, you can’t afford it). I also had a look at the menus of a few of the posh restaurants that had bands playing, and the prices there were astronomical too. One of them was charging €19 for a cup of coffee and some of the cocktails were up around €50!
After looking around the square, I again ventured into some of the back streets to check out photo op’s and had a look at some of the restaurant menus that were displayed. I helped a young couple from Spain by taking a photo of them with their mobile phone. They were surprised when I gave them the greeting for “good afternoon” in Spanish.
I briefly thought about having dinner in Venice as it was about 18:00 by this time, but it occurred to me that with ordering, cooking, delivery, etc. It could take an hour or two to finish dinner and I didn’t want to be on the last train back to Padova (or worse yet, miss the last train of the night!). Having dinner back at the hotel would be a far better idea, as I was starting to wear thin by this point, and I wasn’t sure exactly how much time it would take to get back to the station by boat.
I headed back to the Vaporetto stop, validated my ticket and found that boat #2 would be leaving within a few minutes, which was perfect. This particular Vaporetto seemed to run slower than the one I had used earlier, and for some reason the driver put it in reverse to slow it down at times. As it was getting close to sunset, it occurred to me that perhaps they ran slowly on purpose so tourists could get good pictures as they rode along the Grand Canal.
When I arrived at the station, I checked my train app. and found that a train would be departing in a few minutes. The first ticket kiosk I tried wouldn’t let me buy a ticket and was only processing “ticketless” transactions. I suspect it was out of ticket cards, so could only work with the high speed trains that issue PNR codes. I tried another machine inside the ticket office, and that one was able to process my transaction and print a ticket. The cost was a whopping €4.05 for a Regionale Veloce, which as it turned out travelled at the same speed as the Freccia train I had used earlier, for which I paid €16 for that ticket. One notable point is that both ticket machines I used would only accept credit cards, and my transactions were processed using the “Chip & PIN” system.
I was really tired so rested for the short trip back to Padova. At one point in the trip, the conductor walked through the coach, but nobody ever checked my ticket. After arriving in Padova, I walked across the street to the Tram station and it was only a short wait. Back at the hotel, dropped my gear in the room and went down for dinner.
I wasn’t really in the mood for any of the pasta dishes they had tonight, so just ordered the Al Santo Pizza, which had ham, mushrooms, peppers and black olives. The waitress took my order and when it arrived, she showed me how to garnish it with olive oil (I've seen that done often enough at the Italian Deli at home, but it's always nice to be pampered).
While I was waiting for my Pizza, I got chatting with the couple at the next table who I had seen at breakfast. They were from New York City, and we spent a long time discussing a variety of topics. At about the time I was having my after dinner coffee, the hotel / restaurant owner appeared holding a small baby. His first son, Pietro, had been born 33 days ago on August 18th. He joined the discussion, along with the Italian family at the next table. The owner asked us if we’d all like a complimentary Limoncello, which I readily agreed to as did the Italian group. Once he had finished pouring, I proposed the usual toast, “Salute”, and everyone joined in.
As I was paying the bill, I asked the owner about the Italian expression “in bocca al lupo” which I was aware of from my language studies, but had never actually heard anyone use it until I came here (and I’ve now heard it twice in two days). It’s basically a way of wishing someone “good luck”, and the words literally translate to “in the mouth of the wolf”. He confirmed the origin of the story (which I knew), but the literal translation of the words and the usual reply to that expression, “crepi al lupo” (may the wolf die) doesn’t make sense. It was another reminder of the interesting things one encounters when travelling.
After that it was back to the room to check E-mail and get organized before bed time. I’m going to have a more relaxed pace tomorrow, and will probably just take one of the Red Bus tours and see a bit more of Padova.
2015 Sept. 22 - Tuesday
Breakfast this morning was quiet, at least until the couple I’d been chatting with last night arrived. They didn’t seem as talkative today, so it was a short visit. They mentioned that they used to travel by train in the past, but prefer a rental car these days. I mentioned IDP’s and ZTL’s for driving in Italy, neither of which they were aware of, and also filled them in on the situation with traffic infractions in Italy, France and Greece.
After breakfast I went back to the room to spend some time on E-mail and other chores, which took until about 13:00. I learned that the next Red Bus tour wouldn’t be leaving until 14:45, so I went to a small Bar near the hotel to get some lunch. That consisted of a single small sandwich with one slice of ham and one slice of cheese, along with an Espresso.
With lunch over I went back to the Bus stop and found that passengers were now loading. I paid my €8.50 to the driver and went up to the top deck. It was a perfect afternoon for an activity like this, a bit of sunshine with a bit of cloud so it wasn’t too hot. As soon as the bus started moving, it was again one of those “enjoy the moment” experiences. With a light breeze and listening to the commentary on the headphones, I was right where I wanted to be. I did somewhat regret not making a point of seeing the Scrovegni Chapel this time, so I’ll have to plan another visit to Padova for that. As this is getting close to the end of my holiday, I’m starting to feel a bit of “sightseeing fatigue” so my desire to visit yet another church or museum or other attraction is waning.
After the bus tour it was back to the hotel for a rest. I went out for dinner just after 18:00, but aside from getting a sandwich at a Bar, none of the restaurants were open yet. Some in the vicinity of the hotel opened at 19:00 and others at 19:30. The restaurant at Hotel Donatello was open, but after my last meal there I had no desire to return, as it was a thoroughly unpleasant dining experience. As a last resort, I did consider taking the Tram down to the station and just getting McDonalds.
However I managed to wait until 19:00 and went to try Ristorante al Fagiano, which is near the hotel. I decided to try the Garganelli pasta with white meat sauce (turkey, pork, etc.), peas and mushrooms, accompanied by a glass of white wine. It was a bit unusual but quite good.
After dinner I went back to the hotel to collect my camera and tripod and went out to get some night pictures at a local park near the hotel. It was a beautiful location, with a small canal surrounding a central island and a scenic fountain in the centre with lighting that changed colours. I spent about an hour there trying to get shots from different perspectives. At one point I was standing a few feet from my camera and tripod, and I noticed a young guy moving back and forth like a vulture. I placed myself right next to the tripod and he looked at me and said “hello” and then walked off. He knew I was watching him.
I got one last picture of the Basilica on the way back to the hotel, and it was about 22:00 by this time so it was time to get ready for an early departure tomorrow.
One of the impressions that occurred to me tonight regarding my visits to Bologna and Padova is that the Wi-Fi connections have been a bit “erratic”. The service at the hotel in Bologna was the worst, requiring me to sign in each time I wanted to access the internet. That hotel also seemed to have a Firewall on their router, making it impossible to download any larger files (such as updating a few apps). The service at the hotel in Padova was better, but at times it wouldn’t connect even when the signal strength was five bars, and at times it seemed slow (such as when uploading videos to my Blog). In contrast, the Wi-Fi service at Villa Steno worked exceptionally well.
I leave tomorrow for the next part of my adventure, one that could prove interesting given the current situation with refugees.