If you’ve been following along, you’ll be glad to know that the rain in Venice has stopped, at least for now. I’ve dried myself off, wrung out my wet clothes, and packed them in a plastic bag. I’m ready to take a cruise. The sad news is that we have to say good-bye to Venice. But the good news is that we’re going to say hello to the Greek Isles!
We left with a girl who works at the hotel and her water taxi-driver friend. The hotel staff sent us off like we were departing family members…
“Ciao!” “Arrivederci!” “Buon voyage!” “Bye-bye!”
Those Italians — they’re great! We tossed the baggage into the water taxi, hopped in, and off we went.
Water-Taxi Ride – Hang on!
The water taxi driver putt-putted quietly down the narrow little canal behind the hotel until he reached the Grand Canal. Then he gave her a little gas, and we were on the move. Big, billowy clouds still hung overhead, but the sun seemed to be trying to come out.
Our driver pulled out of the Grand Canal and into open water. Then he really gave it the gas. The water was choppy and we were going fast, but that boat just cut through the sea like it was buttah. What a ride!
He sped over to Giudecca Island and dropped off our friend from the hotel…
“Ciao!” “Arrivederci!” “Buon voyage!” “Bye-bye!”
Then we took off, headed for where the big cruise ships dock. We rounded a bend and there it was — the Costa Mediterranea — our gigantic floating home for the next seven days.
The water taxi driver dropped us off, so there we were, standing on the dock with our luggage, passports, and our new umbrellas. It was still raining off and on, so at least we’d get some use out of them.
All aboard!
We passed through the embarkation area, stood in a few lines, and eventually boarded the Mediterranea. Our room was nice enough. It was about halfway up, on the 6th deck, near the middle of the boat. We’d shove off that afternoon.
For our Greek Isles cruise, we chose an Italian cruise line, Costa Cruises, that caters to Europeans. We didn’t go to Europe to spend a week on a boat with 2,000 Americans.
We don’t have anything against our compatriots, but there are plenty of ’em back home that we see every day. We thought cruising with Europeans might be more of an adventure.
We were unpacking and settling in when the ship’s horn blew. Whoa! That’s a huge understatement. When that horn blows, your insides rattle. Then the gigantic boat started moving. Too late to turn back now!
We pulled out into the Giudecca canal and started cruising along, passing by sights that were now familiar to us — Saint Mark’s Square, the Doge’s palace, the Arsenale, and the Giardini where the Biennale is.
Doing the slow cruise out of Venice was fun. It seemed like every passenger on board was on one deck or another, standing at the railing, waving and taking in the sights as we went slowly by. People on the shore were waving to us. It was a celebratory scene. Somebody grab the champagne!
The ship’s horn blew again, alerting us to the “welcome aboard” announcement. It was repeated in six languages: Italian, French, German, Spanish, English, and Japanese.
Six Languages
This is Europe, so I guess they have to accommodate Europeans’ various languages. (Might as well toss in Japanese, too). I thought it was kinda neat.
Then it was time for the safety drill. The next announcement said, “Go get your life jackets and report to wherever you’re supposed to be to receive instructions for what to do in case of emergency.”
The announcement told us where to find our life jackets and where to go for the drill. In six languages. It took 20 minutes! Already, the six-language thing already wasn’t so “kinda neat” anymore.
I furtively suggested that we could stow away in our room while everyone else goes through the safety drill in six languages, but my cruise-savvy Better Half advised me that they’d throw us overboard before they’d let us get away without going through the safety drill.
OK, then — safety drill it is!
To be continued…
